The destination was City Hall, Toronto. But that mattered little -- how we got there was the question, fighting traffic and crowded public transit on one of the busiest commuter corridors in the country.

Race we did, one boarding a GO bus, one hopping a GO train, one getting behind the wheel of The Spectator's white 1999 Ford Escort.

The mission began at 7 a.m., outside the GO station on a silent Hunter Street in downtown Hamilton. First thing Monday morning we set our watches and took off, aiming to meet at a sculpture by the front doors of Toronto's City Hall.

More than 2.78 million vehicles push their way through Hamilton and Toronto-area highways every day.

In 1998, an average 16,118 vehicles passed through the Bronte Road interchange on the QEW between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. -- that's 90 cars a minute. Halton planning officials say volume has increased significantly since then.

An average of 2,290 people board a GO bus each weekday for the trip from Hamilton to Toronto and back, while 1,770 people a day make the same trek on the GO train.

The race opened our eyes to the culture of each commute. We felt your pain and frustration, found merits and flaws in each mode of travel.

GO TRAIN-- 1 HOUR, 14 MIN versus CAR-- 1 HOUR, 51 MINUTES Source.