MiWay

[Xtrazsteve]

14 hours ago, Bus_Medic said:

Whatever that means.

It doesn't mean anything beyond the media.

Terms like pre-2010 design and modern 2018+ updates would be more suitable.

[newflyerinvero]

A few questions and curiosities here.

Are there a couple runs on the 5-Dixie which are Central based, as a few times on Transee, there've been LFSA's operating on it.

Has the 39-Britannia been a Malton-based route? I'd thought that if that was the case, that some of the Malton 13xx XD60s would be on it rather than exclusively being on the 5.

Speaking of Transsee, just today before posting in here that many of the buses in service, there'd be a note, in green, indicating that there are "many seats available". Is this specifically to miWay, or to other agencies that Transsee tracks?

[blue.bird.fan]

1 hour ago, newflyerinvero said:

A few questions and curiosities here.

Are there a couple runs on the 5-Dixie which are Central based, as a few times on Transee, there've been LFSA's operating on it.

Has the 39-Britannia been a Malton-based route? I'd thought that if that was the case, that some of the Malton 13xx XD60s would be on it rather than exclusively being on the 5.

Speaking of Transsee, just today before posting in here that many of the buses in service, there'd be a note, in green, indicating that there are "many seats available". Is this specifically to miWay, or to other agencies that Transsee tracks?

I'll leave the first point to other users to answer, as I'm not as knowledgeable about that. The 39 Britannia is a Central Parkway division route, and from my looking at TransSee today, the "many seats available" feature is so far only available on MiWay within the GTA. It wasn't on any of other agencies I looked at.

[MT0603]

Prior to the September board period Malton had 3 base blocks on the 39, 1 base block on the 61, 3 AM/PM rush hour blocks on the 104 and 2 base blocks on the 107.

Since service cancellations have mostly affected Central routes most of the above mentioned blocks have been transferred to Central to balance out the amount of spareboard crews between the two divisions.

 

Of the above mentioned routes Malton now only has 5 base blocks on the 107 and Central has gained 2 AM/PM rush hour blocks on the 5. However, Central's two blocks on the 5 are both 40' blocks and the LFSAs that occasionally pop up on the route are in fact at Malton while some of their artics are down for maintenance. Currently 1351-1353 and 0866 have been out of service for 2 weeks or more. 

I should note that Malton has a single base block on the 35 and that remains unchanged. 

[ttcbusdude]

12 hours ago, MT0603 said:

Prior to the September board period Malton had 3 base blocks on the 39, 1 base block on the 61, 3 AM/PM rush hour blocks on the 104 and 2 base blocks on the 107.

Since service cancellations have mostly affected Central routes most of the above mentioned blocks have been transferred to Central to balance out the amount of spareboard crews between the two divisions.

 

Of the above mentioned routes Malton now only has 5 base blocks on the 107 and Central has gained 2 AM/PM rush hour blocks on the 5. However, Central's two blocks on the 5 are both 40' blocks and the LFSAs that occasionally pop up on the route are in fact at Malton while some of their artics are down for maintenance. Currently 1351-1353 and 0866 have been out of service for 2 weeks or more. 

I should note that Malton has a single base block on the 35 and that remains unchanged. 

Thank you. :)

So to be clear, 1301-1309s are blue buses out of Malton? 1304 on 51 right now.  

[tommike]

when the new artc be on road to ride?

[mikenoza]

1 hour ago, tommike said:

when the new artc be on road to ride?

Early 2021 so maybe Jan-March

[Gil]

On 10/8/2020 at 8:30 PM, Gil said:

Meanwhile, the 2-week detour of the 5 DIXIE along Atwater and Cawthra would seem like an ideal time to gauge what extending the 14 LORNE PARK through to Dixie Mall and Sherway would be like.  Not every driver it seems is following the detour and it would seem that the construction at the railway crossing isn't bad enough to restrict the odd bus from going through.  They're just missing the stops along those sections of Atwater and Cawthra to be of any use for the local residents!

It's been over a month since the "2 week" detour was posted.  Tracking the buses, it seems like random buses will follow the detour routing while others will not.

Quote

Route 5 on detour in both direction due to construction work at Ogden railroad crossing. Using Atwater to Cawthra to Lakeshore in both directions. 2 weeks

I've only gone through the area a few times and it seemed evenly split between Cawthra and Ogden.  It doesn't appear to be tied to construction crew timing unless they're working some odd hours.  I presume COVID precautions are dragging the construction completion date as with other projects (Speakman and the Kipling Hub)?  Are drivers given instructions on when to use the detour or is it at their discretion?  Seeing as stops were never formally introduced on the detour routing along Atwater and Cawthra it'd be difficult to gauge the demand for service if and when they plan on implementing it.  As for the passenger convenience if you wanted one of the stops skipped by the bypass, I guess you'd like to know whether or not the bus was going to serve it or not!

[Gil]

Squeaky wheel getting the grease?  MiWay has put up an updated notice along with a map for the detour on the 5 DIXIE as well as keeping the original undated detour notice.  It seems that buses are more regularly following the detour now.  The revised date of completion for the work at the railway tracks is Nov. 27 which is two weeks after the the date on the notice (Nov. 13).  Let's see if that will actually be the case.

One strange observance from earlier in the week was a southbound 13 GLEN ERIN with a side desto reading "TO SOUTH COMMON" rather than the via and Clarkson GO as the final destination.  I waited (good thing it was stopped at a red light) for it to cycle through to make sure I had seen it correctly.  I did not get a look at the front desto to see if it matched.  I've gone through the schedule and there aren't any short turn runs that I could find (checking the time I saw the bus - late afternoon and also the late night service).  Was this a misprogrammed desto or do I really need to get my eyes checked?!  

[transitfan100]

On 11/14/2020 at 9:24 PM, Gil said:

Squeaky wheel getting the grease?  MiWay has put up an updated notice along with a map for the detour on the 5 DIXIE as well as keeping the original undated detour notice.  It seems that buses are more regularly following the detour now.  The revised date of completion for the work at the railway tracks is Nov. 27 which is two weeks after the the date on the notice (Nov. 13).  Let's see if that will actually be the case.

One strange observance from earlier in the week was a southbound 13 GLEN ERIN with a side desto reading "TO SOUTH COMMON" rather than the via and Clarkson GO as the final destination.  I waited (good thing it was stopped at a red light) for it to cycle through to make sure I had seen it correctly.  I did not get a look at the front desto to see if it matched.  I've gone through the schedule and there aren't any short turn runs that I could find (checking the time I saw the bus - late afternoon and also the late night service).  Was this a misprogrammed desto or do I really need to get my eyes checked?!  

I still see a 26 E side sign that still says "26 to City Centre" after "26 to Subway" on weekends after 5 years of stacked signs

26 E Burnhamthorpe ~ 26 to Subway ~ 26 to City Centre

 

26 W side sign is correct as it says "26 via City Centre" after "26 to South Common"

[Gil]

Has an official date been set for opening the Kipling Hub?  I was over on Transit Toronto and noticed they had recently updated their page on Kipling Station.  It seems to have been future-proofed by talking about the Hub as if it were opened and interestingly they give December 5, 2020 as the effective date.  That being a Saturday is it a soft launch?  The TTC usually implements things on a Sunday, MiWay on a Monday and GO/Metrolinx on a Wednesday which doesn't quite line up with the date mentioned.  Then again, it could well be an arbitrary date which they'll fix once it opens.  The date is probably easier to change than rewriting the article!

Metrolinx' page on the Kipling construction, which MiWay links to was updated on November 17 with work shifting to the north half of the GO station building (I wonder if they'll eliminate the ticket booth?).  No mention of a completion date, but there is mention of the terminal itself and the related infrastructure being opened in phases (some of which have already been completed, while others are ongoing):

Quote

The new bus terminal will be built in phases to minimize the impact on your commute. When all the work is finished, Kipling GO will feature:

• New parking lot northeast of the new bus terminal, including Kiss & Ride and taxi areas
• A pedestrian bridge over the train tracks - complete with elevators - to connect the new bus terminal to the GO train platform
• Renovated GO station building
• New underground tunnels to make it easier to walk between the new GO/MiWay bus terminal and the existing TTC station
• Repaired tunnels
• Updated train platform with a new accessible boarding area
• Extension of the existing paid TTC parking lot on the southeast side of the TTC subway station
• Improved car, bicycle and pedestrian access to the station including a new signalized intersection at Acorn Ave.

Two weeks notice for December 5 would put that at tomorrow, or Monday if they plan on officially opening it the weekday afterward.  That'd also be two weeks before the Holiday Service Change on December 21.

[Articulated]

1 hour ago, Gil said:

Has an official date been set for opening the Kipling Hub?  I was over on Transit Toronto and noticed they had recently updated their page on Kipling Station.  It seems to have been future-proofed by talking about the Hub as if it were opened and interestingly they give December 5, 2020 as the effective date.  That being a Saturday is it a soft launch?  The TTC usually implements things on a Sunday, MiWay on a Monday and GO/Metrolinx on a Wednesday which doesn't quite line up with the date mentioned.  Then again, it could well be an arbitrary date which they'll fix once it opens.  The date is probably easier to change than rewriting the article!

Metrolinx' page on the Kipling construction, which MiWay links to was updated on November 17 with work shifting to the north half of the GO station building (I wonder if they'll eliminate the ticket booth?).  No mention of a completion date, but there is mention of the terminal itself and the related infrastructure being opened in phases (some of which have already been completed, while others are ongoing):

Two weeks notice for December 5 would put that at tomorrow, or Monday if they plan on officially opening it the weekday afterward.  That'd also be two weeks before the Holiday Service Change on December 21.

GO typically performs train service changes on Wednesdays, but bus schedules start on Saturdays. December 5th is the opening of the new Union Station Bus Terminal, which has been advertised by Metrolinx and on GO's website for most of this week; if Kipling was to open, they likely would have advertised both together (especially as GO buses are supposed to be diverted to serve it). Looking at the GO bus schedules for next board, Kipling Terminal is not listed, so safe to say it's probably not opening on that date.

[Gil]

1 hour ago, Articulated said:

GO typically performs train service changes on Wednesdays, but bus schedules start on Saturdays. December 5th is the opening of the new Union Station Bus Terminal, which has been advertised by Metrolinx and on GO's website for most of this week; if Kipling was to open, they likely would have advertised both together (especially as GO buses are supposed to be diverted to serve it). Looking at the GO bus schedules for next board, Kipling Terminal is not listed, so safe to say it's probably not opening on that date.

It has been speculated that Kipling would open in early December.  MiWay may be the initial tenant if GO hasn't figured out whether there currently is demand for bus service to Kipling.  A branch of the 21 MILTON service would likely also mean increasing service to Dixie GO especially on weekends where it is currently not served.  It was also anticipated that services currently terminating at Square One would get extended to Kipling, but COVID is messing with demand and forecasting.

The TTC is eager for MiWay to relocate to Kipling given the state of Islington's terminal.  Steve Munro hasn't mentioned anything in the remaining TTC Service Changes for 2020.  With duplicated service along the entire length of Burnhamthorpe there are probably still some details to be worked out between MiWay, TTC and Metrolinx.

I'm curious once a fare agreement is reached how or if trip patterns will change with a Burnhamthorpe route connecting with both Islington and Kipling stations.

[TTC Guy]

3 hours ago, Gil said:

It has been speculated that Kipling would open in early December.  MiWay may be the initial tenant if GO hasn't figured out whether there currently is demand for bus service to Kipling.  A branch of the 21 MILTON service would likely also mean increasing service to Dixie GO especially on weekends where it is currently not served.  It was also anticipated that services currently terminating at Square One would get extended to Kipling, but COVID is messing with demand and forecasting.

The TTC is eager for MiWay to relocate to Kipling given the state of Islington's terminal.  Steve Munro hasn't mentioned anything in the remaining TTC Service Changes for 2020.  With duplicated service along the entire length of Burnhamthorpe there are probably still some details to be worked out between MiWay, TTC and Metrolinx.

I'm curious once a fare agreement is reached how or if trip patterns will change with a Burnhamthorpe route connecting with both Islington and Kipling stations.

Probably a stupid question but here goes. Is there any plan for what is to come to Islington Stn once Miway moves out?

[AnalogPentium]

8 hours ago, TTC Guy said:

Probably a stupid question but here goes. Is there any plan for what is to come to Islington Stn once Miway moves out?

The TTC is gonna redevelop the the Islington bus terminal they'll more than likely demolish the existing terminal to build a new one that's AODA compliant and won't require more than one elevator once MiWay is gone. Oh, and obviously the TTC will be the only one servicing it now. Likewise for Warden.

[drum118]

11 hours ago, TTC Guy said:

Probably a stupid question but here goes. Is there any plan for what is to come to Islington Stn once Miway moves out?

The last plan I saw had TTC tearing down the existing terminal in 2021 and move TTC buses to the south end where miWay buses used the outside platforms. A new traffic intersection at Aberforyle Cr will be built at to allow TTC buses to enter/exit the new terminal. A smaller Kiss & Ride Area as well taxi parking will be built as well. This was to happen a few years ago.

A new 3/4 bay bus platform to be built next to CP tracks with ADOA access that should have 2 elevators for all locations. Space was to be there for a miWay Route.

The rest of the parking lot and the existing terminal will be redeveloped for affordable housing.

Tridel sales office lease expired at the end of the year and no idea of any extension. Since 2 of the 3 towers are built, easy to move the sale office into one of them that been done on other projects, 

[smallspy]

On 11/20/2020 at 3:14 PM, Gil said:

Has an official date been set for opening the Kipling Hub?  I was over on Transit Toronto and noticed they had recently updated their page on Kipling Station.  It seems to have been future-proofed by talking about the Hub as if it were opened and interestingly they give December 5, 2020 as the effective date.  That being a Saturday is it a soft launch?  The TTC usually implements things on a Sunday, MiWay on a Monday and GO/Metrolinx on a Wednesday which doesn't quite line up with the date mentioned.  Then again, it could well be an arbitrary date which they'll fix once it opens.  The date is probably easier to change than rewriting the article!

My understanding is that the hand-over date is December 5th, which is the date which Mississauga Transit would be given access to the facility to make whatever changes or installations they needed, and to start their training. This is not an operational start date.

 

Considering that the hand-over date for the new Union Station Terminal was in early June, and that they started testing with buses shortly after that but service is only starting in 2 weeks from now, I would expect that we won't start seeing service into the facility until March or so.

 

Dan

[MiExpress]

2 hours ago, smallspy said:

My understanding is that the hand-over date is December 5th, which is the date which Mississauga Transit would be given access to the facility to make whatever changes or installations they needed, and to start their training. This is not an operational start date.

 

Considering that the hand-over date for the new Union Station Terminal was in early June, and that they started testing with buses shortly after that but service is only starting in 2 weeks from now, I would expect that we won't start seeing service into the facility until March or so.

 

Dan

MiWay's training department as well as the union health and safety committee began conducting testing runs at Kipling in mid-October.

While there has been much speculation about the date, the current board period (October 26-December 20) schedules and driver crewing is based on service to Islington Station, as is the 2 week holiday board period (December 21-January 3). However, the schedules for the January 4, 2021 board period are based on operating from Kipling Station. 

Given that MiWay's move to Kipling Station comes with a host of routing and schedule changes, a move to Kipling in the middle of a board period would be awkward. Many of the routes will also have buses eliminated due to the shorter routing and this impacts driver crewing. Given those factors, I think it's fair to speculate that service to Kipling will begin on January 4 with the start of a new board period. However, that is just my opinion based on the situation and it's entirely possible service could begin on a different date than that, with 'interim' schedules and a lot of confusion!

[Gil]

I found this document on the City of Mississauga's website pertaining to the Kipling Terminal:

Kiplng Bus Terminal - Bus Access, Operations and Maintenance Agreement

It is however missing the attachments, which are found at the end of the full Council Meeting agenda.  The attachments consist of two drawings, one consisting of MiWay's exclusive use areas in the new Kipling Terminal.  The other is the latest and likely ultimate configuration of the Terminal and surrounding amenities.

The agreement mentioned that the end date for Islington being December 31, 2020.  If they are indeed waiting until January 4, 2021 what kind of arrangement is made for the three days?  Is there an agreement rate for a shorter period of time, is it pro-rated, or does the TTC simply throw out a (reasonable) number to bridge the dates between the end of the agreement and the actual move-out date?

The cynic in me thinks the reason why the proposed 2020 System Map was never updated since June was that they were looking to make the move to Kipling in 2021.  They did after all describe the map as what the system would look like at the end of 2020.  There are still a few glaring changes that haven't been implemented.  Unless they plan on implementing them all at the same time as the move to Kipling.  Cooksville GO should definitely be done by then, right?  Churchill Meadows is deferred to the Spring, but I assume the majority of the work to be completed aside from landscaping will be inside, so they could start looping buses in January.  As for the restructuring on the lower section of the Dixie corridor, I don't know what the hold up there is either.  I was thinking the elimination of the 4 SHERWAY trips to Islington would have been the impetus to introduce service to Dixie GO.

[Gil]

A bit of rather unfortunate news from Sunday afternoon.  A 28-year old motorcyclist was killed in a collision with a MiWay artic (#1772 based on the photo in the CBC coverage) on Mavis Rd. at Novo Star/Crawford Mills.  Mavis Rd. was closed for much of the afternoon and into the evening between the 401 and Derry for the investigation.  The victim was taken to hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.  He was identified as Gilberto Garcia from Mississauga.

Based on the location of the bus where it was taped off for investigation it looks like the accident occurred as it was turning left onto Crawford Mills from Mavis.

[Tramguy]

When might we see MiWay 1796 back in revenue service?  It's been two years and two months?

[MiExpress]

32 minutes ago, Tramguy said:

When might we see MiWay 1796 back in revenue service?  It's been two years and two months?

Both 1738 and 1796 are decommissioned as the damage from the fires was extensive. If previous fire victims are any indication the city will likely add a replacement bus to a future order using whatever settlement money was received to help offset the cost.

[drum118]

Mississauga’s MiWay to partner with CUTRIC on hydrogen fuel-cell electric bus pilot in 2021

[TransferCutter]

The new hybrid articulated buses will start hitting the road December 21

-New Recaro operator seat with 3-point seat belt
-New self-leveling accessibility ramp
-Fuel efficient with Logon Start/Stop, Ride & Go and Geofencing technology
-New IBus MDT

[Doppelkupplung]

I shake my head every time I see the paint spec on this.