With the housing costs in the Greater Toronto Area continuing to rise, it’s no wonder that so many city-dwellers are packing up, moving north and commuting to the city during the work week. While most of us would dread that slow-crawling commute each morning on the DVP or the 401, many have opted to trade in their rush-hour gridlock for a house in the suburbs and an easy commute on the GO Train. While the move is saving former Torontonians thousands on housing, many are asking if the commute from a more remote location is really worth it? Let’s take a look at why commuting from Barrie to Toronto using GO Transit is becoming a common trend for the Toronto residents who have had enough with housing costs and have officially made the move to Barrie and the surrounding area.
Save On more Than Just Gas
It’s no surprise that the immediate draw to commuting from Barrie to the GTA via GO Transit is the cost. As of 2012, GO Transit has replaced their monthly passes with a PRESTO pass, which essentially is a re-loadable pass, on which you can deposit as much money as you’ll need each month. When your card gets low, you can refill accordingly, depending on how often you use the transit system. With a PRESTO pass, the average adult will spend approximately $420 each month for use of the GO Train from Barrie to downtown Toronto. However, the cost of gas, wear and tear on your vehicle and parking far surpasses that. Not to mention, the major cost factor being the difference in cost of living between the two cities. While commuters are not only saving on their cost of transportation, they are also paying substantially less for housing outside of the city, as the average home in Barrie costs about half of what it does in Toronto.
Another common perk of not having the drive to work each day is that families are finding themselves only in need of one vehicle. While most households are paying to run at least two cars, commutes using GO are forgoing their extra vehicle and savings substantial amounts of money on loans and insurance.
Save Time You Didn’t Know You were Losing
If you’ve ever taken the Don Valley Parkway or Highway 401 during peak hours, you understand the struggle of rush hour commutes. According to Statistics Canada, Torontonians spend an average of 80 minutes per day stuck in traffic during their rush hour commute, which adds up to a total of over 40 working days stuck in traffic over the course of a year. That’s right, the total of 40 work days is actually spent just commuting. So really, it’s no wonder why so many commuters are opting to use the GO Train instead of driving. Typically, a ride from Barrie to downtown Toronto takes a GO Train about 2 hours and 20 minutes. While on a good day a driver could get from those same points in about an hour and a half, with the added rush hour traffic the commute time is extended long beyond those parameters. In fact, the average travel time during peak times can be as much as 3 times longer.
Commute In Comfort
If you put the cost and time factors aside, one of the biggest draws to the GO Train is the comfort. With comfortable air conditioned cars and ample seating for capacity, the GO Transit system allows commuters a much more relaxed trip into work. Instead of battling road rage & slow traffic, commuters can rest their eyes, enjoy a coffee or even get some extra work done in the quiet, comfortable train cars. Not only does a comfortable commute make for a better morning, studies show it can also increase your productivity and lower fatigue throughout your work day.
On Time, On Schedule
When you’re stuck in traffic it’s easy to start panicking about being late for work. And it’s even easier to get enraged when there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. If you’ve ever been stuck in gridlock on the 401, you know exactly what I mean. With so many people opting to leave the downtown core and commute via GO Transit, it is also giving them more reliability for the schedules. In fact, GO Transit has an 87% rate of being on time, and a promise of a refund if it’s more than 15 minutes late. With over 271,000 passengers on board the different GO trains & busses each weekday, the reliability of getting passengers to their destination on time has proven to be their top priority.
As housing prices continue to rise in major cities like Toronto and Mississauga, it makes sense that families are packing up and moving to more suburban areas like Barrie and other outlying cities. With the help of GO Transit, families no longer having to give up their jobs in order to move out of the city. While saving time, money and helping the environment, so many commuters are finding that the future is quickly heading towards to GO Transit travel. If you are looking at moving to the Barrie area and would like to know more about the benefits of living outside of the big city including lower housing costs and competitive mortgage rate feel free to give me a call at 705-315-0516. I’m always happy to answer any questions you might have while assisting you in securing the financing you need to make the move to the Barrie area.