Every day that Newmarket resident Mary Welsh goes to work, she relies on York Region Transit to get there.
Without a car or the ability to drive, public transit is how Welsh gets around. But having relied on the services for years, Welsh said her job prospects for working in and around Newmarket have become hampered given the limited times transit it available.
“It severely restricts what hours I can work. I can’t afford to Uber it every time,” she said, adding locations accessible by public transit are also limited.
“It’s gotten progressively worse.”
The Toronto Board of Trade recently gave York Region Transit a C- grade, part of a wider report criticizing most transit agencies in the GTA. Criticisms include limited transit coverage on frequent routes and a lack of 15-minute service on fewer routes.
“The majority of urban York Region residents have only very limited transit service, reducing their access to jobs and employers’ access to talent,” the report said.
The Toronto Board of Trade's report said the region’s on-time performance rate is fairly strong, and it does have a good investment in transit with its Viva routes.
Welsh described the challenges of getting to her workplace, having a 10-minute walk to the route from her Queen Street and again to her job at Farmboy in Aurora. Reduced service on weekends is also an issue, she said, with no routes going to First Commerce Drive on Sundays.
“I don’t think they understand the needs of the riders,” she added.
Getting around town for shopping also has its challenges. Welsh said she feels routes going north of Davis Drive are limited and lack frequency,
“The service south of Davis isn’t that bad. But I still don’t understand why they don’t have more frequent services to the malls,” she said.
Service planning transit manager Tamas Hertel said YRT is committed to making improvements and providing "cost-effective, quality services." He said the objective is to balance service levels to match passenger demand.
"YRT’s ridership continues to grow; however, travel patterns have changed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; majority of ridership demand is on main regional corridors, such as Yonge Street," Hertel said.
Regarding north of Davis service, Hertel noted the mobility-on-request service provides service in low-demand areas. She also noted some upgrades coming to the Queensway Route servicing Davis and Leslie Street north of Davis and additional improvements planned for next year on the route.
"We acknowledge the concerns raised by residents and are always actively working to improve transit services; we value feedback from our riders and are dedicated to enhancing their commuting experience," Hertel said.
The difficulty of transit navigation has made Welsh consider switching jobs toward finding an easier commute.
Regardless, Welsh said she will continue to rely on York Region Transit.
“I don’t drive, and even if I did, I couldn’t afford a car,” she said. “I really don’t have a choice.”
