Public transportation advocates and experts say lessons can be learned for future concerts at Rogers Stadium in Downsview Park amid frustration expressed by some GO Transit riders over train service and customer responses that included at least one instance of artificial intelligence (AI) being used.
“I don’t think Metrolinx is meeting the moment on this, but I think this is an opportunity for them to meet the moment in the future,” Ontario Liberal Party Ajax MPP Rob Cerjanec told CityNews on Thursday.
“People are spending a lot of money to go to these concerts. There’s been a lot of fanfare about them. Politicians are lining up behind these concerts and this show. They’ve got to make it work.”
With Coldplay kicking off a four-concert run at the beginning of the week, the first performance exposed potential issues.
The GO Transit website said the last two northbound trains toward Barrie on weekdays when the concerts are happening are at 10:20 p.m. and 11:13 p.m. The agency brought in extra train service southbound to Union Station with trips scheduled at 10:32, 11:35, 11:45 and 11:55 p.m. For anyone trying to get south to Downsview Park on the same line, the closest train trips stopping at Downsview Park are at 3:35 p.m. and 8:26 p.m.
As residents began sharing updates that they had to run out of the concert venue in order to catch the last northbound train of the night, Metrolinx confirmed that a third-party company responsible for assisting with responding to social media inquiries posted a response to a rider named Ange that was drafted with AI.
“Sounds like Ange had a dramatic dash to catch that last northbound GO train at 11:13 p.m. That’s cutting it close,” the reply post on X said.
“GO Transit’s evening schedules can vary depending on the line and day, but it’s always smart to check the latest train times before heading out — especially after events downtown.
“If you’re planning something similar, I can help you look up the final train times for your route or even suggest backup options. You go (sic) visit our website gotransit.com for more schedules.”
Cerjanec screen-shotted the response before it was deleted and shared it on his social media accounts.
“I was a little bit shocked because the tweet itself, in response to a customer outlining a valid concern, was quite condescending and saying, ‘Oh, you know, they should just, you know, check the schedule,’ and that’s it,” he said.
It prompted an apology from Metrolinx, the provincial transit organization overseeing GO Transit, for “any confusion” it might have caused riders.
“Responses are written by humans, not bots or AI-generated. In this case, a reply was inappropriately drafted by our vendor using AI,” a statement issued to CityNews after an inquiry was made on Wednesday.
“We recognize that we did not meet our customer support standards, and we have provided clear direction to our vendor that AI cannot be used under any circumstances.”
Jonathan Lee, the co-executive director of the non-profit advocacy group More Transit Southern Ontario, said fellow public transportation riders expect a human to assist.
“GO Transit customer service is considered very great, but learning that they contracted out responding to customers during a major event like the Coldplay performance at Rogers Stadium, that was a bit insulting,” he told CityNews.
“AI doesn’t get it always right all of the time because a person will have a schedule right beside them on their desk. They are able to look at it immediately instead of an AI trying to search the internet … and then that spreads to people who are trying to use GO Transit, and then they become misinformed and possibly they could miss their train.”
Also watching the complaints starting to come in on Monday and Tuesday was Anne Marie Aikins. She is the former chief spokesperson for Metrolinx and currently runs her own communications company.
“Oh, I had a feeling this is going to … be a landmine for them and it’s going to blow up a little bit on them,” Aikins told CityNews.
“When you’re dealing with transit riders who are in a heightened emotional state, they’re trying to get home, they’re not sure where they even are because it’s a new venue for them and it’s late at night, the emotions are high.”
Speaking about the broader public sector, she said there are instances where AI could introduce efficiencies and benefits. However, Aikins said that doesn’t extend to key front-line offices and entities.
“AI is not unusual in doing customer service. We’re all used to being on hold, being on the bot … we know AI is doing a lot of that work,” she said.
“But when you’re dealing with public services like transit, like anything to do with roads, public health, Toronto Library — any customer service where there are real people that have real issues and they may have lots of emotions attached — AI is a very, very risky. I wouldn’t advise taking out the human element.
Despite the issue, Aikins praised the organization for their response when confronted about the AI issue.
“They seemed very earnest about their apology. They promised action. That’s important,” she said.
“That’s one of the most important things is to get to apologize quickly, to own it, and then figure out what you’re going to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Calls for better GO Transit train service to support Rogers Stadium concerts
When asked about the issues raised over the current weekday Barrie Line train service, Lee questioned the current schedules.
“Perfect for rush hour. Inadequate for special events,” he said when asked about the matter.
“Instead of ending at 11, maybe the artist decides to take an hour even more, right, to let people enjoy the concert even more, but the schedule for transit … doesn’t adapt to that change.
“The five-hour gap going south from Barrie is unacceptable because you’re going to have people wait quite a while compared to people who are coming from Toronto, so it’s a service inequity.”
Lee acknowledged that current single-track segments on parts of the GO Transit rail line likely create capacity issues for extra trains.
The Ford government and Metrolinx are currently embarking on a massive GO Transit rail expansion program aimed at increasing double-track capacity on the Barrie line. The goal is to eventually introduce quicker, electrified train service on parts of the network and to have two-way, all-day service on the Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East, Kitchener, Barrie and Stouffville lines.
However, more details on the scope of the remaining work, as well as definitive timelines, haven’t been released by Metrolinx or the Ford government.
“To run frequent trains, the GO expansion program is going to help relieve that, but in the immediate short-term that’s not going to be able to give us more trains going north or south,” Lee suggested.
“Transparency is needed to make sure it is clear what are the upgrades that are happening and when is it going to be delivered?”
Cerjanec, who also serves as the party’s economic development, tourism and culture critic, echoed the need for investment and clearer communication.
“It’s a good lesson now for Metrolinx and GO Transit to ensure that for any shows at Rogers Stadium that the transit is going to be there after the show to go north,” he said.
“They’ve got to add trains on after the show ends. I think that’s just bottom line number one.
“But longer-term, we know at the Barrie line it takes a long time to get up from Barrie, Newmarket, into downtown Toronto. We need to see a lot better service upgrades there. We need to see that line electrified so the trains can run faster and quicker, and right now it’s pretty unclear when that’s actually going to happen.”
