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miWay Transit

Okay, so there are lights, but they're just designed to appear as if they're not there. Overall the buses themselves are pretty good, the laptop plug was useful. I really wish they added the next stop feature (because with the way they were talking about it, it seemed that they were in fact planing to roll it out with the new MiWay brand) I hope over the next few years the make the express buses all day.

Sorry for the quality, I just used my cell phone to take the pictures.

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I have decided that there's too much white on the exterior of these new buses. Liven it up. Add more orange and blue paint.
 
A bus is a bus no? :)
 
So... I saw regular, orange 40 footers on the 110 this evening. Using MiLocal buses on a MiExpress route is bad enough, using MiLocal 40 foot buses on a MiExpress route that requires artics is just [moronic]. Seriously, there were probably 30-40 people stranded tonight after classes ended at 8pm tonight because of the closed doors. You'd think that after 4 years of operation, they'd figure out by now that the 110 needs artics? It is simple elementary school math. If the capacity of the bus subtracted by the number of riders results in a negative number, YOU NEED TO USE A BIGGER BUS. And really how hard is to put a blue bus on a Express route? Orange and blue are not even close to being the same hue, how exactly does one get them mixed up? Even if colourblindness is an issue, they just have to remember the numbers of the buses. 1051 to 1072: those are the numbers for the blue artics. If someone lack proficiency in elementary school level math, is colourblind AND is unable to distinguish between difference numbers, THEY PROBABLY SHOULDN'T BE MANAGING YOUR BUS SYSTEM. Words and concepts are not enough to adequately explain this level of incompetence, it is something you have to experience, like judging beauty or art.
 
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doady said:
So... I saw regular, orange 40 footers on the 110 this evening. Using MiLocal buses on a MiExpress route is bad enough, using MiLocal 40 foot buses on a MiExpress route that requires artics is just [moronic]. Seriously, there were probably 30-40 people stranded tonight after classes ended at 8pm tonight because of the closed doors. You'd think that after 4 years of operation, they'd figure out by now that the 110 needs artics? It is simple elementary school math. If the capacity of the bus subtracted by the number of riders results in a negative number, YOU NEED TO USE A BIGGER BUS. And really how hard is to put a blue bus on a Express route? Orange and blue are not even close to being the same hue, how exactly does one get them mixed up? Even if colourblindness is an issue, they just have to remember the numbers of the buses. 1051 to 1072: those are the numbers for the blue artics. If someone lack proficiency in elementary school level math, is colourblind AND is unable to distinguish between difference numbers, THEY PROBABLY SHOULDN'T BE MANAGING YOUR BUS SYSTEM. Words and concepts are not enough to adequately explain this level of incompetence, it is something you have to experience, like judging beauty or art.
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Maybe there was issues with some of the MiExpress artics. Some drivers said there were issues with the MiLocal hybrids. The MiLocal diesels could have been all that was available.
 
^^^ I noticed that a lot of blue artics were running along the 109 Meadowvale Express this morning. I think I passed like 4 on the way to class this morning (2 were out of service) plus the one I was on.
 
TheWorldIsNotEnough said:
^^^ I noticed that a lot of blue artics were running along the 109 Meadowvale Express this morning. I think I passed like 4 on the way to class this morning (2 were out of service) plus the one I was on.
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That's true. I was at Islington yesterday evening, and there were 2 blue artics, both 109. Problem was, they were just idling there, and other passengers were complaining that they were late on schedule. Not a surprise to see the second artic right behind us, following the one that I was in, empty when it arrived at Meadowvale.
 
meleeman13 said:
That's true. I was at Islington yesterday evening, and there were 2 blue artics, both 109. Problem was, they were just idling there, and other passengers were complaining that they were late on schedule. Not a surprise to see the second artic right behind us, following the one that I was in, empty when it arrived at Meadowvale.
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Par for the course I guess.
 
APTA-2048 said:
Maybe there was issues with some of the MiExpress artics. Some drivers said there were issues with the MiLocal hybrids. The MiLocal diesels could have been all that was available.
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Is this the first time that Orion has made an artic? I've never seen one before, and it's possible that there are teething problems.

Regardless, I agree with Sean that forcibly separating your fleet in two is a waste when you pretty much only run one of the services during peak hours.
 
The artics are from New Flyer, basically tricked out versions for the artics MT got in 2008. 2008 and 2010 versions are all very nice buses.

The problem isn't separating the fleet in two, the problem is separating the artic fleet in two. They need to change the service to make better use of the artics. There are two many "Local" routes designed for artics, and not enough orange artics to go around, especially on weekends. They need to change that. The 110 is the only "Express" route that needs artics now. All the other Express are designed for 40 footers.
 
I think part of the problem is that most of the express routes, except 101 and 102 (which don't have off-peak service) and the 109 (which is alone in having off-peak service), are designed to be busy during rush hours and dead the rest of the time. The 101 doesn't use artics, but if it was marketed better as a all-day express alternative to the 1, running to UTM and South Common (the extension to Oakville should be served by a core local route for now, running better than rush-hours only, and serve the Sheridan College market better), it could have artic loads if it ran every 15 minutes off-peak. That is what the 101 should do.

There's also certainly a market for an express to Islington from Square One before one is introduced on the busway. The 76 should be re-expressed, given a 106 number and run off-peak, even with the shorter 40 foot buses for now.

There's no effort so far to provide shiny new service along with those shiny new buses. The only bright side of all those idle new buses is all those POS Orion VIs are now gone from the system.
 
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I like that the 101 connects Oakville with UTM. The core route 1 serving Midtown Oakville would make it too long anyways. Probably the 101 should replace the 1C altogether though. Removing artics from 1C and adding artics to 101 would solve a lot of problems. 1C is redundant anyways with the 101 and 201. The 106 would be redundant if the 109 served Square One, and slower too when the transitway is built .
 
I'd actually introduce a West Dundas route between Sheridan-Oakville, Uptown Core and UTM (perhaps even as a 109A, supplementing the 109, and recognizing that the route south of UTM is lightly traveled), and have it separate from the 1, which is fine looping near Winston Churchill. I wouldn't send the 1 to Oakville, that's too long a trip for reliability (at least as far as MT cares about reliability). But it would have to provide much better than mere seasonal peak service that it does now. I like the idea of having a full service 101 replace the 1C. That would make use of the artics properly until Brampton steps in to clean up the mess that is Hurontario next September.

I'd run a 106, with at least Mon-Fri service from 6AM to 9PM (if not Saturdays, even Sundays) until the busway is opened. Tomken and Dixie stops would provide intermediate ridership to make it viable, also include West Mall, Robert Speck, Central Pkwy, Cawthra and Fieldgate, even Ponytrail, and you got a solid full-service express route. Or the 109, which is set up to be merely a rush hour commuter express as is, ran into Square One with a 109A during rush hours providing extra runs to Meadowvale skipping Square One replacing the current 109, that wouldn't be bad, I agree.

If given control of MT, I would start with a blank map and work from there.
 
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