On 3 October 2016 at 01:44, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:

1. Evan is an expert since he has lived at York.
Is it really faster from Finch than Downsview?

It all depends on where you're coming from.

From east of Yonge and north of St. Clair it's probably easier to;

- Take the Sheppard subway to Sheppard/Yonge and take the 196B from there.

- Take the Finch 199B from Finch Station, Scarborough Centre or major intersections in between

If you're coming from downtown or are close to the Bloor line take the 196 from Downsview.

From west of Jane, take the 195 Jane Rocket from Jane Station or major intersections.

(And of course there are GO buses direct to York from Square One, Richmond Hill, Oasville, Oshawa etc.)

Having said that, this is 2016. Download a bloody Android app to tell you the fastest way to York from wherever you are. Google Maps does a workable job but there are some specialized apps that track the TTC bus GPS signals (I prefer the "Transit" app that also works in other cities).

2. The question was about crowding, not speed.

Into campus, buses will probably be crowded but there are lots of them. Rush frequencies on the 196 from Downsview will be less than every five minutes and they use the double-length buses on that route.

4. There might be a difference between going to York and returning.
The bus queues for the return trip have seemed horrible.
There is apparently a trick: catch them inbound, a stop before
everyone else. I haven't tried this

This will guarantee you a seat but will probably make your journey slower. Works with the 196 (which stops in front of Seneca in the afternoon before going to the main loop) and the 106 (non express bus to downsview -- slower but less crowded).

5. On Scott's advice, I've taken the rocket from the Sheppard station.
Perhaps Finch would have been better, perhaps not.

Of the two, the 199B from Finch will probably be faster from Yonge Street since it has no significant north-south travel. If starting from Yonge and Sheppard take the bus direct from there.

6 This year my starting point is different (St. George station) so
I'll probably go through Downsview

Absolutely.

Note: This will be the last year this info will be relevant (except for the advice to use an app.) This time next year the subway will run directly to York.

Evan Leibovitch

Geneva, CH

Em: evan at telly dot org
Sk: evanleibovitch
Tw: el56