So since arriving at McMaster, I have only heard people say bad things about the HSR. Sometimes the comments are very vague too, and don't give specifics about what makes transportation in Hamilton bad. I have never had a late bus (and I've taken it quite frequently), most of the bus drivers are quite friendly, they have more frequent pick-ups at busier parts of the day when there will be more passengers, and prices aren't that bad for tickets. I do understand it often requires a longer time to go up the mountain because of the way that the city is shaped, but there's nothing the HSR can do about that. I came from Guelph where there were constant route changes, very expensive tickets, and long wait times for pick-ups that did not adjust at peak times.

So my question is: What specific things does the HSR do that makes everyone say "Hamilton has terrible public transportation"?

I am in a similar boat, haven't really had any problems so far. The only annoying thing is when the bus driver will stop at tim hortons and go buy something, that definitely is annoying. I'm guessing either people like complaining or we somehow escaped the bad service.

Cheers and have a good summer!

Originally Posted by Atheist?

I am in a similar boat, haven't really had any problems so far. The only annoying thing is when the bus driver will stop at tim hortons and go buy something, that definitely is annoying. I'm guessing either people like complaining or we somehow escaped the bad service.

Cheers and have a good summer!

Put yourself in their shoes. They have to drive for hours on end, and they don't get the luxury of walking out of their office to go grab lunch or a coffee or just going to the bathroom whenever they feel like it, like other people do in their jobs.

Once I had a driver stop at his house to fix his furnace, lol. Another time somebody threw a drink at the driver because she wouldn't take his expired transfer. I get that she was angry and stuff, I would be too, but she ordered everyone off the bus at Jackson Square and said the ride was over, it was the last bus of the night too so I had to walk home from jax.

Making connections sucks in certain parts of the city (I'm thinking of Ancaster, where I work, but I've also had this problem with the Upper Paradise bus), Sunday service is crap, not just the reduced number of buses but they're always late. And trying to get anywhere when it snows even a little bit can be a hassle... once it was barely snowing, like actually barely any snow on the ground and when I called the HSR to complain about two buses not showing up, they said the first one was running 57 minutes delayed, which I found ridiculous.

It's gotten better, though, especially with the 5C now running up the hill on weekends.

^Yeah I agree the HSR for the most part is not that bad, though there is just 1 bus number/route is unpredictable at times, but comparing to other cities, i have been told that HSR isn't bad. Sometime's you will get the occasional grumpy bus driver, but luckily I haven't gotten one lately.

edit: this isn't directed at you, OP, just in general:

In general, the HSR is underfunded because city hall is stupid. I've been living in Hamilton for over 15 years now, and I fully appreciate how courteous most of the HSR drivers are. I find it ridiculous that mac students complain about the service around mcmaster. During the school year, it's a very well staffed route and there are lots of busses running frequently (albeit, they tend to cluster, which is a problem). There are other routes in hamilton that are far less serviced and are a more important concern to the residents who live in this city and have to use public transport all the time, all year round. Boohoo, it takes you a long time to get to limeridge? Well, suck it up. I live near lime ridge, and that "inconvenient time" is my daily commute. And there are others who have it worse.

Final thought: I hate when people compare Hamilton's transit to Toronto or Mississauga. You can't compare our transit system to big cities which have way more money to allocate to transportation. At least our drivers say good morning and thank you, and aren't locked up behind driver barriers like in some municipalities.

Originally Posted by ooburii

edit: this isn't directed at you, OP, just in general:

In general, the HSR is underfunded because city hall is stupid. I've been living in Hamilton for over 15 years now, and I fully appreciate how courteous most of the HSR drivers are. I find it ridiculous that mac students complain about the service around mcmaster. During the school year, it's a very well staffed route and there are lots of busses running frequently (albeit, they tend to cluster, which is a problem). There are other routes in hamilton that are far less serviced and are a more important concern to the residents who live in this city and have to use public transport all the time, all year round. Boohoo, it takes you a long time to get to limeridge? Well, suck it up. I live near lime ridge, and that "inconvenient time" is my daily commute. And there are others who have it worse.

Final thought: I hate when people compare Hamilton's transit to Toronto or Mississauga. You can't compare our transit system to big cities which have way more money to allocate to transportation. At least our drivers say good morning and thank you, and aren't locked up behind driver barriers like in some municipalities.

Good points. I contacted the MSU President about a possible express route from Mac to Lime Ridge and he gave a detailed response explaining that it was actually one of the things he will be working on in his term this year as they negotiation with the HSR. It would be great to get a route like that.

Originally Posted by Atheist?

I am in a similar boat, haven't really had any problems so far. The only annoying thing is when the bus driver will stop at tim hortons and go buy something, that definitely is annoying. I'm guessing either people like complaining or we somehow escaped the bad service.

Cheers and have a good summer!

Usually it's also a bathroom break. I've never seen them go into the Tim Horton's and come out with a coffee or food. Just something to consider. It is really annoying though when they're already running late, or it's the 1A stopping at Tim's five minutes away from the end of their route.

People who complain about the HSR clearly haven't had to deal with a truly shitty system, like the TTC.

I agree with some of the posts above me. I have lived in Hamilton 8 years of so I use HSR often (well everyday to get to campus, work etc). Students at Mac say so many negative things about HSR all the time but that's not the case. They're usually around 0 to (max) 10 minutes late, and on rare occasions are cancelled or come very late. In the winter (specially during snowstorms etc) it makes sense that they drive slow for safety of everyone on the bus and everyone else driving along the bus. Yeah sometimes the bus drivers are rude, and I find that annoying myself, but lets not generalize a few to all of them. HSR is not bad at all people, lets stop comparing them to big cities and learn to appreciate them a little.

In general, the HSR is underfunded because city hall is stupid. I've been living in Hamilton for over 15 years now, and I fully appreciate how courteous most of the HSR drivers are. I find it ridiculous that mac students complain about the service around mcmaster.

Tru dat. Every morning during school year, I see people crowding up at Whitney and Emerson, because the buses are often full in the morning by the time they get there.... Why? Does it actually make sense to wait 20 minutes for a bus, when you could get to McMaster on foot in 10 minutes.

People man... people make no sense, that's the source of complaints.

HSR is fantastic. The only time there's an issue is if there's a storm.

Students just love to complain. Also some are lazy as fuck and should walk to school instead of waiting for a full bus. :\

I find that most people who complain have just never had to take public transit *anywhere*. I've relied on the HSR for most of my transportation for the last 12 years and have few complaints. And when you have a genuine complaint (like a driver ordering everyone off the bus, jumping out his window to grab coffee down the street, being more than ten minutes late) there is an easy email complaint system on the HSR website and they actually pay attention to those complaints!

Originally Posted by ashleighp

I find that most people who complain have just never had to take public transit *anywhere*. I've relied on the HSR for most of my transportation for the last 12 years and have few complaints. And when you have a genuine complaint (like a driver ordering everyone off the bus, jumping out his window to grab coffee down the street, being more than ten minutes late) there is an easy email complaint system on the HSR website and they actually pay attention to those complaints!

I agree with most of your post (I think my last post in this thread made me sound more critical of the HSR than I actually am, I too have been relying on them since I was a kid and my problems have been few and far between), the last sentence is simply not true. I have made complaints a few times, legitimate ones and have never once been contacted.

Most of my problems on the HSR have more to do with the other passengers.

Morning is always packed. Some drivers are real lame when you run up when they moved two inches from the stop and refuse to let you in.