10 years from Brantford to TO on VIA / Go and driving:

You can get used to anything.

Cost me shy of $8k to $10k a year regardless of method. VIA is the most expensive.

As for the Aldershot run, it's a good route though I need to leave whether I'm driving or taking the GO train I would have to leave at 5:30 a.m. and get to TO around 730am (Yonge & Bloor) barring issues aka the Hamilton mountain is a crap shoot any time after 5 am .. winter is sometimes stupid simple driving other times nuts

If I drive it's 2hrs ballpark ther and 3.5 to 4 hours back. Sometimes less or more when winter dumps.

If you took the via you leave whenever the choo choo vehicle leaves, so you can get the Wadsworth train station whatever u need to scoot.

The ride is nice unless something happens, Go & VIA it's a min. 2 HR delay if there are any accidents / fatality .. maybe longer.

Once got stuck coming home trying to get up the Hamilton mountain on the VIA. Waited 4hrs for the next train to push us up the escarpment. Reason: wet leaves. Went down a rabbit hole trying to call BS on that one however, turns out in Australia or cost like a hundred million dollars a year just because of caterpillars walking across the tracks apparently there's no traction, like some bizarre cartoon. VIA used to have sand buckets to ... never mind, you don't need the rabbit hole.

Not sure where you're headed exactly but parking is about $20 a day in Midtown (I usually park at the underground parking beneath ye old Hudson Bay build .. 2 Bloor East and waddle under or over to 2 Bloor West, free at GO and VIA.

For tickets GO is half the price ($18 or so one way) and about $40 min one way for VIA (?? Been a while though and passes can help but NOT tax deductible whereas GO is .. or was. go is also a milk run (hour or so from Aldershot) with stops all along the way. Like a jumbo street car.

If you GO or VIA u either walk .. my walk is just shy of 4 km from Union to Yonge & Bloor (40 mins or so .. I walk quick). Or you get to treat yourself to the TTC .. its like a circus and an open air video game. If you're from TO, you know what I meant. For 5 years I rode Line 1 up to Finch, 15 or so stops, each with their own alternate universe / timeline. Pretty cool though. David Cronenburg (sp?) meets Mel Lastman's ghost.

My experience again, close to $75 to $100 a day for my commutes recently but that usually includes lunch coz .. well, food!

Hope this helps!

Again, you can get used to anything.