Metrolinx is set to temporarily implement a reduced service schedule Wednesday as ridership plummets amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have had about a 60 per cent drop in ridership now and it’s continuing to decline with each passing day,” Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins told CP24 Tuesday night. “What we’re going to do is starting tomorrow GO buses and trains and UP Express will reduce overall about 28 per cent. So we’ll still have plenty of room for people given that ridership has fallen quite a bit more than that.”

GO Transit will continue to operate all the same lines, with a 30-minute service during peak times. The Laskeshore East and Lakeshore West lines will see more trains than other lines. A one-hour service is anticipated during off-peak times. The service changes are available on the Metrolinx website.

She urged people who are still using the system to spread out as much as possible in accordance with the social distancing measures urged by public health officials.

She noted that the plummeting ridership shows that people are already making an effort to change their behaviour.

“People really are heeding the advice of public health officials to stay home unless you really need to go out. I think they are automatically doing that,” Aikins said.

She noted that Union Station, one of Canada’s busiest transit hubs, is “eerily” quiet lately.

Asked if it remains financially viable to operate the system, Aikins said the agency is not concerned about that at the moment.

She pointed out that it’s important to keep transit services going so that health care workers and other essential service workers can get where they need to go.

“They all need to get to work and those are essential services that we need to keep operating,” Aikins said. “Every day – every morning and every evening – we’re going to be touching base with all of our different units across our organization to make sure we’re providing the right kind of service, that crowding isn’t happening and that we’re making sure that we keep our essential services going.”

She added that the reduction in service is also a way of helping ensure that those who keep transit working stay healthy.

“Reducing the number of buses and trains that we operate allows us to cycle our staff so that we can keep our essential workers healthy and reduce the transmission among our own staff,” she said.

Aikins said those who rely on the service should be prepared to deal with some adjustments for at least several weeks.

“This is going to be weeks. It won’t be forever, but we can tell that it’s causing a lot of people a lot of anxiety and stress. We just need to do this together.”

Metrolinx is also asking remaining riders to implement a number of measures for social distancing:

  • Customers with accessibility needs, or individuals with mobility concerns should be the only customers who are regularly using the accessibility coach on GO trains. If you do not need assistance during your trip, we strongly suggest you consider using another coach. This is to ensure there is adequate distance between everyone in the coach, including staff.
  • GO bus customers are now being asked to please avoid sitting in the row directly behind the driver to ensure there is adequate distance between everyone on the bus, including staff.
  • GO train and UP Express customers are also being encouraged to spread out along the platforms – and not to crowd around one specific door to help keep a safe distance between everyone on board.
  • When on a GO or UP train please practice social distancing and spread yourselves out as much as possible.