GO bus change doubles commute time from Mississauga but no move to bring the Square One route back

A GO Bus route change from Square One in Mississauga to Union Station has left many commuters frustrated recently but there is no move yet to bring back the service.

GO Transit’s Route 21 bus – which ran from Milton, stopping at Square One, to Union Station was cancelled on April 8. At that time Metrolinx touted this change as beneficial for riders.

“Instead of going to Union Station Bus Terminal (in Toronto), Route 21 variants will connect directly with Lakeshore West Line GO train service at Oakville, Clarkson and Port Credit GO stations,” Metrolinx, which owns and operates GO Transit, said in a March update.

“This provides customers with a more reliable and consistent service in and out of the city as it will be less dependent on traffic in and out of Toronto.”

But, as riders soon found out, the change actually increases the commute — double the amount of time in some cases. The transfer from the bus to the GO Train adds too much time.

“It’s a huge slap in the face for the thousands upon thousands of residents in Mississauga and Milton who depend on GO Transit to get across the GTA,” one person wrote on Twitter. “What used to be a convenient bus route is now super tedious for almost no reason.”

“So @GOtransit completely ended all Mississauga GO Bus service to Union Station without any notice.. this is the most ridiculous change I’ve seen and will literally double commute time for most people,” another person said.

A Metrolinx spokesperson told insauga.com the reason the route changed was because of traffic congestion caused by construction.

“Last summer, traffic congestion on the Gardiner Expressway significantly impacted travel times for customers using GO Bus Route 21,” the spokesperson said in an email.

Route 21 between Union Station and Square One was restructured on April 8 to direct customers to the closest GO Train station on the Lakeshore West line, the spokesperson added.

While this change was meant to make the trip faster, customers are finding this isn’t the case.

And a month after the change, there appears to be no move to bring the bus route back.

When asked if the Milton to Square One to Union bus service would come back, a Metrolinx spokesperson didn’t give a yes or no answer.

“Our team consistently analyzes ridership and travel patterns, and we make modifications to our services keeping reliability and customer journey times in mind,” the spokesperson said.

With files from Canadian Press