News   Mar 28, 2024
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miWay Transit

Considering how much the Mississauga BRT is costing is it still worth it? Should it have been LRT? Should it simply not have been built? Or should it have been build along a different alignment (e.g Dundas or Burnhamthorpe)?

Based on my 2004 objection to the BRT in a report, I call for an LRT based on the numbers being used for it. Those numbers turn out in the end being for ""ALL"" GO routes using the BRT system wide.

I have always call this thing as the GO Thing since MT will be offering very little service on it in the first place to justify the cost to build it.

If and when the Eglinton LRT reaches this area, the line should branch off to Sq One as well the airport.

Even though I would like to see an LRT on Dundas, ridership is not there to go west of Hurontario St without increasing the headway.

Putting an LRT on Burnhamthorpe will work only in Mississauga as you will have a number of issues in Toronto getting to Islington to replace TTC route 50.

Don't forget this BRT is to go west to Burlington under the current master plan layout 20 years ago.

Lets see what the ridership number are come 2020 to say it was a good thing.

MT is responsible for it operation cost using the BRT with both GO and MT splicing the maintenance cost of snow clearing as well repair.

A side note: Staff was asked if any consideration was given to get other income by allowing taxis using this BRT with a reply the Fed are not prepared to allow it at this time. More info is to come later on this and a big mistake if allow.
 
are there any plans to implement real time / next bus arrivals for Mississauga Transit?

Is it even on the "wish list"?
 
Some March 25 changes;

Route 17 & 50 cancel and will be replace with 72 & 73 operating from the Skymark Hub every 20 minutes down from the current 27. 109 & 35 will pickup the slack for 17 & 50 from/to Islington. Both of these routes were real money looser.

107 & 109 will see more service.

34 route is revised at the Credit Hospital that will see the removal of 4 stops, since the buses will not be using Credit Valley anymore.

22 & 42 will see Sunday Service increase from 40 to 45 minute headway and going in the wrong direction to get people to use transit.

A number of routes are seeing a bus or 2 cancel at various times of the day.

Rest is the usually stuff.

More changes to come in the coming months with the big changes in Oct.
 
The upcoming increase in service for 107 (18.5 minute frequency during midday) is significant. It's only surprising that it didn't get such service and serve Humber College from the beginning. You can see the success of 501 Queen (Zum), GO's 407 bus, and even MT's own 110, providing express service to post-secondary schools is a no-brainer. The 109, which will get doubled freuency in non-peak direction, is surprisingly well-used as well. Along with the popularity of GO's 407 buses (45/46/47), it is a good sign for the transitway.
 
Some info.

Look for a few 24hr routes in 2014. 1 and 19 at the top of the list with 30/30+ minutes headway. After pushing for this service after 12 years, will be nice to see it happen.

Test bus to see a section for strollers along with an education program system wide. Most likely with flip down seats as well for the accessibility seats. Another 12 years of pushing for flip down seat may finally bear fruit.

Student weekly pass phased out in 2014. Going to be a backlash over this.

Prestro card for current media will not see the light of day regardless of what Metrolinx wants until current transit agents can load the card and those machines have fail so far.

Real time info for buses could be up and running by year end.

More better service related to the BRT in operation by the end of Oct will take before then.

The move from Islington to Kipling may happen in 2017/18 at this time.
 
Some info.

Look for a few 24hr routes in 2014. 1 and 19 at the top of the list with 30/30+ minutes headway. After pushing for this service after 12 years, will be nice to see it happen.

Test bus to see a section for strollers along with an education program system wide. Most likely with flip down seats as well for the accessibility seats. Another 12 years of pushing for flip down seat may finally bear fruit.

Student weekly pass phased out in 2014. Going to be a backlash over this.

Prestro card for current media will not see the light of day regardless of what Metrolinx wants until current transit agents can load the card and those machines have fail so far.

Real time info for buses could be up and running by year end.

More better service related to the BRT in operation by the end of Oct will take before then.

The move from Islington to Kipling may happen in 2017/18 at this time.

That would be amazing if 1 and 19 got 24-hour service! It means I could almost get home from downtown at any time of night, provided I was up for walking for an hour to Creditview...

I'm curious how the BRT is going to look when completed. I would like to try out. But I'd probably just drive to one of the stations. Too bad they axed the Creditview stop early on.

I think it's a waste of time to move MT to Kipling. Just build a new subway station at Cloverdale.
 
That would be amazing if 1 and 19 got 24-hour service! It means I could almost get home from downtown at any time of night, provided I was up for walking for an hour to Creditview...

I'm curious how the BRT is going to look when completed. I would like to try out. But I'd probably just drive to one of the stations. Too bad they axed the Creditview stop early on.

I think it's a waste of time to move MT to Kipling. Just build a new subway station at Cloverdale.

If any 24 hr service shows up in 2014, 12 years of pushing for this service will pay off. I said at a meeting that the first #3 eastbound bus on Sunday Feb 17 carry 38 people into Toronto, not counting the riders getting off before then. On Monday Feb 18, Family Day, 62 riders were on the bus into Toronto. Again this another route that needs to start by 7 or 7:30 am regardless if the subway is running or not, since you can catch a 300 along Bloor at that time of the day.

Looking a schedules in Europe last year, most systems had service running by 7 am or early which is odd considering there is no Sunday shopping. Next to no routes are removed from service on the weekend like MT does today as well other systems. Industrial routes were routes that saw little or no service on the weekend. Maximum headway range from 10 to 20 minutes with a number of 30 minutes on Sunday and very few 60 minutes ones.

I am working on the photos of the first phase of the BRT I shot last year.

A new 100's bus will run from the east to Sq One by the 403 shoulder lane. Use Rathburn to Hurontario to the BRT entrance. Will use the BRT ROW to ? road where it will connect to Eastgate and then run to Eglinton. Use Eglinton to Renforth and then use 427 to Islington/Kipling. Service will be about 10 minutes at peak time and 15 for off peak, but no final timetable ready at this time. 35 & 109 will also run to Islington/Kipling with the rest being cut.

I agree on Cloverdale, but can't happen until the subway get there.

GO will be running service along this BRT also and don't have info as to what and when.

The rest of the BRT for phase II is supposed to be completed by 2015.

Not only the Creditview should be added, but also Mavis and Mississauga Rd, but all were cut due to lack of funding as well NIMBY.
 
If any 24 hr service shows up in 2014, 12 years of pushing for this service will pay off. I said at a meeting that the first #3 eastbound bus on Sunday Feb 17 carry 38 people into Toronto, not counting the riders getting off before then. On Monday Feb 18, Family Day, 62 riders were on the bus into Toronto. Again this another route that needs to start by 7 or 7:30 am regardless if the subway is running or not, since you can catch a 300 along Bloor at that time of the day.

Looking a schedules in Europe last year, most systems had service running by 7 am or early which is odd considering there is no Sunday shopping. Next to no routes are removed from service on the weekend like MT does today as well other systems. Industrial routes were routes that saw little or no service on the weekend. Maximum headway range from 10 to 20 minutes with a number of 30 minutes on Sunday and very few 60 minutes ones.

I am working on the photos of the first phase of the BRT I shot last year.

A new 100's bus will run from the east to Sq One by the 403 shoulder lane. Use Rathburn to Hurontario to the BRT entrance. Will use the BRT ROW to ? road where it will connect to Eastgate and then run to Eglinton. Use Eglinton to Renforth and then use 427 to Islington/Kipling. Service will be about 10 minutes at peak time and 15 for off peak, but no final timetable ready at this time. 35 & 109 will also run to Islington/Kipling with the rest being cut.

I agree on Cloverdale, but can't happen until the subway get there.

GO will be running service along this BRT also and don't have info as to what and when.

The rest of the BRT for phase II is supposed to be completed by 2015.

Not only the Creditview should be added, but also Mavis and Mississauga Rd, but all were cut due to lack of funding as well NIMBY.

From what you're saying here it sounds like the shoulder lanes on the 403 are just a temporary measure (much like those on the 417 and 174 in Ottawa through the Greenbelt) until a more permanent BRT route can be built in the hydro corridor? I'm assuming there would be additional stations similar to those at Winston Churchill and Erin Mills built there? I'll admit I haven't seen any of the long-term plans, only the opening-day configuration. If that is indeed the case though, certainly good news.
 
24 hour service would be crazy, but it needs to be a full network. I don't think 1 and 19 are not going to be successful all by themselves.

1, 5, 13, 19, 26 seem like the obvious choices. 3, 7, 23, 34 and 61 might be viable 24 hour routes too. (It's too bad the 19 no longer serves Shopper's World, but that's another story.)

I think MT in general needs later service, especially on weekends. They never implemented those optional weekend service improvements that council approved two years ago which would have extended service span on weekends for many routes.
 
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24 hour service would be crazy, but it needs to be a full network. I don't think 1 and 19 are not going to be successful all by themselves.

1, 5, 13, 19, 26 seem like the obvious choices. 3, 7, 23, 34 and 61 might be viable 24 hour routes too. (It's too bad the 19 no longer serves Shopper's World, but that's another story.)

I think MT in general needs later service, especially on weekends. They never implemented those optional weekend service improvements that council approved two years ago which would have extended service span on weekends for many routes.

I agree that you need more than 1 & 19 on start up day. I proposed in 2003 that 1, 5, 11, 19, 23, 26, 34 (Now 35) and 48 (now 13) would be the base start up routes. Route 61, 3, 39, 42, 45 be added later.

Have late night service is another long over due service, especially for Friday and Sat Night. MT only has a few routes that go that late now. Again in Europe, most routes are going to 2-4 am on Friday and Sat night if they aren't 24hr lines.

Yes the shoulder of 403 will be use like 417, but the idea of using the corridor between Erin Mills and Mavis has die due to cost as well ridership.

61 is seeing later service at night and long over due.

As another note, the new 1C for Sat service maybe extended to weekdays as well. In some cases, some of the 19 only needs to go to the Queensway and that would remove a bus to Port Credit as well increase headway.

As for 19 going to Shopper's World at night, it needs to happen since the 502 will not be running then. In fact it should do that now, before the change since the 407 stop generates no ridership in the first place including Brampton #2. A GO/Metrolinx requirement.
 
I think the 7/34 combo would be better than 35 (and 11, for Malton) because the 7 serves the airport. The airport seems like something that should be served by transit 24/7. Plus, the 35 is more of a grid route, there isn't a much of a grid this late at night. Since service will be sparse, using MCC as a hub makes more sense, especially if MCC is going to become Downtown Mississauga and be a 24/7 place.

I don't see the point of all-night service for the 45. The ridership sucks and it comes very close to the 13 anyways. 39 isn't heavily used either, especially at night. The 10 would probably make sense if you really wanted to serve Britannia, but even that seems a bit excessive (I live along Britannia, btw, so it's not bias or anything).
 
For me, the 24-hour viable routes are the following:

Phase 1:
- 1 Dundas: 24/7
- 19 Hurontario: 24/7
- 26 Burnhamthorpe: 24/7

Phase 2:
- 3 Bloor: 24/6 Tuesday to Sunday mornings. Add a bus on weekday late evenings as well to increase frequency. Extend Monday morning service when warranted.
- 5 Dixie: 24/5 Tuesday to Saturday mornings
- 11 Westwood: 24/6 Tuesday to Sunday mornings
- 13 Glen Erin: 24/6 Tuesday to Sunday mornings, or at least connect with the last westbound GO Train 7 days a week.

Phase 3:
- 9 Meadowvale: 24/5 Tuesday to Saturday mornings
- 23 Lakeshore: 24/5 Tuesday to Saturday mornings
- 34 Credit Valley: 24/5 Tuesday to Saturday mornings


Note that this matches the roster of routes that get extended service on New Year's Eve. This means that they can add more routes to extend in place of these routes that get service.

Definitely earlier and later service on weekdays is viable for most routes. Since 20 runs first before 26 east of Square One during Sundays, it's normal to see the first 20 bus to be full of passengers (both eastbound and westbound). An earlier start time for 26 will alleviate the crowding at the first buses of 20.

Mavis is the one of the fastest growing routes in the system, and has just extended its Sunday service. I think it needs more frequent service on the rush hours and middays, instead of a service hour extension.

Airport's last bus on weekdays is empty going southbound at Eglinton and Creekbank, when I last saw it after I left from my friend's hotel last week. Hence, no demand for 24-hour service.
 
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^ Back in 2006, 7 Airport actually had higher off-peak ridership than routes 9, 11, 23, or 34 (source: http://www.dmg.utoronto.ca/pdf/tts/2006/validation2006.pdf [p. 36-37]). Plus if you want 24h service to the airport, 7 is the best choice.

Off-peak ridership for route 11 was very poor in 2006 and no doubt that's still true now.

Route 9 is not fit for overnight service because it serves mostly small streets like a feeder route. If they ever realign the route to serve Thomas Street, then maybe 24 hour service is okay, but the 10 still has better ridership.

61 Mavis today is no doubt the sixth busiest local route in the system (behind 19, 1, 26, 3, and 5) and should definitely be considered for all-night service.
 
For me, the 24-hour viable routes are the following:

Phase 1:
- 1 Dundas: 24/7
- 19 Hurontario: 24/7
- 26 Burnhamthorpe: 24/7

Phase 2:
- 3 Bloor: 24/6 Tuesday to Sunday mornings. Add a bus on weekday late evenings as well to increase frequency. Extend Monday morning service when warranted.
- 5 Dixie: 24/5 Tuesday to Saturday mornings
- 11 Westwood: 24/6 Tuesday to Sunday mornings
- 13 Glen Erin: 24/6 Tuesday to Sunday mornings, or at least connect with the last westbound GO Train 7 days a week.

Phase 3:
- 9 Meadowvale: 24/5 Tuesday to Saturday mornings
- 23 Lakeshore: 24/5 Tuesday to Saturday mornings
- 34 Credit Valley: 24/5 Tuesday to Saturday mornings


Note that this matches the roster of routes that get extended service on New Year's Eve. This means that they can add more routes to extend in place of these routes that get service.

Definitely earlier and later service on weekdays is viable for most routes. Since 20 runs first before 26 east of Square One during Sundays, it's normal to see the first 20 bus to be full of passengers (both eastbound and westbound). An earlier start time for 26 will alleviate the crowding at the first buses of 20.

Mavis is the one of the fastest growing routes in the system, and has just extended its Sunday service. I think it needs more frequent service on the rush hours and middays, instead of a service hour extension.

Airport's last bus on weekdays is empty going southbound at Eglinton and Creekbank, when I last saw it after I left from my friend's hotel last week. Hence, no demand for 24-hour service.

Your phase 1 needs more north-south routes and east-west routes as it doesn't help the city as a whole.

Don't support the rest, as it missing the boat to service everyone 7 days a week, since people do work 7/24 shift these days.

Before MT can move to 24hr service, it has to change software, as the current in house one doesn't handle the 24 hour clock system.

The Grego system sucks.

A grid system is needed first for 24 hr service offering 15 minutes max walking distance.

61 started off with a swing machine (Orion II) and quickly moved to a 40's. It needs better service 7 days a week. I already call for a new 61 to run from Derry to Dundas only and this would be the 24hr route.

With the exception of a few routes, max headway should be 30 minutes with a fair number under 15 minutes for off peak.

Keep in mind the BRT opens in Oct and therefore, there is no need for 7 from Sq One to Renforth. You can run a short turn 7 or a different # from Renforth since 35 will be servicing Eglinton in the first place.

The time has come to move to a grid system to do away with a lot of single seats riders as they are too costly to operate. Both 19 and 26 would not service Sq One Terminal overnight until the mall is open all night and that pushing it due to the extra 15 minutes to service it. It would removed the need for 2 extra buses per route.

You cannot based this system on the past since you are building for the future.

As for 45, yes its a dog case, but it helps the grid system, as well walking distance.
 
I think the 35 is a good route for all-night service. I'd like 39 as well, since I live near Britannia, but it's not well-used at the best of times....Britannia is just very low-density. The nearest apartment building on Britannia that I can think of is at Glen Erin, and I don't think there's anything else along the rest of the road up until it gets cut off at the 401/403/410 interchange. It would also help if Britannia was continuous with the portion east of the 401/403/410.
 

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