York Region Transit

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York Region Transit (YRT) is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road.

The executive of YRT consists of:

• Chair Bill Fisch (York Region Chair)
• Vice-Chair Regional Councillor David Barrow
• General Manager Donald Gordon
• Vice-President of Operations (YRT and Viva) Mary-Frances Turner

Contents 1 Overview 2 Routes 2.1 Numbering conventions 2.2 Regular 2.3 Viva 2.4 TTC routes operating in York Region 2.5 GO Transit shuttles 2.6 Expresses 3 Terminals 3.1 Newmarket Terminal 3.2 Bernard Terminal 3.3 Vaughan Mills Terminal 3.4 Promenade Terminal 3.5 Richmond Hill Centre Terminal 3.6 York University Terminal 3.7 GO Finch Terminal 4 Facilities 5 History 6 Zones 7 Buses 8 Bus rapid transit 9 Fares 10 Roster 11 Staff 11.1 Uniforms 12 Special Constables 13 See also 14 External links 15 References

[edit] Overview

YRT operates 65 full time, rush hour and limited routes, 35 school services, 5 Viva rapid transit routes and 13 Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) routes that run within York Region's boundaries. TTC passengers that cross Steeles Avenue (the Toronto-York boundary) on a TTC route must pay an additional fare (the YRT fare) to continue on that route (in practical sense, the TTC bus becomes a YRT bus when it crosses Steeles Avenue). There is also a joint service on Highway 7, Route 77, that is shared between YRT and Brampton Transit.

Some YRT routes operate within TTC territory; these buses are generally running to and from TTC subway stations. YRT buses are allowed to pick up passengers south of Steeles Avenue if they are heading into York Region (but passengers must flag the bus from a designated TTC or YRT stop). YRT buses heading to a TTC subway station can similarly drop off passengers at designated stops south of Steeles Avenue, but are usually not permitted to pick up passengers from these stops (Notable Exception: people who get on on Steeles and make a transfer at Yonge).

[edit] Routes

denotes routes with accessible buses.

[edit] Numbering conventions

• 2-- GO Transit Shuttle (excluding TTC routes)
• 3-- Express (extra fare required)
• 5-- Community Bus (local)

[edit] Regular

All routes operate 7 days a week unless otherwise indicated.

• 1 Highway 7 (Richmond Hill Centre Terminal to Markham-Stouffville Hospital)
• 2 Milliken (Finch Subway-Markham Road via John Street/Denison Street) On Saturdays and Sundays only, the route is extended from Markham Road to 9th Line.
• 2A 14th Avenue (Woodbine Avenue to Markham-Stouffville Hospital) Operates Monday to Friday only. During peak periods, this route operates via Rouge Bank Drive and Russell Jarvis Drive. In off-peak periods, it operates via Legacy Drive
• 3/3B Thornhill-York University (Route 3: York University-Don Mills/Steeles, Route 3B: York University-Don Mills/Steeles via York University GO Station) Route 3B operates Monday to Friday only and services the York University GO Train Station.
• 4/4A Major Mackenzie (Route 4: Jane-Woodbine, Route 4A: Bathurst-Mount Joy GO Station) During the summer, route 4 diverts into Canada's Wonderland. Route 4A operates only during peak periods.
• 5 Clark (Glen Shields-Finch Station) Operates from Monday to Saturday. The route loops via Dufferin and Glen Shields at the western end of Clark Avenue. The direction of the loop depends on the time of day.
• 7 Martin Grove connecting with the westerly Viva Orange Martin Grove Vivastation. Serving the intersection of Hwy 27 and Martin Grove Road, with some service to Steeles and Islington. Weekday service extended south to Woodbine Centre and Humber College North Campus in Toronto.
• 8 Kennedy links the intersection of Kennedy and Major Mackenzie with Steeles Ave via Unionville (GO Station), and Enterprise vivastations.
• 9/9A Stouffville
• 10 York University-Woodbridge--serves areas of Woodbridge not provided by Viva Orange.
• 11 Woodbridge--Another route serving Woodbridge. During peak hours only, service is extened to Martin Grove Road via Highway 27.
• 12 Pine Valley links the YRT teminal at Vaughan Mills Mall with the intersection of Islington and Steeles, and does not operate on Sunday.
• 13 Islington links Napa Valley Road with Islington and Steeles. During peak periods, trips are extended into Kleinburg. Trips into Kleinburg do not operate on weekends. This route does not operate on Sundays.
• 18 Bur Oak links the Markham-Stouffville Hospital with Angus Glen Community Centre, with no service on Sunday.
• 20 Jane-Concord. From York University to Teston/Jane via Vaughan Mills.
• 22 King City links Maple Community Centre with Seneca College King Campus via King City GO Station, and does not operate on Sundays.
• 23 Thornhill Woods (Finch Station-Rutherford) Operates from Monday to Friday. Travels from Finch Station to Promenade Shopping Center via Yonge, Steeles, Hilda, Clark, Atkinson, and Bathurst (in order). From Promenade, the route heads north along Bathurst to Highway 7, before turning into the Thornhill Woods area. The route winds along Maple Sugar Lane, Pleasant Ridge Road, Summeridge Drive, and Thornhill Woods Drive before travelling east to its end at Bathurst and Rutherford.
• 27 Highway 27. Limited Service Monday-Saturday to Highway 27 Commercial District between Highways 407 and 7, west of Highway 27.
• 31 Aurora North
• 32 Aurora South
• 33 Wellington Street (started June 2006)
• 34 Industrial Parkway
• 40 Unionville Local (Woodbine-Markville Mall) Serves the Unionville area, north of Highway 7.
• 41 Markham Local. Serves the Cornell area east of McCowan, north of Highway 7.
• 44 Bristol-London
• 50 Queensway Runs in Georgina, in the Keswick area.
• 51 Keswick Local Runs in Georgina, in the Keswick area.
• 52 Holland Landing. Runs between Newmarket and Holland Landing, and serves East Gwillimbury GO Train station.
• 54 Bayview North
• 55/55B Davis Drive
• 56 Gorham-Eagle
• 57/57A Mulock Drive
• 58 Leslie North
• 58A Leslie North-Mount Albert (started April 2006)
• 77 Highway 7/Centre (Bramalea City Centre-Finch Station) On Sundays and holidays, the route is altered to run along Clark Avenue from Yonge to New Westminister, before turning onto New Westminister to access the Promenade Terminal and continue its regular route. This makes up for the 5 Clark bus on Sunday.
• 82 Valleymede-Spadina
• 83/83A Trench
• 84A/84C Oak Ridges
• 85/85A/85B Rutherford/16th Avenue
• 86 Weldrick-Newkirk
• 87 Langstaff-Maple
• 88 Bathurst
• 89 Richmond Hill Community Bus
• 90 Leslie South
• 91/91A Bayview South (Finch Subway/Richmond Hill) Formerly a GO Transit Route.
• 98 Yonge North (Yonge/Green Lane-Bernard Terminal) Only YRT bus to cross two fare zones.
• 99 Yonge South (formerly Yonge 'C' route; previously served by GO Transit and TTC
• 224B Woodbine Avenue (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays)
• 225 Bales Drive Shuttle
• 520/521 Newmarket Community Bus
• 522 Markham Community Bus (started October 2006)

[edit] Viva

Main article: Viva (bus rapid transit)

• Viva Blue operates from Finch Station to Newmarket Terminal with a rush hour branch operating to Bernard in addition to the Newmarket Branch.
• Viva Green operates on a route which runs between Don Mills Station and Unionville Station (off-peak periods) or McCowan (peak periods).
• Viva Orange operates between Downsview Station and Martin Grove via York University.
• Viva Purple operates between McCowan Road and York University (off-peak periods) or Martin Grove (peak periods).
• Viva Pink operates during rush hours only between Finch Station and Unionville Station via Richmond Hill Centre Terminal.

[edit] TTC routes operating in York Region

• 17A Birchmount--Monday-Friday peak hour extension north of Steeles to 14th Avenue
• 24D Victoria Park--Monday-Friday extension north of Steeles to Woodbine and Major Mackenzie Drive.
• 25D Don Mills-- Extension north of Steeles to 16th Avenue.
• 35D Jane-- Extension North of Steeles to Vaughan Mills
• 37D Islington--Monday-Friday Peak Hour Extension north of Steeles to Highway 7 and Weston Road
• 68B Warden--Extension north of Steeles to Major Mackenzie
• 102D Markham Road--Extension north of Steeles to Major Mackenzie
• 105 Dufferin North-- Extension North of Steeles to Major Mackenzie
• 107B/107C/107D/107F Keele North--Extensions north of Steeles serving Rutherford GO Train Station, Major Mackenzie, and Teston Road
• 129A McCowan North--Extended North of Steeles to Major Mackenzie
• 160 Bathurst North--Extended North of Steeles to Prominade Terminal, and north of Centre Street
• 165D Weston North--Extended north of Steeles to Major Mackenzie; seasonal extensions to Canada's Wonderland
• 224C/224D Victoria Park North--Monday-Friday Peak Service extensions North of Steeles, 224C into Dennison Avenue Industrial area, 224D north towards Major Mackenzie.

[edit] GO Transit shuttles

• 201 Markham GO Shuttle
• 202 Unionville GO Shuttle
• 222 Aurora-Newmarket GO Shuttle (returns in September 2006)
• 223 Newmarket GO Shuttle
• 240 Mill Pond GO Shuttle
• 241 Beverly Acres GO Shutle
• 242 North Richvale GO Shuttle
• 243 Redstone GO Shuttle
• 260 Rutherford GO Shuttle

[edit] Expresses

• 300 Business Express
• 301 Markham Express
• 302 Unionville Express
• 303 Cornell Express
• 340 Bayview Express (starts September 2006)
• 360 Maple Express

[edit] Terminals

[edit] Newmarket Terminal

Bus routes at this terminal:

• 44 Upper Canada (formerly called Bristol-London)
• 52 Holland Landing
• 55 Davis
• 56 Gorham-Eagle
• 57A Mulock
• 98 Yonge North
• 520/521 Newmarket Community
• Viva Blue

[edit] Bernard Terminal

Bus routes at this terminal:

• 83 Trench - with off street stop on Bernard Avenue
• 86 Weldrick-Newkirk
• 98 Yonge North
• 99 Yonge South
• Viva Blue - with off street stops on Yonge during non-peak weekday service

[edit] Vaughan Mills Terminal

Bus routes at this terminal:

• 12 Pine Valley
• 20 Jane-Concord - North and South
• 85/85B Rutherford-16th Avenue - East and West
• 360 Maple Express

[edit] Promenade Terminal

Bus routes at this terminal:

• 3/3B Thornhill-York U
• 23 Thornhill Woods - North and South
• 77 Highway 7-Centre - East and West
• 88 Bathurst - North and South
• 160 Bathurst North
• Viva Purple

[edit] Richmond Hill Centre Terminal

Bus routes at this terminal:

• 1 Highway 7
• 83/83A Trench
• 87 Langstaff-Maple
• 99 Yonge South - North and South
• Viva Blue - North and South
• Viva Purple - East and West
• Viva Pink - East and South

[edit] York University Terminal

Bus routes at this terminal:

• 3 Thornhill-York U
• 10 York U-Woodbridge
• 20 Jane Concord
• Viva Orange
• Viva Purple
• Greyhound

[edit] GO Finch Terminal

Bus routes at this terminal:

• 2 Miliken
• 5 Clark
• 23 Thornhill Woods
• 77 Highway 7-Centre Street
• 88 Bathurst
• 91/91A Bayview South
• 99 Yonge South
• 300 Business Express
• 301 Markham Express
• 302 Unionville Express
• 303 Cornell Express
• 340 Bayview Express (starts September 2006)
• Viva Blue
• Viva Pink

[edit] Facilities

• Miller Transit Yard - Markham, Ontario
• Laidlaw Transit Limited - Division 2 (Newmarket, Aurora, East Gwillimbury and Georgina based buses)
• Can-ar Maintenance Facility - Division 4 - Vaughan, Ontario

[edit] History

YRT was created by the regional government in 2001 to combine five of the municipally-managed transit authorities in the region:

• Vaughan Transit
• Markham Transit
• Richmond Hill Transit
• Aurora Transit - merged in 1999 with Newmarket Transit
• Newmarket Transit

In mid-2006, the York Region Transit (YRT) logo was modified to bear closer resemblance to the VIVA logo. And beginning in early 2007, the entire fleet of YRT buses and bus stop signs will have their looks changed to bear the new colours.

[edit] Zones

YRT is currently divided into 2 zones (North and South) with the boundary being the Oak Ridges Moraine (between the King Road Vivastation and the Bloomington Road Vivastation); the zone rule is that you need a 1-zone fare if your trip starts or ends within the boundaries and you need a 2-zone fare if your trip passes completely through the boundary.

[edit] Buses

YRT serves the following communities:

• Vaughan
• Markham
• Stouffville
• Richmond Hill
• King Township
• Newmarket
• Aurora
• East Gwillimbury
• Georgina

The system is a mix of public and private co-operations. YRT is owned by York Region and operated on their behalf by private operators. For more see York Region Transit operators.

YRT use a mix of grid and non-grid oriented routes. YRT vehicles are stored at facilities owned by private operators. For more see York Region terminals, garages, routes

[edit] Bus rapid transit

In response to escalating congestion on the region's roads, York Region's transit plan included a provision for a bus rapid transit (BRT) system along the Yonge Street and Highway 7 arterial corridors. This service, known as Viva, was launched in September 2005.

Phase 2 is expected to begin as early as late 2007, and includes the construction of bus only lanes on Yonge Street and eventually to Newmarket. Highway 7 bus lanes will be constructed later on.

For more see: Viva

[edit] Fares

An row of the current YRT/Viva tickets. From left to right: Senior/Child, Student (High School), Adult, Express. The Express ticket is not used on Viva.

• A proposed plan from the Ontario government calls for an integrated fare card system using smart card technologies, similar to Chicago Card and Hong Kong's Octopus Card. It is expected to be implemented in York Region in 2009.

Effective January 1, 2007, YRT's fares are as follows:

• Cash:$2.75 for 1-zone, $3.75 for 2-zone
• Express: $3.00
• 10 tickets:
  • 1-Zone
    • Adult: $23.00
    • Student: $17.00
    • Senior/Child: $14.00
    • Express: $27.50
  • 2-Zone
    • Adult: $33.00
    • Student: $27.00
    • Senior/Child: $24.00
• Monthly Passes:
  • 1-Zone
    • Adult: $85.00
    • Student: $65.00
    • Senior/Child: $42.00
  • 2-Zone
    • Adult: $130.00
    • Student: $110.00
    • Child/Senior: $74.00
• Zone Upgrade (With Vaild Ticket): $1.00
• Ride to GO (With proof that you are riding GO) $0.50
• GTA Weekly Pass: $43.00 (Note: Extra fare required for YRT Zone Upgrade, YRT Express and TTC Downtown Express)

[edit] Roster

YRT has 357 buses (as of March 2007); operated by Miller Transit Ltd. in Markham/Richmond Hill, Tokmakjian (Can-Ar) Inc. in Vaughan, Laidlaw Transit Ltd. in Newmarket.

Product list and details

Make/Model	Description	Fleet #	Notes
General Motors T6H-4523N	35' Diesel bus	2006, 7526
General Motors TC40-102N	40' Diesel bus	8301-8304	8303 retired
Motor Coach Industries TC40102N	40' Diesel bus	2044-2047
Motor Coach Industries TC40102A	40' Diesel bus	2048-2052
New Flyer Industries D40HF	40' Diesel bus	8912, 8914, 8917, 8918, 8919, 8921-8924	2068-2072, 8911, 8913, 8915, 8916, 8920 retired
New Flyer Industries D40LF	40' Diesel bus	311-335, 401-412, 571-585, 601-609, 610- 618
Orion Bus Industries 01.502	30' Diesel bus	891, 2020, 8502, 8503-8504, 8723, 8801, 9001-9002, 9003
Orion Bus Industries 01.507	35' Diesel bus	8722
Orion Bus Industries 01.508	40' Diesel bus	2021-2024, 2027-2030, 2033-2036, 8505-8506, 8710-8721
Orion Bus Industries 05.501	40' Diesel bus	001-014, 224-233, 301-310, 526-530*, 2053-2054*
Orion Bus Industries 05.505	30' Diesel bus	9401
Orion Bus Industries 06.501	40' Diesel bus	1045-1046, 2061-2067, 9701-9704, 9801-9802, 9931-9933
Thomas SLF230	30' Diesel bus	101-112, 113-117, 9901
Thomas SLF235	35' Diesel bus	201-223
ElDorado National EZ Rider II	30' Diesel bus	541-547, 548-556, 557-570, 619-622
Overland Custom Coaches Ford ELF	Wheelchair Accessible Bus
General Motors Astro	Utility Van
Chevrolet Impala	supervisor car

• not accessible

For Viva bus fleet, see Viva (bus rapid transit).

Denotes wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

[edit] Staff

YRT staff are employed by their respective contractors.

[edit] Uniforms

YRT staff uniform consists of a white shirt with blue pin strips with YRT crest on the left chest and dark pants.

[edit] Special Constables

A contingent of Special Constables patrol both YRT and Viva bus rapid transit properties. They have the same powers as the York Regional Police to enforce:

• Criminal Code
• Controlled Drugs and Substances Act of Ontario
• Trespass to Property Act of Ontario
• Liquor License Act of Ontario
• section 17 of the Mental Health Act of Ontario
• Regional Municipality of York By-law R-1415-2005-028

Special constables wear distinct uniforms with black jackets and blue shirts with Special Constables identification (blue and black crest on their shoulders).

Fare Media Inspector are enforcement officers responsible for issues relating to fare violations.

YRT/Viva Constables also drive in the unmarked and marked cruisers.

The constables patrol within areas served by the YRT/Viva.

[edit] See also

• Markham Transit
• Mississauga Transit
• Vaughan Transit
• Richmond Hill Transit
• Aurora Transit
• Newmarket Transit
• Toronto Transit Commission
• Durham Region Transit
• Brampton Transit
• GO Transit
• Viva
• York Regional Police
• York Region EMS

[edit] External links

• York Region Transit
• YRT/VIVA Transit Enforcement
• YRT/VIVA Offical Route Map
• VivaYork
• Miller Transit Ltd.
• Can-car Coach Services - Tokmakjian Inc Group
• York Region Transit Fleet Roster
• A Large Collection of YRT Photos

[edit] References

• Markham Transit 1990 Rider's Guide, Town of Markham
• Markham Transit Fall 1994 Rider's Guide, Town of Markham
• Markham Transit Fall 1999 Rider's Guide, Town of Markham
• Markham Transit 2000 Rider's Guide, Town of Markham
• Transit History...Vaughan
• Transit History...Markham
• Transit History...Richmond Hill
• "vivatalk - York Region's Rapid Transit Update", Economist & Sun/Sun-Tribune: Community, June 11, 2005, p 7.