A game of hide and seek for first-time GRT riders

When Ember Brooks and their friends boarded an ION light rail train one summer morning, they weren’t just riding transit, they were starting a city-wide game of hide and seek.

Inspired by Jet Lag: The Game, a travel-based YouTube series, the group created their own version using the Grand River Transit (GRT) network as their playing field. They started by studying the maps of GRT bus routes and creating detailed rules. “It was a whole operation,” explained Brooks. “We even made interactive maps that got smaller as questions were answered to help narrow down hiding spots.”

Equipped with those custom maps and rules, seven participants split into three teams, one to hide and the others to seek. The entire GRT system, including buses and trains, was fair game. 

Over two days and 20 hours of play, the friends navigated the region in search of one another. Some 
strategies were clever, with one team managing to stay hidden for over five hours in a forest-like meeting area at University of Waterloo. 

Beyond the fun, the players gained a new appreciation for GRT. “There were routes I didn’t know existed,” said Brooks. “I rode Route 3 the entire way from Sunrise Centre Station to Frederick Station, and that was enlightening.”

The experience showed the group just how far GRT can take you. What began as a playful challenge quickly became an opportunity to see familiar routes differently and discover new parts of the region.