GO pondering bus Quiet Zones
Feature on rush-hour trains very popular since 2013 debut
GO Transit is quietly exploring the possibility of adding no-talking sections to its buses.
The transit agency hasn’t formally decided to go ahead with the idea, and there’s no timeline yet. But GO has been surveying customers on whether they would like to see Quiet Zones, introduced on trains in 2013, added to the bus service.
"Staff are investigating the possibility of creating a quiet area on the bus fleet, as it may not only provide some increased comfort to our bus customers but also assist in keeping dis- tractions away from the drivers," said Metrolinx spokeswoman Anne Marie Aikins.
The Quiet Zones on GO trains are "a very appreciated feature, and we have received a number of requests from customers who love it to implement the same service on GO buses," she said.
During rush hours, upper tiers of GO coaches are considered Quiet Zones, where riders are discouraged from talking together or on their phones and they’re asked to turn down their electronics. Short, quiet conversations are allowed.
The Quiet Zones aren’t policed, but train riders will frequently explain the rules to fellow passengers who don’t follow the rules.
It’s not clear if or how a bus Quiet Zone would work on standard coaches, but it could work on GO’s growing double-decker fleet in much the same way as it does on the trains.
GO Transit runs 2,061bus trips daily, and 64,000 of GO’s 251,000 riders take the bus. Meantime, Metrolinx has announced that work has already begun on double-tracking the Barrie GO line.
On Tuesday, it announced that signal and grading work has already begin on a six-kilometre stretch between York University and the Rutherford GO station.
The expansion is part of the transit agency’s regional express rail plan to provide all-day, two-way service on all its lines, with frequencies of 15 minutes in some core areas.