What do you think of when the image of driving to school in your own comfy car at your own convenience comes to your mind?
Awesome is the word, till you think about the parking fees and other daily expenses of driving a car to downtown Toronto, every single day, while still being a student.
Not to mention the harm you are going to cause the ecosystem. If every single person does that, this city would soon be at loggers with Mother Nature. Car pooling is a good alternative but in university, it is not that common to have people who go and come back at the same time every day as you. That brings us to the various public transits like the GO, TTC and other local transit buses.
While it’s a headache commuting, no one can help but thank the existence of these means especially in the cruel winter days, days of heavy rain + traffic delays or just days when there is no other way to get home/work/school. After being a regular commuter for over a year, I have a few things to share with the beginners.
1. Try not to run to catch the subway/train. Always be ahead of time. Catching the next TTC subway isn’t a problem since it operates every 2-3 mins or so, but missing the GO train can be lethal. Especially when the next one is an hour away.
2. When you have friends with you, the journey seems way shorter and definitely more enjoyable. I am sure there must be people you see travelling with you on the same train everyday, and probably in the same classes as you too. Don’t hesitate to start a conversation. You never know the good that might come out of it.
3. Reading a book/ Listening to songs on your i pod/ Sleeping- No matter which of these things you do out of boredom, don’t make the mistake of forgetting to get off at your stop. The train won’t stop for you. And no, you don’t automatically wake up when your station approaches. I have experienced the dismay of sleeping through my station and waking up at the next one. It was pretty scary and horrible especially because I was still a newbie.
Commuting can be fun- sometimes.
Check this out for discounts on MetroPasses and Go transit tickets exclusively for Ryerson University students.
