CONNECT: Why was the Aurora GO express bus discontinued?

Yorkregion.com
April 12, 1028
Teresa Latchford

A reader asked:

Why was the express GO bus from Aurora Road and Highway 404 discontinued? Passengers are now rerouted to the Aurora GO train. Where’s the GO express?

The answer from Vanessa Barrasa, Metrolinx spokesperson:
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Metrolinx regularly reviews demand and the need for potential service improvements to the GO network.

The new GO train service, introduced early in January on the Barrie line, replaced many existing GO bus services along the corridor.

Bus services north of Aurora provide hourly connections to the new train service at Aurora GO Station. This includes new Route 69 bus service along Yonge Street between the Newmarket GO Bus Terminal and Aurora GO Station and an extended Route 68 that now serves Newmarket GO Station and Aurora GO Station.

As the region grows, all-day train service will allow more commuters to avoid increasingly congested highways.

Train trips accommodate more passengers than bus trips -- anywhere from hundreds to thousands more -- so this service change sets the stage for further growth in the years to come. As always, we’ll evaluate the success of these changes, including considering feedback from customers and the communities impacted by these service adjustments.

By switching from bus to train, some customers will save as much as 44 minutes per trip. That’s why we expect ridership during these periods to grow by one third in two years, to 2,700 boardings per weekday.