York Region Transit: Viva service thread

[Electrify]

https://www.facebook.com/YRTBN

It is more to advocate bus lanes to try and keep the "St Clair" rhetoric to a minimum, but I also want it to advocate better transportation in York as well.

I'm overdue for a new article. I will try and get something up within the next week. It was going to focus on improving service in general, but I think I can work affordable fares into it as well. That said, as long as we are paying third parties to do what the region can do inhouse, then we are going to continue to have the highest fares in the GTA.

 

[innsertnamehere]

don't most suburban transit agencies contract out their operations? Pretty sure DRT does. (mind you DRT arguably has the worst service in the GTA)

 

[APTA-2048]

don't most suburban transit agencies contract out their operations? Pretty sure DRT does. (mind you DRT arguably has the worst service in the GTA)

Actually very few do: YRT and Milton Transit are all I can think of. Only one division is contracted out at DRT. Trentway-Wagar operates services in Whitby and the northern communities.

 

[ShonTron]

don't most suburban transit agencies contract out their operations? Pretty sure DRT does. (mind you DRT arguably has the worst service in the GTA)

Yep, YRT, Milton and part of DRT (Whitby and community services in Scugog/Uxbridge/Brock) do. Outside the GTA, Orangeville, Barrie, Port Hope, Cobourg, Orillia, Lindsay are such systems immediately outside the GTA that do.

 

[canarob]

Here is the ridership report up to and including July. System-wide growth year-to-date is up 4.4%, with VIVA up 16.5% and YRT-non-VIVA down 3%. Also, it was by far the best July ever for YRT, which hopefully bodes well for the rest of the year.

http://www.york.ca/NR/rdonlyres/y3h...umgdw7vhoaaabxfvm32d/sep+12+TSC+ridership.pdf

 

[doady]

1.8% ridership growth compared to July 2012 is still pretty bad though. I'm not sure that even keeps up with the population growth. Certainly, YRT is falling even further behind Mississauga and Brampton ridership.

Edit: I just noticed the other monthly numbers. -0.9% growth for May. -5.8% growth for June. June 2013 ridership was also lower than June 2011. March 2011 also lower than March 2011.

If you don't count Jan, Feb, and March, then the ridership growth for YRT in 2013 so far is actually -1.8%.

 

[Evening]

I would be ok with this fare hike if it was accompanied by general service improvements. I accepted Brampton's fare hike with open arms because I know they have been working hard to improve our transit system. YRT on the other hand has been just making transit get worse and worse. They need to completely eliminate their management team and start over. Design the system from scratch. Im fine with a higher fare as it will almost always be cheaper than driving but for god sake offer a good service that Im willing to pay that money for.

 

[doady]

Brampton has higher fare than both Mississauga and Toronto, but does it provide more transit service? I don't think fares should be based on the amount of service anyways...

YRT really does need new management though. No more US Americans please. The USA isn't exactly a transit paradise. Canada doesn't need to follow in their footsteps; there is nothing we can learn from them. US and Canada are just different culture, especially when it comes to transit. YRT is contaminated by US culture, that's the problem.

Privatizing the entire system, resulting in lower wages for bus drivers, higher fares and less services for bus riders, and increased burden on taxpayers, all for the benefit of the corporations - that's the US model. YRT needs to follow the Canadian model instead.

 

[Evening]

Brampton has higher fare than both Mississauga and Toronto, but does it provide more transit service? I don't think fares should be based on the amount of service anyways...

I was thinking more about transit improvements. Yes the TTC obviously offers better service than Brampton Transit (have no ide about Miway) but because Brampton is constantly making improvements to its service, Im fine with giving them more money. Im actually ok with giving the TTC more money too because of the immense service they provide on a general basis. YRT on the other hand has terrible service to begin with, CUTS that terrible service to make it worse, and then goes ahead and raises the price of that even more terrible service. Its infuriating to think about.

 

[Electrify]

don't most suburban transit agencies contract out their operations? Pretty sure DRT does. (mind you DRT arguably has the worst service in the GTA)

Was thinking this could be their new slogan:

York Region Transit - at least it isn't Durham Region Transit.

 

[scott pilgrim]

I got an encouraging response from Markham's Deputy Mayor Jack Heath within a couple of minutes of me sending him, and other Markham councillors, an e-mail on the fare hike.

Thanks. Well said. I agree completely.

I had to leave before we got to this at committee but will be speaking against it at Council. Transit fares should not be rising; they are already too high.

That's definitely a thing.

Can anyone comment on how the rest of the Regional Council behaves with regards to transit? With university and all, I haven't spent enough time at home to understand the politics of it all. I've operated under the assumption that the stereotypical suburban mentality prevails, but I hope I'm wrong.

edit: Here's Joe Li's response:

... I myself do not sit on the York Regional transit committee,but on various occasion at the Regional Council meeting I did express my dismay with our transit system and demanded changes with time and frequency efficiency. I also suggested fare changes with Metro Link to have a equitable fare structure that currently favour only Toronto residents and discriminate York Region Residents.

I will stand up on this fare issue on the next Regional Council meeting on September 26th and you can count on my support to vote against the fare increase on that day.

Not exactly sure what he means in the part I bolded. What would Metrolinx have to do with fares in this case?

 

[ShonTron]

I wrote about the Rapidway earlier this week in Spacing Toronto:

http://spacing.ca/toronto/2013/09/1...paign=Feed:+spacing/toronto+(Spacing+Toronto)

I lament that despite the fact that the Rapidways are pretty awesome, the service levels stink and YRT/York Region is neglecting its services. Interesting how a few trips are planed to be cut from Viva Purple, the primary user of the brand new infrastructure.

Brampton has relatively expensive fares (current cash fare is $3.50, less than YRT's $3.75 but more than TTC's $3.00), and service improvements slowed this year (with a few minor cutbacks in 2013) but still an overall gain in service hours. YRT is simply disappointing.

 

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

Not exactly sure what he means in the part I bolded. What would Metrolinx have to do with fares in this case?

It's the ol double-fare thing. Someone going from Highway 7 down to Finch pays twice. I'm sure there are discussions of it on other boards here and there. Metrolinx doesn't set YRT's fares, obviously, but it would be a different situation for everyone if Metrolinx implements some sort of distance or zone-based fares...

I wrote about the Rapidway earlier this week in Spacing Toronto:

http://spacing.ca/toronto/2013/09/1...paign=Feed:+spacing/toronto+(Spacing+Toronto)

Good article! The only thing I'd quibble with is the notion that the region dumped the busway on Yonge in favour of lobbying for the subway. It was the province that announced the subway was a priority, though it's obviously since been mired in the mess that is GTA transit planning. But it made sense, in 2007, for the region to ditch the busway and move forward on the subway. It's unfortunate that they're left hanging in the wind now.

It's a good point about the pedestrian issues. Part of me thinks that the ballsy, wise decision would have been to just axe a lane of traffic each way but, especially given the "war on the car" rhetoric since, I understand why they did it.

They clearly put effort into getting it all in there so let's hope they back it up with service, and that people respond.

 

[Electrify]

I wrote about the Rapidway earlier this week in Spacing Toronto:

http://spacing.ca/toronto/2013/09/1...paign=Feed:+spacing/toronto+(Spacing+Toronto)

I lament that despite the fact that the Rapidways are pretty awesome, the service levels stink and YRT/York Region is neglecting its services. Interesting how a few trips are planed to be cut from Viva Purple, the primary user of the brand new infrastructure.

Brampton has relatively expensive fares (current cash fare is $3.50, less than YRT's $3.75 but more than TTC's $3.00), and service improvements slowed this year (with a few minor cutbacks in 2013) but still an overall gain in service hours. YRT is simply disappointing.

I made a brief comment, but yes, fantastic article!

Also didn't realize you write for Spacing.

 

[xtremesniper]

I got an encouraging response from Markham's Deputy Mayor Jack Heath within a couple of minutes of me sending him, and other Markham councillors, an e-mail on the fare hike.

Sorry if I missed this, but what is the email address for the Councillors, or where can it be found? It would be handy if everyone here sent them an email indicating their dismay at the fare hike.