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Grand River Transit


Transit 20

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I think they can still fix it. There are special tools that are used to bend a frame back into a straighter state. The bus will be gone for a while, but I'm confident that it'll be back.

When did Cambridge get XD40s? I was there on Monday and it was straight Nova in Cambridge.

GRT is testing them to see how well the XD40s work down there. The XD40s can easily be put on the 200, 203, 51, 52, 53, 60, 61, 67 and 75. Other than those runs, GRT would have to massively reroute the Cambridge routes out of the side streets and operate them down main roads.

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GRT routes in Cambridge, especially in the older parts of the former city of Galt, are a real left-over from the small town transit days. They twist and turn on narrow streets where Galt and Cambridge transit ran only 30 or 35 ft buses. I'm surprised full-length Nova's make it on some of them, a credit to their narrower wheelbase. The 58 Elmwood would be bad, with several hairpin (for buses) turns. The worst may probably be a section on the 54 Lisbon Pines where they turn left from McKay to South St, then an immediate right to Centre St on its way back to Ainsle Terminal. I can see an Xcelsior taking out signposts and going over curbs. Maybe it could make it, but why is a regular daily route supposed to task drivers with a bus rodeo course like that?

For Xcelsiors to be able to run on any and all routes in Cambridge, they need to rationalize routes (which really is overdue). Otherwise stick with Novas only on locals, and Xcelsiors on main routes (51, 52, 53, 61, 200, 203).

Transit20's comments were in poor form, but the local Galt routes are not 40ft bus-friendly.

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Which unit is in Cambridge? If it was 21314, it was out today on 22 Laurentian West. There were no Xcelsiors tracking today in Cambridge, so they might have been training new operators or it did a GCI Special or small shift to try and give operators a handle on how they drive.

Also, the reason why the Novas can fit in the old parts of Galt is because the wheelbase is shorter in comparison to Xcelsiors.

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The worst may probably be a section on the 54 Lisbon Pines where they turn left from McKay to South St, then an immediate right to Centre St on its way back to Ainsle Terminal. I can see an Xcelsior taking out signposts and going over curbs. Maybe it could make it, but why is a regular daily route supposed to task drivers with a bus rodeo course like that?

I used to make the turn from McKay onto South and then onto Center with a Prevost H345 all the time back in my charter days. And even take it down Henry and Elliot down to Ainslie sometimes. I never once rode a curb or took out a sign post. As for the turn on the route 58, GM New looks, Classics, D40LF (all generations-92,94 and 22) Orion 1 and 5 and 6 and 7 all have made that turn over the years. You have to turn wide or else you drive the bus into the yard of that one house after the turn.

I agree that some of the turns in the transit system are not ideal for buses, but as a professional driver you should be able to drive a bus without hitting or bumping anything.

If my memory serves me correctly, the Orion 1 buses almost never ran on the 58 anyway.

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GRT routes in Cambridge, especially in the older parts of the former city of Galt, are a real left-over from the small town transit days. They twist and turn on narrow streets where Galt and Cambridge transit ran only 30 or 35 ft buses. I'm surprised full-length Nova's make it on some of them, a credit to their narrower wheelbase. The 58 Elmwood would be bad, with several hairpin (for buses) turns. The worst may probably be a section on the 54 Lisbon Pines where they turn left from McKay to South St, then an immediate right to Centre St on its way back to Ainsle Terminal. I can see an Xcelsior taking out signposts and going over curbs. Maybe it could make it, but why is a regular daily route supposed to task drivers with a bus rodeo course like that?

For Xcelsiors to be able to run on any and all routes in Cambridge, they need to rationalize routes (which really is overdue). Otherwise stick with Novas only on locals, and Xcelsiors on main routes (51, 52, 53, 61, 200, 203).

Transit20's comments were in poor form, but the local Galt routes are not 40ft bus-friendly.

Can you please explain how a 40 foot Nova can make these turns while a 40 foot Newflyer can't? If driver's can't handle a 1 foot difference in the wheel base maybe the region should hire professional drivers to replace them.

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  • 2 weeks later...

What the heck is transit enforcement?

If they are there to ticket vehicles who park at bus stops, or those who ignore the 'yield to bus' law, then I'm all for it.


Can you please explain how a 40 foot Nova can make these turns while a 40 foot Newflyer can't? If driver's can't handle a 1 foot difference in the wheel base maybe the region should hire professional drivers to replace them.

OK never having driven a bus, I only offered a personal idea as for why Cambridge is only assigned Novas. It does feature routes with tighter turns than the KW routes, that's a fact no one disagrees with. I actually drove in that area of Cambridge where the 54 runs the other day, and purposely drove around South & Central St. It is better than I remember, and I admit an Xcelsior will make it through the 'S' curve no problem. But with a different wheel base I'm sure it will be a bigger pain than the drivers are used to.

BTW - GRT drivers are professionals, and probably better than a lot of other municipalities. Waterloo Region is as big on customer service as it is on safety. So insulting them over my musings as to why Cambridge is Nova-only is pretty classless IMHO.

I do have a friend who drives in Cambridge, I'll ask them is they know the real reason for Nova-only there. I get the feeling it is only a garage standardization thing. That and the drivers there love them and don't want anything else - though that's not really a reason for it.

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What the heck is transit enforcement?

Transit enforcement constables patrol transit properties and enforce Regional by-laws, and one of their main roles would be to check for proof-of-payment on ION and issue fines/tickets for fare violations.

A quick Google search returns the following example from York Region: http://www.yorkregiontransit.com/en/aboutus/transitenforcement.asp

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 5 weeks later...

Having trouble confirming expansion details, but Regional Council did approve an almost 3% tax hike for 2016.

Among other things, it apparently includes funding for increasing service on Conestoga College routes:

- Rte 16 gets 15min rush-hour service, and evening service to 10pm

- Rte 61 gets 15min rush-hour service, evening service to 10pm, and new Saturday service

- Rte 10 gets 15min rush-hour service, and (finally) 30 min frequency on Saturday evenings/Sundays

Also, 10 new buses coming, I'll assume numbered 21601-21610.

And a BusPlus route serving the Hanson industrial area, running out of the Forest Glen terminal.

There is also talk of a BusPlus expansion to Breslau.

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