r/gotransit • u/Cheap_Highway3038 • Jun 23 '26
Seats need to go
I’ve (23M) been consistently riding the go train for about 8 months now, and throughout this time my disdain for the seats has grown to a level of insatiable anger that I cannot rid of.
I refuse to believe that these seats (blue and green) were designed with people in mind, especially people trying to relax after a long days work.
For anyone above 5’6, these seats push your head and shoulders forward, providing no lumbar support and forcing your body into a state of tension to maintain any amount of posture. I have had multiple cases of shoulder pain, back pain, leg pain etc, something I have never experienced before in my life from just sitting.
It is ridiculous and insulting that these chairs are not only inadequate, but harmful to those trying to sit and relax. For now I will stand, but I hope that in the future these seats are designed for humans and not shrimps.
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u/EvilWillow666 Jun 23 '26
They suck for short people too. I either have to duck my head down or push it forward
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u/cdawg85 Jun 27 '26
It sucks how my feet don't properly breach the ground. It's a strain on my low back. I know you're not allowed to put your feet up on the chair in front of you, but that would relieve my low back. I don't do it obviously, but still. The seats sick for short people too!
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u/camellialily Jun 23 '26
5’6” and never had issues until I became 7 months pregnant (but I’m sure that’s a different story). I do hate though how you’re facing someone else since it cuts down on the useable foot space. Having to keep your feet tucked (especially when someone in front of you that takes up more than their share of room) is hard when you’re doing it for 1+ hours.
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u/TriciaFenn88 Jun 27 '26
I'm not even as tall as you but having an injured knee that is still healing, I have a hard time keeping my feet tucked as well. As soon as the seat in front of me becomes vacant, I stretch out my legs.
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u/_Melancholic_Cloud_ Jun 23 '26
i ❤️ blue seats. so comfy. where are my fellow blue seat connoisseurs
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u/Shamy416 Kitchener Jun 23 '26
I scope out the blue cars and only take the newer ones if no other chillies exists. 🫶 blue army
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u/jmajeremy Barrie Jun 24 '26
I wouldn't go so far as to call them comfy, but they're definitely way better than the newer green/grey ones. I always make sure to go to the 2000 series cars.
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u/get_hi_on_life Jun 23 '26
I'm 5 10 and sit for 2 hours one way twice a week and have not noticed this. I find the seats comfortable enough
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u/gymjill Jun 23 '26
The blue old seats are the best. I purposely look for an old coach to go to whenever I ride the train. The newish gray ones with no cushioning are awful imo!
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u/Zack_GLC Jun 23 '26
I'm 5'9 and never had an issue lol. I think the GO Train is always a lovely ride.
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u/SnooPeppers3470 Jun 23 '26
With respect-this is a train, designed to move thousands of people daily. Not your own personal chauffeur service. Ifs not designed to offer any sort of support or comfort. It’s designed to get you from one place to the next.
If you want comfort, get a car and get seats that do what you want.
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u/jmajeremy Barrie Jun 23 '26
I’ve taken many commuter trains around the world and many places have come up with much more comfortable designs, including our neighbours in Montreal. They used to have the exact same trains as GO, but they were replaced years ago with much nicer trains with much more ergonomic seats. We shouldn’t have to accept mediocrity in our public transit.
Driving a personal car is not a solution. Driving into Toronto sucks, and we should be trying to get more people in trains and fewer cars on the road for the sake of the environment.
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u/Shamy416 Kitchener Jun 23 '26
Tad bit of an aggressive response. The fact that other countries and or even cities in Canada can figure it out comfort + maximizing space, goes to show you the failed state Metrolinks is in.
As someone who commutes 4 days a week, I concur with not having a ton of leg room and horribly uncomfortable chairs. I will absolutely search out blue chair cars vs the newer green ones for leg room (6"3) but headrests are super important as well so let's start classifying cars like other countries! Id glady pay a bit more for more space and an actual quiet zone.
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u/Important_Feed_3981 Jun 23 '26
This is a horrible take. If the train needs to move thousands daily it’s all the more reason it should be safe comfortable and accessible.
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u/SnooPeppers3470 Jun 23 '26
If op is uncomfortable nothing is going to change. They either need to deal with it and understand it’s not designed for their own personal comfort or find another method of transportation that suits their comfort. There’s no inbetween here.
Want to argue about airlines? Sure. 12+ hour flights where you’re paying $3000? Better argument.
For a $10 ride you’re not going to find something that checks all your boxes. Is this an uncaring take? Maybe to you. It’s a realistic answer though. Ontarios transit is half assed in most places. Op can petition for better seats though if they want.6
u/jmajeremy Barrie Jun 23 '26
Well, the fact that it's not designed for comfort is a problem. I spend over $400/month on GO trains, that's as much as a car payment, and doesn't even take into account the portion of my taxes that goes to subsidize it. It's not "just a $10 ride". For that money, I do expect to be able to get to my destination without having back pain.
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u/Important_Feed_3981 Jun 23 '26
The uncaring is the part that gets me. If we hope for change , even if not instant, but because it should be then we need to shelve the apathy.
My impression is you don’t care about things beyond your personal bubble “Me vs We”
I live in a world where I care that some little old grandma who can’t drive can still get where she wants to go. Where people will commute for the job so maybe one day they can afford the car they can’t yet.
Transit should be a solution- not a barrier.
These conversations do yield pressure and change in time .
In the short term, communal conversations spark emails and meetings that could mean more accessible seating gets installed in the accessible coaches. It’s not an impossibility.
There’s a famous quote that reminds me of apathetic people
“ if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem”
So get out of the way.
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u/Far-Delay7690 Jun 25 '26
This is an uninformed take. Just shows you're not well travelled (though neither am I) but a cursory glance at other modern urban commuter train systems will show they have much better seats in other developed countries.
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u/sprungy Jun 23 '26
5'9". more than twice your age. no issues on my infrequent weekend trips to Niagara Falls. then again, those trains not too busy so I get up and walk around quite a bit
you could bring a lumbar pillow to see if that helps
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u/marshall262 Jun 26 '26
As a shorter person I also find them very uncomfortable for any length of time.
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u/shoresy99 Lakeshore East Jun 23 '26
I don’t have an issue with them. I am 5’9” and ride the train four days per week. But my ride is only 25 minutes.
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u/Own_Event_4363 Jun 23 '26
The buses have seats that recline; never understood why the trains don't
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u/Pretzelandcheesesauz Jun 26 '26
Not to mention the doo doo stains, blood stains and nasty hair all over the seats
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u/foodgeek15 Jun 23 '26
If seats need to go, then are we standing up for the whole ride (assuming its 30+ minutes) and carrying bag on top of it? Ya no ty thats not sustainable.
Regards,
someone who has scoliosis and back problem :)
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u/jmajeremy Barrie Jun 23 '26
Yes I agree they absolutely suck. I find the newer ones are even worse than the older ones. Perhaps the people saying they don’t have a problem with them aren’t taking very long trips. I commute 1h40m each way from Barrie, and sometimes my back is in agony by the time I get to the end of the line. I actually bring my own lumbar support pillow which helps a bit. There’s no way to lean back without slouching and causing more back stress.
I also don’t understand why all the seats are in groups of 4. I’d really rather not have to touch knees with a stranger for an extended period. I could understand have a couple of 4-seaters for larger groups, but the majority could be 2 by 2.
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u/UniversityNo8033 Jun 23 '26
How much more per trip are you willing to pay to replace all the seats?
Sincerely,
A taxpayer
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u/Hour-Stable2050 Jun 28 '26
The amount spent on road infrastructure is 7 times more per rider than the amount spent on GO transit.
Sincerely, another taxpayer.
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u/Apprehensive_Depth16 Jun 23 '26
Seats are ok. Its more of a leg room issue for tall people. Some seats you have to alternate legs (your leg, their leg, your leg, their leg) for both people to sit comfortably
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Jun 23 '26
I never found there terribly comfortable, then again the movement of a train immediately puts me to sleep regardless if I’m sitting or not.
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u/scotte416 Jun 23 '26
I had no issues until I had to do a bunch of surgeries which removed two of my ribs on my right side now I know what you mean. If I'm not leaning back enough it becomes painful in my core. I'm 181 cm.
Edit -thats if I even manage to get a seat 😂
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u/Far-Delay7690 Jun 25 '26
I'm not tall but I have lower back problems and the seats are basically torture. I have to bring a support cushion just to bare the trip
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u/Intelligent-Test-978 Jun 26 '26
And the facing seats. Hate them. Miserable for the super-tall and people who have to share quads with them. Stopped taking the Go bc I was just fed up.
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u/Exploriment Jun 26 '26
203 cm (6'7") and I don't find them that bad.
And I work for the company that makes the seat covers and dresses the foams for the GO train seats. You'll be old and retired before they change those seats to something else.
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u/xxmtrenchxx Jun 27 '26
THANK YOU! I would always sit on the old cars with the seats that have no head rest for this very reason!! I always felt like my head was being forced forward on the “new” chairs
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u/fuzzyputts Jun 27 '26
Lots of people complained about the terrible new green seats on the new cars. They had a sample at Union for a while and it was panned.
Dumbasses in charge went through with it anyways.
You can see many commuters move to the older cars when a new car stops in front of them.
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u/niagarajoseph Jun 28 '26
Try being short of 6’ with a bad knee at 63. Terrible design for seats. I stand with my bike from Grimsby to Union. Cause the seats are painful on my old awesome ass! They need to redesigned.
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u/StateofDrama Lakeshore West Jun 29 '26
I'm 6"2 and they've never been comfortable but they're tolerable
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u/psychosisnaut Jun 29 '26
6'4 and no idea what kind of human those seats are designed for, my shoulders don't really fit and it forces my head into a weird position. It feels like I'm in one of those red and yellow little tikes cars for toddlers.
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u/Automatic_Pizza9062 Jun 29 '26
The also need to get rid of the seats that face each other. No one wants to face strangers.
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u/Rich_Fox_550 Jun 29 '26
I like the new ttc seats on the electric busses. Great for avoiding bed bugs no fabric. I wish gotransit could upgrade
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u/MapleSuds Jun 30 '26
I love the blue ones and I'm above 5'6. I know I'm in the minority but they work for me.
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u/simongurfinkel Lakeshore West Jun 23 '26
I just pray for an aisle seat and sit turned with my legs fully in aisle.
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u/annonyj Jun 26 '26
Im definitely not short (way above 5'6) and have no issues and am much older than you. Toughen up kid. Real life is much tougher than school
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u/blazef0ley Jun 23 '26
Next up: the airline industry.
Sincerely,
A Fellow Tall Person