Kendra Nkemi, a Nigerian immigrant, has been working at an Amazon warehouse, where she said she finds joy in being productive, since arriving in Canada.
Every day she takes a total of two municipal buses and one GO bus on her daily commute to work. Regardless of any situation that may occur, Nkemi says her commute is reliable and convenient for her.
Unfortunately, the convenience of GO Transit may change with Omicron cases on the rise.
Metrolinx announced it will be making changes to GO Transit schedules with fewer customers using the transportation of buses and trains.
Metrolinx head of media relations Anne Marie Aikins said with the increase in Omicron cases, Metrolinx is going through significantly reduced ridership as well as an impact of staffing.
GO Transit ridership rapidly increased in the summer of 2021 due to an ease of lockdown restrictions, but with the announcement of a new variant and illness in Canadians growing, ridership dropped to a similar level seen at the beginning of the first pandemic in 2020 said Aikins.
For commuters who rely on the GO Transit system, the changes do significantly affect their lives, Nkemi said.
“I have a family back home and working is my means to provide, there are other options for getting around but those are also costly and not as safe for someone who is not sure how to get around.” She said.
Aikins said trains will also face changes with rail service decreasing to 47 per cent below peak servicing levels.
Metrolinx News said that during this period of low ridership and schedule changes, they are working to increase efforts to keep frontline staff and customers safe.
N95 masks and rapid test kits will be frequently distributed to GO Transit on site staff while office staff will continue to work from home, Aikins said.
Metrolinx News advises essential workers and commuters who must travel to continue to follow COVID-19 safety protocols.
Aikins said Metrolinx will be taking advice from public health and closely monitoring its staff availability and ridership to determine future increases in service.
Until then, GO Transit will be reduced.
Commuters seeking updates on Go Transit bus schedules and cancellations can find information at https://www.gotransit.com/