Quote:
Originally Posted by Blader
I'm fond of above ground systems. I like to gaze.
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The view from the stretch running along Schara Tzedeck cemetery just before 22nd street is awesome. The Skytrain covers a lot of ground but outside of Vancouver proper (and away from the Skytrain and B-lines) the transit system in Vancouver isn't much better than what you find in other cities, aside from the fact that its so well integrated. To cover the same ground in Toronto you'd have to transfer from one transit company to another several times. The stations on the Expo line are hideous compared to the other lines but the ability to take Skytrain from the airport to almost any major node in Metro Vancouver makes up for that. In terms of people flow, the stations seem to work quite well.
Winnipeg's transit system is pretty decent. Buses run frequently in the central areas. The busway to the university definitely doesn't compare to an actual rail transit system but it's pretty fun and the stations are nicer then those on the Expo line. They have a much cheaper bus fare than any other large city in the country, they increased it this year to $2.55. Thunder Bay's fare is $2.65 and Vancouver's is an arm. (And a leg if you're going two zones.)
As for my hometown... Thunder Bay Transit was good 5 years ago but changing commuting patterns and increased ridership have totally broken the system. Overhauls can't come soon enough (they are planned to go into effect this year sometime). We do have indoor heated terminals, which Vancouver and Winnipeg both seem to lack. We were the first city to have GPS arrival software on all buses, and will likely be the first city to replace it with something newer. Our new transit system is being developed by the firm that helped reorganize YRT and the VIVA BRT system on the GTA, so I'm optimistic that it will get better but not very happy with it now. The current system is a very convoluted system where 17 routes are actually 4 really long routes; the new one will make less sense but work better.