UTM UrbanismAbout Us
The story behind the club, and what we stand for.
Our Story
It started with a bad commute when founder Ethan Lam had missed three MiWay buses in a row. When a trip to Europe and a firsthand look at what transit could actually feel like, convinced him Mississauga's students deserved better. Back on campus, he opened a Discord server just to see if anyone else felt the same way.
They did, the server quickly grew into a full club. Founding member Joshua Wuebbolt, soon joined by Cyrus Gazdar, helped turn frustration into a plan. From the beginning, the club worked directly with MiWay, UTMSU's Transit Advocating Party, and other campus groups, backing every ask with real numbers from its own student surveys.
That approach hasn't changed. The club has grown into a 400+ member community with a running archive of commuter survey data, regular meetings with MiWay and city staff, and a track record of showing up: at council meetings and in local press, to make sure a student commute is never just an afterthought.
We believe cities should be built for people, not just cars, and that students who rely on transit and walkable streets every day, have earned a seat at that table. Every survey we run and every campaign we launch moves us one step closer to that.
"It is quite difficult to get around Mississauga in general just by transit. You basically have to have a car to get around comfortably."
Wins So Far
Started with a Survey
Our very first move was surveying students to find real transit pain points. A habit that's grown into the commuter survey reports we now publish every term.
Secured a U-Pass Commitment
After flagging that students shut out of Ontario's One Fare program were losing about $1,600 a year, we got transit staff to commit to improving the digital U-Pass system.
110 Now Runs Weekends
After hearing from students who had no way to get to campus on weekends, we pushed MiWay to extend the 110 to weekend service, so a trip that used to be car-only is now a bus ride away.
A Faster Cut Through the City
In September 2024, MiWay launched the 126 Burnhamthorpe Express. Running UTM straight to Kipling Station along Burnhamthorpe, one of Mississauga's busiest corridors, and a stretch a lot of commuters already pass through. It's the kind of change we and partners like UTMSU's Transit Advocating Party keep pushing for, and we're still watching for longer service hours.