MiWay: Service thread

[RedRocket191]

So the co-fare is valid at say Bramalea City Centre, Richmond Hill Terminal, YRT/BT to GO at York U?

That's great. I thought I got the co-fare before making such transfers before. Brampton Transit had it good because apart from BCC, all the local-to-GO bus locations were at stations anyway like Bramalea for York U and Downtown Terminal. The no co-fares to/from Square One terminal was stupid given that GO now offers parking there anyway.

Indeed it is available at all those places. I personally tested this by walking to Hurontario / Mineola before getting on the 19 after getting off of the train - a location where it is impossible to directly transfer from GO to local - and getting the discount.

I don't think the policy intended to deliberately exclude Square One, but one must understand that it was designed to relieve parking demand at GO stations. However, the working caused quirks and it potentially excluded transferring from the GO Train to the 19 at Cooksville.

 

[aleesia]

I use co-fares all the time when I go to Mississauga, and I don't use Presto. What do you mean it's for cardholders only?

If you don't have Presto (i.e., you paid your GO fare by 2-ticket, 10-ticket, or pass), you'll still have to pay $3.25 or by tickets or pass when connecting to/from a GO bus. You have the co-fare despite not having Presto because you're connecting to/from a GO Train.

With Presto, you'll only have to pay $0.70 when connecting to/from a GO bus or a GO train.

 

[doady]

Aaand the March service changes are up (pamphlet, schedules). I see they took care to keep the 61's GO train connections in the new 91 schedule.

Yet another overly-short truncated route south of Sq One (see my earlier comments on 28/66). The 91 should have been combined with either the 53 or 65 (also underperforming routes), including on weekends (either 53 or 65 need weekend service because that is a huge gap in weekend service right now). Combining with 65 would best because the 53 needs a redesign anyways.

This only happen in the last 6 months. Up to that time, GO bus rider were 100% out of pocket using MT, since GO was not willing to cough the funds, as well MT was not prepared to loose money.

MT is looking at everything that will loose money for them these days to the point pass holders are force to pay an extra fare to use BT to get to SW now, while cash fare riders can do it with a transfer.

The longer MT keeps quite on this fare use, more fund for them.

It is heartening to see that GO doesn't just care about motorists now and that "transit is not a social service" philosophy has been abandoned..

 

[ShonTron]

Brampton Transit has also clarified the Presto-only anywhere GO co-fare to go with their fare hike coming at the end of the month (and the phase out of tickets).

http://www.brampton.ca/en/residents/transit/Fares/Pages/FaresPrices-March262012.aspx

 

[drum118]

The first of the 15 artic's for the BRT are to arrive at the beginning of June and they will go into service in Sept to beef up the existing express service until the BRT opens.

The next board change will finally after all these year see 103 servicing Cooksville GO Station at John St. I said even before the 202 hit the road that there should be a stop there for it.

A lot of folks will be happy once the 103 starts servicing John St.

Got on a south 103 Friday at Eglinton after 4pm, that had sorry bus full on when it arrived. Based on the amount of riders getting off, the driver turn off the the sorry sign. First time I have every seen a 202/103 like this.

 

[drum118]

Those using MT #5 Dixie buses this weekend, you better add an extra 10 minutes to your travel time and don't expect to see your bus on time.

The #5 will be on detour at Eastgate, where it will run west to Tomken, north to Eglinton and then back to Dixie in both direction.

For the next year, Dixie Rd will be reduce to 4 lanes from the current 7, as the new underpass is built for the BRT. The southbound lanes while be shifted first If I am reading the area right from Southgate to the north to a block south of Eastgate. This will have an impact on #5 service 7 days a week until the underpass is completed.

MT expect to open the BRT in phases with the first section from Sq One to Eastgate in 2013 and the rest in 2014/15.

 

[Coruscanti Cognoscente]

I'll be shocked to see any part of the BRT open next year. That said, I don't see myself ever using it, unless the Milton buses use it.

 

[gweed123]

I'll be shocked to see any part of the BRT open next year. That said, I don't see myself ever using it, unless the Milton buses use it.

I drove Eglinton and Eastgate last weekend, and I took note of the progress. They have some underpasses in, but it looks like it's a while yet. The section between Square One and Cawthra alongside the 403 looks more complete though. I'd say that 2013 is a possibility.

Don't forget, an advantage of BRT is that you don't need the entire line operational in order to have it start seeing service. No reason some bus routes can't use it for part of their route, assuming there's off ramps at the temporary ends of the corridor.

 

[drum118]

They are pouring the curb between Hurontario and Central Parkway now. It will be ready for the sub base asphalt early May.

The steel for the Dixie station is sitting on trailers with the south retaining wall almost in place.

Once the underpass are built as well the placement of the overhead east of Dixie, the BRT, 109, 107 will come off the ROW south of Eglinton onto Eastgate.

This should be in the BRT thread.

 

[drum118]

July service board will see a lot of changes and realignment of routes for the BRT

These routes will see most of the changes for the BRT. With the changes to the Milton line GO service, MT is not going to be able to match some of the new times.

Continuing with the BRT preparation process, a new Phase of route rationalization at the Skymark Hub will take place, dealing with alignment of the EGLINTON corridor.

Service to-from Islington Subway and Skymark Hub is being streamlined to begin relying on Route 35 – Eglinton
and Route 109 – Meadowvale Express, as simpler options. In the coming months, other routes serving the Skymark
Hub will be re-designed to complete the setup in preparation for the future Renforth Gateway BRT Station (Routes 17, 18 and 50).

27 Matheson
Service on Route 27 Matheson will be CANCELLED and replaced with Route 43 Matheson-Argentia.
SKYMARK HUB Renforth BRT Station Preparation

89 Meadowvale-Subway
Service on Route 89 Meadowvale-Subway will be CANCELLED and replaced with Route 87 Meadowvale-Skymark.

43 NEW
Matheson-Argentia
A new peak period route between Meadowvale Town Centre and Skymark Hub via Argentia, Queen St, Britannia and Matheson with 20.5 minutes frequency.
Schedules are coordinated with Route 35 at Skymark Hub to optimize transfer connection time for customers travelling between Islington Subway and the
Skymark Hub. Service will be provided on the northbound direction during the morning peak and on the southbound direction during the afternoon peak. Interlined with Route 87.

87 NEW
Meadowvale-Skymark
A new limited stops peak period route travelling between Meadowvale Town Centre and Skymark Hub via Winston Churchill, Britannia and Eglinton with a 20.5
minute frequency.
Schedules are coordinated with Route 35 at Skymark Hub to optimize transfer connection time for customers travelling between Islington Subway and the
Skymark Hub.
Service will be provided on the southbound direction during the morning peak and on the northbound direction during the afternoon peak. Interlined with Route 43.

35 / 35A Eglinton
Improved peak hours service on Route 35 Eglinton-Ninth Line and Route 35A
Eglinton-Tenth Line with combined frequencies of 10.5 minutes (from 14.5 minutes) during the AM peak periods, and 11 minutes (from 15 minutes) during the PM peak periods on the shared common portion.
No changes to off peak period or midday/evening/late evening frequencies.

 

[Coruscanti Cognoscente]

There goes my one-seat ride to the subway.

Where's the dislike button?

Not that I have used either of these routes in years though. Now I drive or take GO. Who has time for municipal transit.

 

[doady]

Major changes, but still no two-way service along Matheson. Sigh.

Not that I have used either of these routes in years though. Now I drive or take GO. Who has time for municipal transit.

Apparently, there are around 60,000 people in Mississauga alone that do.

 

[Coruscanti Cognoscente]

Major changes, but still no two-way service along Matheson. Sigh.



Apparently, there are around 60,000 people in Mississauga alone that do.

So 10% of Mississauga residents take Mississauga Transit...how often?

 

[rbt]

So 10% of Mississauga residents take Mississauga Transit...how often?

They've had million rider weeks in 2011. Works out to about 88,000 individuals making round-trips each day of that week (weekends count for half).

http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/home?paf_gear_id=9700020&itemId=109800339n&returnUrl=/portal/home


Average for 2011 seemed to be about 54,000 round-trips per weekday. Only way you don't get 60,000 people using it in a week is if you assume nearly everybody on MT takes it a minimum of 12 trips per week; highly unlikely.

http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/cityhall/pressreleases?paf_gear_id=9700020&itemId=114500229n

 

[doady]

It was around 110,000 riders per weekday for MT in 2008 (157,000 boardings). I thought it was 120,000 currently, but after doing some quick calculations, it was probably closer to 115,000 per weekday in 2011.

Local transit in Mississauga historically had a share of 8% for all trips (Brampton and York Region 5%, Toronto over 20%). With GO, the current transit mode split in Mississauga is 11%, according to this. For commute trips only, 15.7% of Mississauga residents use transit (local and/or GO). according the 2006 census.

8% share for local transit seems pathetic but it's actually probably really high for an outer post-war suburb in North America. I don't think it is common for suburban corridors like Hurontario and Dundas to have local service at 4 or 5 minute frequencies. Same with Finch, Sheppard, Steeles, etc. I doubt many suburbanites get this level of local transit service outside of the GTA, but I could be wrong.