York University students upset buses stop short of campus when school starts

Riders face 2 fares or long walk because of deal between TTC and YRT over subway

Yorkregion.com
August 14, 2018
Tim Kelly

York University students who depend on York Region Transit bus service to get to the Steeles campus will be out of luck after Sept. 2.

They will find the bus has stopped running directly into the campus.

That’s just one of the things that bug Vaughan’s Fred Winegust and Markham’s Ricardo Mashregi, two longtime transit advocates who also happen to be municipal candidates this fall in their respective municipalities.

 

Winegust, who is running for regional council in Vaughan, and Mashregi, a Ward 1 hopeful in Markham, are bringing attention to the YRT bus issue at the York University campus now because they fear students from York Region will get a rude awakening early next month when it’s time to start school again.

There will no longer be direct service onto the York campus. Students will have to get off at the Pioneer Village subway station, Winegust said pointing out it’s a 200-metre walk and then a further walk into campus.

He said the alternative is that students will hit the notorious two-fare wall, forcing them to pay the $3 TTC fare to pay to go the rest of the way on a TTC bus. That’s on top of $3.75 they have already paid to ride a YRT or Viva bus.

As far as the two-fare wall is concerned, Mashregi sees it as “unfair.”

“It’s prohibitive to use public transit. How are you expecting people to get out of their cars based on the cost structure,” he said.

Winegust said YRT and TTC made an agreement when the subway came through that YRT bus service would no longer continue to the Steeles campus since a subway stop would be built there.

GO Transit will continue to have all its routes going into campus. It does have a cost-sharing agreement with the YRT, allowing users to pay $1 to use the YRT when they then use GO Transit at York Region stations.

Subway service from any of the lines served by the TTC is not impacted.

“A survey we did showed that students are getting a lift to Steeles to avoid the paywall,” Winegust said.

Winegust said the two-fare wall costs a “business” commuter an average of about $1,700 a year. The rate would be slightly lower for students, who get a discounted rate.

He said it’s time the YRT and TTC made a deal to allow transit riders, who have to pay both full fares, to ride over the Steeles Avenue border.

For York students who live in Thornhill, such as Celia Lewin, 20, and Jordanna Miller, 24, the lack of YRT service directly into campus represents a real hardship.

“I would be happy with a one-fare system,” said Miller, who added that none of her classes are near the Pioneer Village Station.

“Most of my classes are not very close to the subway station, so it will be a long walk from the station or I will have to take a TTC bus and pay an extra fare,” said Miller.

Lewin calculated it would cost her an extra $800 over the course of the school year if she takes the TTC as well as YRT buses -- money she doesn’t feel she can spare on a student budget.