GO Transit is the regional transit system serving Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (Golden Horseshoe). Founded in 1967 by the Government of Ontario, it operates commuter and regional trains and buses. Primarily cratering to commuter passenger heading to downtown Toronto for work. GO Transit has expanded to serving students attending university and colleges in the GTHA. More recently, GO Transit has become to serve further out tourist destinations such as Niagara Falls and Stratford.
Tickets
Pay for tickets in advance at GO Transit or at the stations.
Presto is the automated fare collection system for Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area and select major cities in Ontario.
Credit cards and mobile wallets are also accepted. Save 15% when purchasing a ride with Presto, credit or debit card, or mobile wallet.
For visitors, GO Transit tickets can be purchased alongside your VIA Rail fare.
Fares
GO Transit uses a zone based tariff system
Tip: check out GO Transit’s Partners and Promotions to find discounts that best suit your needs. The ones we recommend checking out are:
- Weekend and Holiday Unlimited Day Pass for $10 each
- Weekday Group Passes for two or more people starting at $30
- Niagara Weekend GO Train + WEGO combo tickets starting at $22 (weekday passes start at $34)
- Purchase on the Niagara Parks webpage
Services
GO Transit runs the following services on the routes below. Most run all day, weekend and off peak hours except for Milton and Richmond Hill lines.
- Barrie
- Lakeshore West
- Lakeshore East
- Milton
- Kitchener
- Richmond Hill
- Stouffville
Destinations
GO Transit trains and buses serve the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (Golden Horseshoe) operates centered on downtown Toronto. Outlying destinations of the GTHA include Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Barrie, Oshawa, and Peterborough. Popular tourist destinations such as Niagara Falls and Stratford can reached via the Lakeshore West and Kitchener Lines respectively.
Baggage
GO Transit baggage policy is that passengers are allowed to bring enough luggage that they can carry and manage without assistance. Animals on leases, strollers (foldable), bicycles are also allowed. GO’s FAQ explains this in further detail.
This policy, however, does not apply to rush hour times when trains are filled with passengers.
rural areas. Oversized items are allowed on Canadian and remote routes.
Pros
- High reliability (with Service Gurantee).
- Comfortable, spacious, relaxing experience (at least outside of rush hour) on trains.
- Ease of payment options
- Frequent 30 minute service and express rush hour trains
- Future expansion to transform GO into a regional rail system with 15 minute service.
- Frequent bus service supplements trains and reaches smaller cities and campuses.
Cons
- Uncomfortable seats on long journeys.
- Costly, longer distance travel and monthly passes.
- Car-centric infrastructure.
- Opaque customer service about expansion
- Frequent crowding during peak times.
- Lack of all day service on some lines
- Centralized (hub and spoke) network design (all trains terminate at Union Station)
Notes
- GO Transit is a great commuter and regional rail service but the lack of all day and weekend service on some lines makes trip planning difficult.
Classes here, instead of Good to Know (coming up)
