Burlington Transit

[Wonka]

5 hours ago, newflyerinvero said:

One thing in which I had forgotten to mention that paper transfers CAN STILL be used between Burlington Transit and Hamilton Street Railway buses.

They should tell the drivers that, then. I've had a few drivers from both agencies tell me that I won't be able to use a paper transfer "next time" and have seen a few straight up refuse to accept them from other passengers. The BT website also says that it went PRESTO only.

[newflyerinvero]

11 hours ago, Wonka said:

They should tell the drivers that, then. I've had a few drivers from both agencies tell me that I won't be able to use a paper transfer "next time" and have seen a few straight up refuse to accept them from other passengers. The BT website also says that it went PRESTO only.

That information I had read through their "News On Board" small panphlet. In there it states: "There are no changes to the current use of tickets or paper transfers. We will continue to accept paper transfers from other transit agencies."

Of course there is miscommunication and inconsistencies going on through the site to the News On Board panphlet. What I think has happened is that decision to get rid of all paper transfers has been set in stone for a long time to where it was posted to the website. Only around mid-December when the pamphlet came out was the decision made to keep the status quo with use of paper transfers.

[t_harris01]

Hey 

I'm looking to obtain few BT maps from 2000 or earlier. If anyone has any to spare can ya shoot me a PM. Thanks 

[newflyerinvero]

On 1/14/2017 at 11:08 PM, t_harris01 said:

Hey 

I'm looking to obtain few BT maps from 2000 or earlier. If anyone has any to spare can ya shoot me a PM. Thanks 

I remember, although several years ago that there were archived Burlington Transit maps at the Burlington Public Library that was located on Upper Middle west of Brant Street. I don't believe that location is there anymore and therefore I don't know where to find those archives.

Perhaps Central Library on Teen Tour Way, north of New Street, adjacent to Central Arena. Don't quote me, but it makes sense and the best place to look into.

 

Anyone have been around the garage lately to see whether or not of any of the 4 Grande West Vicinitiy's have arrived?

[drum118]

Had a look at the Burlington Station on Feb 2nd and the driveway was being torn up where the concrete hasn't been pour for as well the 2 sidewalk connecting to the street. The roof has red material on the wood framing and have never seen this before. Still some framing to be done for the east entrance.

Only 25% of the area around the new east entrance still has to be pour as the rest of the area has been pour.

Elevators still not work. Wall tiles going up in the stair well from the main level with area light up where adds will go and does look like it will not go down to the tunnel level.

Depending on the next board change, may see buses being move to the new loop, but most likely be around June.

Saw a few new GO Buses in the 8300 series.

 

[newflyerinvero]

On 2/16/2017 at 5:17 PM, drum118 said:

Had a look at the Burlington Station on Feb 2nd and the driveway was being torn up where the concrete hasn't been pour for as well the 2 sidewalk connecting to the street. The roof has red material on the wood framing and have never seen this before. Still some framing to be done for the east entrance.

Only 25% of the area around the new east entrance still has to be pour as the rest of the area has been pour.

Elevators still not work. Wall tiles going up in the stair well from the main level with area light up where adds will go and does look like it will not go down to the tunnel level.

Depending on the next board change, may see buses being move to the new loop, but most likely be around June.

Saw a few new GO Buses in the 8300 series.

 

The only way Burlington Transit goes to the south end bus loop is when the GO buses do. Keep in mind when the shift happened from to the south to the north end happened, all buses shift all at once. This should be no different.

 

Budget news. Absolutely nothing in terms of any new bus acquasitions for this year. I wasn't able to find anything in terms of the capital budget for how many buses BT would be purchasing over the years.

 

Since the last time in Burlington, I didn't see any sign of the Vicinity buses. All that was at the back of the garage was one Blue Bird with its ass facing the tracks and a Handi-Van parked parallel to Harvester Road. It was a month or so ago when I looked up on Grande West's website to search up on Burlington Transit still getting those 4 buses. Yes. That hasn't changed.

 

Also, the last time in Burlington was on February 8th. On that day, 7055-12, on its way leaving Burlington GO I had noticed some white exhaust (or smoke?) from the bottom of the bus. I was thinking it may have been exhaust in the same way as a car during a very cold day. However it wasn't too cold. So, keep an eye on that bus to see what may have happened to it. 

[newflyerinvero]

Schedule adjustments as well as a slight route change to Route 25 - Walkers will begin tomorrow, Sunday March 5th.
Note that when looking up the right schedules, click on the linked schedules that are BELOW "Effective; March 5th, 2017".

http://burlingtontransit.ca

Edited March 4, 2017 by newflyerinvero

[newflyerinvero]

Based on all information to date that I've seen, there isn't any bus purchases for awhile, even when I had looked at the capital budget for the next 10 years, unless I've missed something. That just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

No sign of Vicinity's yet.

Anyone seen or heard anything through your sources of any bus purchase besides the Grande West's or any used buses to be picked up/what model, etc?
 

[Chris W]

20 hours ago, newflyerinvero said:

Based on all information to date that I've seen, there isn't any bus purchases for awhile, even when I had looked at the capital budget for the next 10 years, unless I've missed something. That just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

No sign of Vicinity's yet.

Anyone seen or heard anything through your sources of any bus purchase besides the Grande West's or any used buses to be picked up/what model, etc?

 

Considering the oldest unit is a 2006, I don't see replacements for the 06 D40LFs happening for a while.

[G.A]

1 hour ago, Chris W said:

Considering the oldest unit is a 2006, I don't see replacements for the 06 D40LFs happening for a while.

Assuming only the Blue Birds are up for replacement. If the Flyers are on a 15 year life then there may not be any orders for a number of years unless theyre at the 12 year replacement.

 

22 hours ago, newflyerinvero said:

No sign of Vicinity's yet.

Anyone seen or heard anything through your sources of any bus purchase besides the Grande West's or any used buses to be picked up/what model, etc?

 

For the Vicinity order its too soon to tell whats happening. We just have to wait and find out when they arrive.

[newflyerinvero]

On 3/9/2017 at 1:41 PM, TTC 9701 said:

Assuming only the Blue Birds are up for replacement. If the Flyers are on a 15 year life then there may not be any orders for a number of years unless theyre at the 12 year replacement.

 

For the Vicinity order its too soon to tell whats happening. We just have to wait and find out when they arrive.

Yes. It's just the Birds that are the oldest buses in the fleet, at 12 years old. 

 

When it comes to their real time tracker, when I put my mouse arrow over the bus on whatever route, it just indicates "Bus: To Burlington GO" as an example. Knowing that Burlington Transit uses Trapezze, as well as Hamilton, only difference with HSR is that you can actually see what bus number is running that trip. What's the biggest difference and is there a way to actually find which buses are running in real time compared to Hamilton?

[TheAverageJoe]

3 hours ago, newflyerinvero said:

Yes. It's just the Birds that are the oldest buses in the fleet, at 12 years old. 

 

When it comes to their real time tracker, when I put my mouse arrow over the bus on whatever route, it just indicates "Bus: To Burlington GO" as an example. Knowing that Burlington Transit uses Trapezze, as well as Hamilton, only difference with HSR is that you can actually see what bus number is running that trip. What's the biggest difference and is there a way to actually find which buses are running in real time compared to Hamilton?

With 7 Vicinity buses on order the Blue Birds will be done before the end of the year

[newflyerinvero]

2 hours ago, TheAverageJoe said:

With 7 Vicinity buses on order the Blue Birds will be done before the end of the year

It looks then that they've increased the original 4-bus order to 7.

[TheAverageJoe]

1 hour ago, newflyerinvero said:

It looks then that they've increased the original 4-bus order to 7.

Yes

[MiExpress]

2 hours ago, newflyerinvero said:

It looks then that they've increased the original 4-bus order to 7.

 

14 minutes ago, TheAverageJoe said:

Yes

Going by the backlog Grande West reports in their press release the 7 bus order is a new order on top of the existing 4 Vicinity buses that will be delivered soon.

[TheAverageJoe]

2 minutes ago, Silly Tilley said:

 

Going by the backlog Grande West reports in their press release the 7 bus order is a new order on top of the existing 4 Vicinity buses that will be delivered soon.

If that is the case then there will be expansion buses then for Burlington for 2018

[newflyerinvero]

I wouldn't be jumping up and down for joy if these 7 are all expansion buses. If the conclusions to the Integrated Mobility Study shows that all of them would be expansion minus those two other Blue Birds, Burlington would be going on the right track. Maybe 40 foots can be added to the expansion mix? Just those few questions that are out there right now. This is Burlington City Council too which after speaking a good game on transit at least year's Transit Users' Forum, they put a huge amount in their capital budget on roads. So, there's that history.

If anything, the remaining 2 Blue Birds after the 4 of them get replaced by the first 4 Vicinity's. I'm curious that BT would go ahead and to place another order of 7 even though they hadn't gotten any experience with them. To me I"d want to have some experience, maybe with a demonstrator to even commit to ordering more. Although I must say that those 06's are really tough, reliable buses. The 07s/08s? Personally I don't think those aren't as reliable.

The bigger issue I may have here is to see history repeating itself. The last time Burlington went on a small-bus craze was when hey purchase 13 Orion II CNGs and they essentially were flooding any route and to justify that 'those buses were full'. They later became financially unsustainable and they were retired for used Classics and eventually, the Blur Birds in the fall of 2005. If more 40 foots are retired for more 30 foots, that'd be going way backwards and losing capacity.

Here's hoping that there are expansion buses in the next couple years, but not exclusively to 30 foot buses.

[newflyerinvero]

Burlington, Ontario, March 31, 2017 — Investing in public infrastructure supports efficient, affordable and sustainable transit services that help Canadians and their families get to work, school and essential services on time and back home safely at the end of a long day.

Today, the Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of Democratic Institutions and Member of Parliament for Burlington, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Eleanor McMahon, Member of Provincial Parliament for Burlington and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Del Duca, Ontario Minister of Transportation, and Councillor Blair Lancaster, Ward 6, City of Burlington, announced 16 newly approved projects that will benefit Burlington under the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF). The federal government is providing up to 50 per cent of funding for these projects—just over $3.4 million.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Trudeau acknowledged the importance of public transit to Canadians as stated in Budget 2017, and also announced federal funding for major GO Transit Regional Express Rail projects across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Budget 2017 is the next step in the Government’s long-term plan to create jobs and strengthen the middle class. Prime Minister Trudeau spoke about how Budget 2017 will make ambitious investments in public transit projects that shorten commutes, decrease air pollution, and allow Canadians to spend more time with their families.

The PTIF projects include significant investments across Burlington. Planned improvements include new multi-use pathways, the addition of two new accessible and three new conventional buses, transit shelter upgrades, and the purchase of new transit technologies such as arrival display signs. New buses will support the growth of the city’s public transit system while other improvements will make getting across the city easier, faster and safer for transit riders.

In addition to these projects, Minister Gould and Minister McMahon also announced that 104 public transit projects will benefit 11 other communities across Ontario.

This investment is part of an agreement between Canada and Ontario for the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund.

Quotes

“The Government of Canada is working closely with the Government of Ontario and municipalities to invest in important transit initiatives that will strengthen communities across Ontario by growing the middle-class, fostering long-term prosperity and getting Canadians to their daily activities on time and home at the end of the day. Canadians today and into the future will benefit from the projects announced today, which will provide Burlington residents with affordable and efficient public transit infrastructure.”

Karina Gould, Minister of Democratic Institutions and Member of Parliament for Burlington, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

 

“I’m delighted to see a renewed commitment from both levels of government to support improved public transit right here in Burlington. As a long-time cycling advocate, I’m thrilled with the extension of multi-use pathways, which will connect cyclists and pedestrians to the downtown core without compromising safety. The expansion of our fleet with three regular buses and two Handivans will increase options and provide transit users a more comfortable commute. I am proud to support these ongoing efforts to help the people of Burlington in their everyday lives.”

Eleanor McMahon, Member of Provincial Parliament for Burlington and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Del Duca, Ontario Minister of Transportation

 

“The City of Burlington welcomes new Federal and Provincial public transit infrastructure investments in our community. These investments will support the city’s goal of further providing various transportation options for our residents, including public transit, walking and cycling.”

Deputy Mayor Blair Lancaster, Ward 6, City of Burlington

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada will provide more than $180 billion in infrastructure funding over 12 years for public transit, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, transportation that supports trade, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
• To support public transit networks and service extensions, Budget 2017 proposes $20.1 billion over 11 years for provinces and territories.
• Since 2004, the Government of Ontario has committed more than $3.7 billion to municipalities across the province through the provincial gas tax program. This funding supports municipal transit systems.
• The Government of Ontario is making the largest infrastructure investment in hospitals, schools, public transit, roads and bridges in the province’s history. To learn more about what’s happening in your community, go to Ontario.ca/BuildON.

Related Product

Backgrounder: Canada and Ontario announce funding for 120 public transit projects across Ontario

Associated links

Government of Canada’s $180-billion+ infrastructure plan in Budget 2017: http://www.budget.gc.ca/2017/docs/plan/chap-02-en.html#Toc477707375

Federal infrastructure investments in Ontario: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map-carte/on-eng.html  

The Public Transit Infrastructure Fund: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/ptif-fitc-eng.php

Building Ontario - Infrastructure Plan: https://www.ontario.ca/page/building-ontario

Based on that information, the amount of buses, does this affect the current orders, or has anything changed here?

[newflyerinvero]

Results from the 3rd annual Transit Users' Forum was very encouraging, including a big presentation from Burlington Transit. They have been hinting at 15-minute services on all major routes. 
But, of course, as long as the extra funding is there, coverage is also just as important as a grid system with high frequency.

https://bfastransit.ca/ is where the report covering the event.

[ORION]

Heard today that 4 Vicinity buses are due next month to Burlington Transit.

[newflyerinvero]

http://www.burlingtongazette.ca/city-announces-the-appointment-of-a-new-director-of-burlington-transit-sue-connor-takes-the-wheel-may-23rd/

The appointment of Sue Connor as the new Burlington Transit Director is welcome news to Burlington. She'll take the job on May 23rd.

It's been quite a long time since I have seen a Blue Bird in service. I did see two of them today. 7027-06 on the 40B whilst 7029-06 on the 87B.

 

 

Edited April 19, 2017 by newflyerinvero

[ORION]

Sue will do well. I saw 7031 this morning on the 40.

[drum118]

I remember when I first met Sue at MT and walked out of a meeting shaking my head saying she should be running MT since she knew more than her boss who was only giving lip service. Bill was clueless as director of transit.

Sue did a good job in Brampton that she started out pasting MT and still happening today.

Having a council to back her will be her biggest issues. She can come up with all kinds of way to improve the system, but if the money is not there or the backing of council, what good is she going to do, let along anyone?

I remember reading a report by the new director of Oakville and said he got a tough fight on his hand to do what he wanted to do, as well council wasn't ready for a person with his vision. He finally got council to buy in to his plan since he made it known he would walk if council wasn't prepared to buy in, since there wasn't anything left for him there.

[drum118]

Coming home earlier on a shorten holiday, I stop off at the GO Station and shook my head. Not sure what others have heard related to the opening of the station and bus area, but somethings may open later this month, but most likely June with the rest a question mark.

The parking area in the north-east corner is pave and strip for parking, pickup area and 12 handicapped spots on concrete with a walkway between every 2nd car. A few benches have been built between the walkway support columns around the bus bays.2 doors still not fix and nothing is taking place to finish the roof.

Talking to the elevators workers, they said the elevators should be in service the week of May 23, but will the public be allow to use it??

Other than some cleaning up of the bus area, its ready for use. The flashing on the roof of the walkway stills to be done.

Between May 23 to Sept, we may see a finish station open to everyone. 

[newflyerinvero]

Blue Birds sightings:
As of last Friday, May 26th, I had seen only one Blue Bird in service. 7031-06 on the 87 - North Service/Aldershot. 
I did peak into the garage from Harvester and had seen one Blue Bird with its ass-end facing the tracks. Based on what I've seen in the past several months, that Bird would've probably been 7030 or 32-06. Couldn't tell if the bike rack was still on, though.
XD40 7055-12 and a D40LF were back there. Nothing else back there. No Vicinity's yet.