Union Station Go Bus Terminal

Does anyone take the Hamilton-​Toronto express GO bus (Route 16) everyday?
I plan to take the 6:05am bus in the morning and the returning 3:10pm bus in the afternoon (Monday to Friday). How reliable is it? Is it late very often?
How is the bus in the winter time? How long are typical delays?
I am looking for an alternate to the train. way too unreliable.

Union GO is a fast, efficient and cost-​effective way to get to cities in the greater GTA and beyond. I use it weekly between Toronto and Hamilton and the buses are always on-​time.
I much prefer taking the bus where possible as you get to relax or do some work, and the drivers know all the shortcuts to take when the traffic is bad.
Tip: If you travel often, get a Presto card to avoid having to carry cash or get a ticket before you board. Simply tap on and off. You also benefit from cheaper fares the more you travel.

The GO station serves its purpose. It’s not glamorous or clean but it gets the job done. Line up at your boarding platform 20 minutes before your bus departs to secure your seat of choice. Be watchful of pigeons, gum on the ground, and people in a rush. Pro tip: there’s a convenience store in the GO station center and public washrooms. Pro tip 2: Avoid these washrooms like the plague. Just get here and get out! Don’t linger.

Well If you miss the peak hour trains on Milton line this is where you end up. This is the main central location for many Go buses and is quite busy during the rush hours.
The outer terminal and inside seating areas are kept quite clean and all the stops have digital display to tell you where is bus will be stopping. You will have to cross the road to get to the train tracks.

Organized and clean for a bus station. Good location and accross the street from union train station and acc. Skydome is also a 10 minute walk.

Besides the Lakeshore lines, GO Buses are really your only options after rush hour. Terminals are clean here, washrooms are cleaner here than the actual Union station and while the lines may look long — they are very quick to board.
Word of advice: before lining up, ask a few people in line what they are lining up for, you may be in the wrong line because some lines extend quite long

A surprisingly quick-​moving lineup to buy tickets and a somewhat confusing path to find the right platform if you’re a newb. Luckily, I can always rely on the kindness of strangers, a nice lady walked me through the throng of people and pointed me to the right way to go.
The train is fantastic, the best way to get out of the city, in my opinion.

Being a seasoned commuter now, I use this station quite often. I try my hardest to avoid rush hour times because I’ve seen lines for platform 46 go all the way past platform 44 and you know that you’re not getting a seat on the bus when that happens.
If your bus happens to leave on platform 45 or higher, best walk down Yonge as opposed to Bay where it’s busier.
There are numerous screens with bus times and platforms and GO is generally very good at being punctual unless there is a long line up, but there are large variances when it comes to when the bus actually pulls up to the terminal and people start boarding, I’ve seen some drivers leave it till 2 minutes before departure time to start letting people in.
There are 4 automated tickets machines (2 inside and 2 out) to go with the manned ticket counter and you can purchase your ticket using cash via the driver as well.
The station needs to drastically improve line management because you have 2 maybe even 3 lines at one platform when the going gets tough and a new rider is sure to get lost navigating these lines, the safest bet is asking more than one person in line what bus they are waiting for.

So if you want to catch a Go Bus to almost everywhere in the GTA area or beyond from Union Station, this is the terminal to be.
The waiting area is great especially during winter as it is warm and sheltered from the cold and CP24 always on for up to date local news.
Either use your Presto pass or get the fare from the ticket counter.
Just want the screen and when your bus is here, it will show you which platforms to board.
Chairs are a little uncomfortable as they are metal.