GO Transit etiquette campaign not stopping riders from putting their feet up
"It drives me nuts," says GO Transit rider Thomas Hamilton of his fellow passengers sullying the seats with their shoes.

metronews.ca
May 16, 2016
By Gilbert Ngabo

Thomas Hamilton doesn’t ride the GO train often but when he does, he expects to find the seats clean.

So, seeing a fellow rider with their feet up on the seat “drives me nuts,” he said.

“It’s just disrespectful to others, especially in winter when people’s shoes are wet,” he said Sunday as he came off the Lakeshore East train at Union Station.

Metrolinx recently launched an online etiquette campaign targeting customers who behave inappropriately while on GO Transit. It followed a survey showing 67 per cent of riders are irked by those who put their feet up.

Loud talking on cellphones, littering and putting bags and other belongings on the seats also topped the list of discourteous behaviour.

The etiquette campaign aims to spark discussion among riders, and the hashtag #EtiquetteFail has already generated over two million impressions on social media, said Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins.

However, that hasn’t necessarily led to better etiquette on board GO trains.

“I still see people and their feet up on seats,” said Kesley Johnson, who commutes from Bramalea. “Whoever is handing out the fines should do it more, because right now it’s not working.”

Though the campaign encourages customers to interact with those misbehaving, most take to Twitter rather than engage in a direct discussion.

“I don’t want that killer stare down,” Hamilton said. “Law enforcement officers should be the ones doing their job, not me.”

Most etiquette offences aren’t considered a bylaw violation, although transit safety officers can issue a $75 fine to riders who break the rules. However, Aikins did not know how many people have been fined since the etiquette campaign started.

Despite the campaign, some riders still feel their feet deserve a seat.

“Sometimes I’m tired from work and my feet are killing me,” said Teena Garofalo, who takes the train to the city from Mimico. “If the train is not full and I’m not taking anybody’s seat, I think it’s fine.”