Go Service – Commuting to UW Should Not Be This Hard

Commuting to UW Should Not Be This Hard 

It’s 6pm on a cold, windy November night. After a weekend with family, it’s time to commute back to Waterloo. I’m back at a dimly lit bus stop in Mississauga, one of dozens of students lined up for the next ride to Waterloo.  

The bus finally appears, headlights cutting through the dark… and then it speeds past, already packed. Another hour of waiting in the cold. 

The Weekend Commute Struggle 

For many UW students this isn’t an unusual story. Each weekend, many of us travel to be with family, attend social gatherings, or for work, only to face overcrowded, unreliable routes on the way back. The GO buses connecting Bramalea GO to Waterloo run just once an hour, leaving students stranded when seats fill up. It’s an exhausting, inefficient commute. The most frustrating part? The solution already exists. 

 

The Kitchener Line That Doesn’t Reach Kitchener 

GO Transit’s Kitchener Line seems like an obvious fix, except it doesn’t actually run to Kitchener on the weekends. A train named for the city doesn’t serve it when students need it most. 

Weekend train service could transform student commutes. Trains hold more passengers, offer smoother rides, and give students the chance to study, relax, or simply breathe after a long week.  

Extending the Kitchener Line to its namesake city would also ease pressure on the bus system, improving travel for everyone along the route. 

Broken Promises 

Back in 2021, the Province of Ontario promised all-day, two-way GO train service along the Kitchener line. In fact, successive governments of different political stripes have been making similar commitments since 2011, yet none have delivered on them. Four years later after the 2021 pledge, the promise remains unfulfilled. Anyone who has visited the Kitchener GO Station knows how infrequent the trains are – so infrequent that the station often feels deserted. 

It’s Time to Speak Up 

This is why student advocacy matters. Reliable, accessible transit isn’t a luxury, it’s essential. We deserve better than overcrowded buses and hours lost to transit delays. 

Aislinn Clancy, the MPP for Kitchener Centre has launched a petition calling for the return of the weekend GO train service to Kitchener, emphasizing its benefits not only for students but for the broader community and the environment.  

If you’ve ever been left waiting at a bus stop, this is your chance to make change happen.  

Add your name and help bring weekend train service back to Kitchener-Waterloo. 

https://aislinnclancympp.ca/weekendgo/ 

 

Ella Wang

Communications Assistant