York Region Transit \ Viva

[yrt304]

Apparently Viva Orange is still serving Keele Street?

Also the notice on the website was removed

[* Mr. Black *]

Apparently Viva Orange is still serving Keele Street?

Also the notice on the website was removed

yes... Orange is still on original routing, as there are "issues" with using the Busway. this is an indefinate delay, so when we know we can use it, the public will know....

[vivablue5215]

Apparently Viva Orange is still serving Keele Street?

Also the notice on the website was removed

Why are you arguing?

[Enzo Aquarius]

In response to GO ending route 62 service, YRT has started to post their own notes detailing alternatives to the route.

[yrt304]

Why are you arguing?

hey i still get my service, as long as they stop at Keele and Finch....

[alisae]

Hello. Is it just the YRT drivers who have to look for a new company or is it also Viva too?

Alisa

[YRT-Guy]

Hello. Is it just the YRT drivers who have to look for a new company or is it also Viva too?

Alisa

The YRT drivers who currently work for Tokmakjian are the ones that would have to change the company effective August 1, 2010. The Viva side of things are still the same right now.

[Waiting for 30 Minutes]

yes... Orange is still on original routing, as there are "issues" with using the Busway. this is an indefinate delay, so when we know we can use it, the public will know....

It's possibly insurance issues, as Viva buses are insured to run along its current routing, and not along the busway. Perhaps there was a stall in changing up the policy, maybe it involved more distance (and there more premium). That's just my guess.

[The Canadian Roadgeek]

Do any of you know when will they release the new system map? i.e. the Spring version...

It's supposed to have like a larger font this time, like a new design, so I can't wait for the new one...

[ttcgeek]

It's supposed to have like a larger font this time, like a new design, so I can't wait for the new one...

From what I've heard, south York Region will be on one side and north will be on the other.

Routes will show whether the route is operated during rush hours, weekdays, 6 days a week or 7 days a week. The mapping will be bigger and we should be able to see side streets YRT doesn't serve.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Waiting for 30 Minutes]

Do any of you know when will they release the new system map? i.e. the Spring version...

It's supposed to have like a larger font this time, like a new design, so I can't wait for the new one...

The spring system map will come out with the next round of service changes, which I believe is mid-late April.

The new design is supposed to help those with vision problems, with higher contrast, larger numbers, stret names, lines, and also shows streets buses do not operate on. It will likely resemble some of the new route navigators, such as those for 2, 18, and 88.

[TDE]

I have a question based on suspicion here... Why did YRT's livery go to the new shades of blue as a pose to the white background with blue and gold?

Did it have anything to do with its simularity to Oakville's livery and someone got vexed?

or just a refresher of some sort to the public?

[York Transit]

I have a question based on suspicion here... Why did YRT's livery go to the new shades of blue as a pose to the white background with blue and gold?

Did it have anything to do with its simularity to Oakville's livery and someone got vexed?

or just a refresher of some sort to the public?

Because they had to align the YRT brand to look similar to the VIVA brand.

If you look at the old YRT colors alongside a VIVA bus, they look like 2 different systems. What YRT wanted to convey with the new look was "YRT + VIVA = 1 system"

[YRT-Guy]

Because they wanted to align the YRT brand to look similar to the VIVA brand.

^^Fixed^^

also... came across this article:

But isn't this already called the GTA weekly pass????

http://www.yorkregion.com/news/article/627...le-transit-pass

Single, transferable transit pass chosen as Going Green Challenge winning idea

Smart Commute North Toronto Vaughan recently selected a winner in the Going Green Challenge, a contest that asks participants to pitch an idea to make urban commuting more environmentally friendly.

The idea is to stir up discussion around alternative commuting habits and to encourage the public to walk (or bus, carpool, or bike) the green mile.

Liesl Joson was selected as a winner from 1,200 community entries. She was chosen for her idea to create a single transferable transit pass that would allow commuters to seamlessly switch between multiple transit agencies.

"The introduction of a single, affordable, refillable smart card useable across all transit systems may entice people to use mass transit," Ms Joson said.

Vaughan faces a serious lack of green-friendly transportation.

A study by the Conference Board of Canada found that only 10.8 per cent of Vaughan commuters choose non-car options compared to 48 per cent of Torontonians, while Money Sense Magazine ranked Vaughan dead last out of 154 cities in the percentage of residents who walk or bike to work.

Thornhill Councillor Alan Shefman, chairperson of the city's Greening Vaughan Advisory Committee and one of the contest judges, was keen on Ms Josens's idea.

"Her idea is great, it would be a huge boon to transit," he said. "A single card that would allow you to go from one system to the other would be brilliant."

He said a system that would allow Vaughan commuters to switch from YRT to TTC without having to buy multiple tickets would greatly encourage commuting by public transit.

However, he said while Viva and YRT have expressed interest in the idea in the past, there has been little co-operation from the TTC.

"The bottleneck is with the TTC," he said. "They're the ones that have delayed the implementation. It's very, very frustrating."

He noted the challenges Vaughan faces in commuting and said that a possible solution lies in a more cohesive effort from various public transit systems.

For Mr. Shefman, the federal and provincial governments need to take on a greater role in funding public transit because municipalities on their own cannot afford to make major changes.

He said the public transit issue is "perhaps the greatest challenge" the city faces from both a transportation and environmental standpoint.

He said it is crucial that every commuter plays their part in modifying their habits.

"It's too big of an issue," he said. "We're going to drown in our own pollution if we don't do something."

Other ideas to encourage green-friendly forms of commuting were to put a carpool lane in the 401, or to have a four-day work week, with people starting earlier and finishing later in order to put less strain on rush hour.

"If people can get to their jobs efficiently and not have to go through traffic jams, we increase productivity," Mr. Shefman said. "These are in some ways very simple ideas, but they have great impact."

Ms Joson will be rewarded for her idea with a free trip to Montreal for two courtesy of Smart Commute NTV, Via Rail Canada and Best Western Europa.

[York Transit]

^^Fixed^^

also... came across this article:

But isn't this already called the GTA weekly pass????

http://www.yorkregion.com/news/article/627...le-transit-pass

What they probably mean is a smart card.

The GTA weekly pass is by no means an "efficient" card. Having to stock up on one every week. Blahh lol

[YRT-Guy]

What they probably mean is a smart card.

The GTA weekly pass is by no means an "efficient" card. Having to stock up on one every week. Blahh lol

Ahh.. ok.. ur right.. must of dozed off on that one.. I think I need sleep too. But then, isn't that what presto is/will be?

[Orion9131]

From what I've heard, south York Region will be on one side and north will be on the other.

Routes will show whether the route is operated during rush hours, weekdays, 6 days a week or 7 days a week. The mapping will be bigger and we should be able to see side streets YRT doesn't serve.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

The new maps are supposed to include landuse, making the maps more colourful. I have a couple of early YRT maps that included side streets. Good to see YRT came to their senses. The current maps are terrible.

[Gil]

The new maps are supposed to include landuse, making the maps more colourful. I have a couple of early YRT maps that included side streets. Good to see YRT came to their senses. The current maps are terrible.

Yeah, I liked the original maps better too. Even though the background colour was golden/tan it at least showed ALL the streets. Not quite sure how they'll show the warped scales for Stouffville, Mt. Albert and Georgina. Plus, as a bonus with the old maps, you could scale them in such a way so that it continued where the TTC's map left off in Richmond Hill (colouring aside)!

[The Canadian Roadgeek]

I kept all the maps since January 2004... Frankly, I like the newer ones better... But I can't wait to see the newer maps!

[Waiting for 30 Minutes]

I kept all the maps since January 2004... Frankly, I like the newer ones better... But I can't wait to see the newer maps!

I would like the base of the old map with the route/number style of the new maps.

[Ber]

is it just me or dd the realtime system get shut down or something...tried calling in the eta on the 91 and the 82 the other day and it wasnt working... it happened a few times already too...

[YRT-Guy]

is it just me or dd the realtime system get shut down or something...tried calling in the eta on the 91 and the 82 the other day and it wasnt working... it happened a few times already too...

It had problems over the past few days.... should be working ok now. Just remember though, the GPS in the bus also has to be working properly. And it will only give you the ETA if the bus has STARTED it's trip (eg: if you are looking for the realtime eta at John/bayview for route 91 southbound, it must of started the trip from Taylor Mills. If the bus is still N/B, it won't give you the realtime ETA yet).

[Ber]

ic...and yea i was checking for the eta only a couple min b4 it was "sched" to arrive so im certain its been malfunctioning... even the website has it turned off too when i checked...they should really fix the bug where it stops giving eta after the sched time... isnt it supposed to be real time instead of corrected scheduled time..?

[YRT-Guy]

ic...and yea i was checking for the eta only a couple min b4 it was "sched" to arrive so im certain its been malfunctioning... even the website has it turned off too when i checked...they should really fix the bug where it stops giving eta after the sched time... isnt it supposed to be real time instead of corrected scheduled time..?

You probably tried the system during the problem. My understanding is it has been working again since yesterday. But what bug are you referring to? The system provides the "scheduled" time and then the ETA which is the "real-time". It's advised as "estimated" because as well all know arrival times can still change. A bus can catch up to its time or run even later if it gets held up somewhere. So in essence it still is "real-time". For example, the route 1, It could show an arrival time of say 12:50. I could be 5 minutes down, so the estimated "real-time" arrival would be now 12:55. BUT I could still end up getting back on time easily, so I may still be arriving at 12:50. So it's still technically and ESTIMATED arrival time, but in real-time since as of that moment I am showing 5 down, so thats "real"... does that make sense??? (sorry, it's kind of hard to explain this whole thing).

[Waiting for 30 Minutes]

GO riders kicked off Newmarket buses

Two under-used routes are ending, but riders complain local bus is costlier, slower and unsafe

Published Wednesday March 10, 2010 | Toronto Star

While the Ontario government is investing billions in public transit, hundreds of York Region riders are accusing GO Transit of driving them back into their cars by cancelling two Newmarket bus routes.

Citing poor ridership numbers and the need to integrate with York Region’s regular service and Viva express buses, GO will discontinue the 92B bus to York Mills on April 5, and the Newmarket-York University bus on April 26.

The move will add hours and cost to their commutes, say more than 200 GO riders who attended a Tuesday meeting with GO and York Region officials, organized by MPP Frank Klees (Newmarket-Aurora).

“What is being proposed is unacceptable,” said Klees, who accused GO and YRT officials of having failed to properly plan service for the displaced passengers.

He wants to meet directly with Metrolinx CEO Robert Prichard, who oversees GO’s operations, and YRT officials.

About 500 people ride the two Newmarket routes, which operate weekdays only. GO did not say how many riders are needed to make the routes viable.

Many of the riders the Star contacted Wednesday said they would drive rather than use York Region Transit (YRT) buses they say are slower and more expensive.

Jennifer McCue said she’ll have to drive because the local buses won’t get her home in time to pick up her baby from daycare in Aurora.

“It’s a Catch-22 — if you want to take transit you have to leave work early every day. Timing-wise, it just doesn’t work,” she said.

“I pay $180 per month (soon to be $188 when the GO fare increase goes into effect in April) to travel to and from work. With the cancellation of this service, my cost to travel to work will now escalate to up to $271 per month, a 51 per cent increase,” said Nancy Andrews, who works at Yonge St. and York Mills.

A rider who would actually save money on the change nevertheless says the end of GO service is like a death in the family. Evelyn Powell says she’ll consider driving to work in downtown Toronto rather than use Viva — which she refers to as “the Blue Meanie” or “Free-Va,” in reference to people who don’t pay their fares.

“I feel very unsafe on the Viva bus. I’ve had occasion where somebody came and sat beside me and opened up a can of beer and the driver did nothing about it,” she said.

York University engineering student Francis Babu says he will probably drive his dad’s car to school rather than endure a ride prolonged as much as 90 minutes more on his commute.

The economic climate is forcing GO to make tough choices, said a spokesperson for the agency. But “the motivation for no longer operating this service was not solely a cost-saving measure. It has always been a part of our plan with YRT/Viva to slowly withdraw some of our services from this as YRT/Viva services have matured,” said Vanessa Thomas.

The resources will be reallocated to other GO routes, she said.

YRT general manager Richard Leary said he was disappointed GO cancelled the routes on short notice, after running them for five years.

But YRT has capacity to carry those riders, and staff are reviewing the service to see whether there is a way to shave time off the existing routes, he said.

“I’m anxious to have these riders join our service,” said Leary. “There’s an opportunity there. If we can increase ridership, that’s what we’re all about. The best thing is that there’s an outcry for more and better public transportation.”

I agree with some of the riders' decision to drive instead of migrate onto YRT/Viva. I, for one, would rather have my express service rather than one where the buses are slow as hell and which a number riders don't pay for anyway. Myself coming from a system like OC Transpo, I have resorted to driving more when I'm back home in York Region, for the same reasons expressed in the article: YRT and Viva are slow, infrequent, and inconvenient (other than unsafe, I think YRT's pretty safe).