York Region Transit: Viva service thread

[Second_in_pie]

Oh yeah, and the area between about Keele and Weston is pretty dead anyways. It won't make much sense until a) there is a subway up there and/or b) the mythical Vaughn City Center is built.

EDIT:

You got my question backwards...

If you have a stack of YRT tickets, how can you use that to pay for VIVA?

If I'm not mistaken (NOTE: I might be,) you just have to get your pass verified at a Viva verifying machine at stations.

 

[xtremesniper]

You got my question backwards...

If you have a stack of YRT tickets, how can you use that to pay for VIVA?

YRT tickets and Viva tickets are interchangeable. They're one in the same. You can put a Viva ticket into a YRT bus and get a transfer just as you can do the same with a YRT ticket, and likewise, you can put a YRT ticket into a VivaNow machine to validate it.

 

[CDL.TO]

YRT tickets and Viva tickets are interchangeable. They're one in the same. You can put a Viva ticket into a YRT bus and get a transfer just as you can do the same with a YRT ticket, and likewise, you can put a YRT ticket into a VivaNow machine to validate it.

Clearly having different tickets (even if they are completely interchangeable) is a major part of the confusion. There should just be YRT tickets (and as others have mentioned, Viva should be referred to as "YRT Viva").

 

[Disparishun]

There should just be YRT tickets

... um, there just are. This is a confusing thread.

 

[smuncky]

... um, there just are. This is a confusing thread.

talk about making a problem where there isn't one.

there is only 1 type of ticket avaliable. that one ticket can be used on both viva, where you have to validate it first at a viva stop, and on a yrt bus where you just slide that same ticket into the fare box.

from the FAQ

Our two-hour ticket lets you travel on any YRT or Viva vehicle in any direction for a two-hour period with just one fare. Just remember to hang onto your tickets or transfers as proof-of-payment so you can hop on and hop off vehicles.

If you begin your trip on a YRT bus (or a Brampton Transit or TTC bus operating in York Region) you will need to pay the cash fare, deposit a valid ticket into the fare box or show your valid monthly pass. If you will be transferring to another YRT or Viva route, remember to ask for a transfer when you pay your fare.

Viva operates on a pre-paid, proof-of-payment system. There are no fare boxes on Viva so you must purchase tickets or passes prior to boarding and hold onto them in case a Fare Inspector asks for proof of payment. If you are using an unvalidated ticket, you must validate it at a vivaNow machine (located at all vivastations and terminals) prior to boarding. When a ticket is validated, the date and expiry time are printed on the ticket. If you are using a single ride ticket, the date and expiry time are printed on it at the time of purchase, so it does not need to be validated. To transfer to a YRT bus, just show your validated ticket or pass to the bus driver when boarding.

If you don’t have valid tickets, transfers or passes, you may be subject to a fine or warning.

i hope that clears things up.

 

[doady]

... What? That's a big contradiction.

No, the contradiction is giving a rapid transit route less service than a secondary bus route that sees only one-quarter of the ridership.

 

[Panzerfaust]

What you're basically saying is that the TTC should keep all their subways going 24/7. After all, they're doing the exact same thing when they put out the Blue Night Network: replacing rapid transit with a secondary bus route during a time of night where there is less ridership. With rail transit you have the added issue of maintenance that makes late night operation an impossibility, but the other factors are all very much there.

Just like the subway, VIVA Blue is both more capacity than they need at that hour and in possession of more widely spaced stops than are safe at night. Sure, you could run both services, but what the hell is the point when they both run in mixed traffic and the only difference is a more comfortable bus and less frequent stops at an hour where the local service is almost as fast due to a lack of traffic? Closing VIVA after a certain hour is not going to magically make everyone in York Region decide "I guess rapid transit isn't good if it has to close earlier than the rest of the system!" or whatever you think the response may be.

If anything, I'd say running VIVA in tandem with the local service late at night would have negative impacts. What do you think the response of a generic suburbanite would be upon seeing a near-empty VIVA bus right behind a partly-full YRT bus in the middle of the night? "Why do they need VIVA anyway, it's running empty right next to a bus that does the same thing!"

 

[xtremesniper]

Ugh, guys, this thread is getting ridiculous...

Clearly having different tickets (even if they are completely interchangeable) is a major part of the confusion. There should just be YRT tickets (and as others have mentioned, Viva should be referred to as "YRT Viva").

They are the same. There are no different tickets. If you buy a YRT ticket, you've bought a YRT/Viva ticket. If you buy a Viva ticket, you've bought a YRT/Viva ticket. They look the same, they feel the same, they smell the same, they even say the same things on it. Either you slide it into the VivaNow console, or you slide it into the YRT bus ticket feeder. If you're using VivaNow, it spits you back the ticket with the expiry time printed on it. If you're using YRT, the driver has to give you a transfer.

Simple.

No, the contradiction is giving a rapid transit route less service than a secondary bus route that sees only one-quarter of the ridership.

No, the only reason why the "secondary bus route" only sees one-quarter of the ridership is because the rapid transit route exists, and because most of the Viva ridership is of those who are traveling long distances. Fact of the matter is, the 99 is never empty. I always see standing only room on the 99 during rush hour, similar to the Viva. When it comes down to it, you have to consider that nobody wants to walk for 10-15 minutes from the nearest Viva stop at 1am. God, if you don't understand that then you really should give it a try some time. It's not fun.

 

[taal]

Ugh, guys, this thread is getting ridiculous...



They are the same. There are no different tickets. If you buy a YRT ticket, you've bought a YRT/Viva ticket. If you buy a Viva ticket, you've bought a YRT/Viva ticket. They look the same, they feel the same, they smell the same, they even say the same things on it. Either you slide it into the VivaNow console, or you slide it into the YRT bus ticket feeder. If you're using VivaNow, it spits you back the ticket with the expiry time printed on it. If you're using YRT, the driver has to give you a transfer.

Simple.



No, the only reason why the "secondary bus route" only sees one-quarter of the ridership is because the rapid transit route exists, and because most of the Viva ridership is of those who are traveling long distances. Fact of the matter is, the 99 is never empty. I always see standing only room on the 99 during rush hour, similar to the Viva. When it comes down to it, you have to consider that nobody wants to walk for 10-15 minutes from the nearest Viva stop at 1am. God, if you don't understand that then you really should give it a try some time. It's not fun.

standing room only

You're kidding right?

Not that I disagree with your argument, makes complete sense, at least to me.

But the only time I've seen standing room only on the 99 was during the strike ... and I go by it 5 days a week.

 

[xtremesniper]

standing room only

You're kidding right?

Not that I disagree with your argument, makes complete sense, at least to me.

But the only time I've seen standing room only on the 99 was during the strike ... and I go by it 5 days a week.

When I used to bus to York U every day a few months ago, in the morning rush all the seats on the 99 were usually taken, and by the time we got to RHC, there would be a good 5-10 people standing. I think the main issue with the route is basically that the bus' capacity is pretty lackluster. I feel pretty claustrophobic in YRT's buses because of the narrow walking lane and the lot of seats..

But regardless, my point there was basically that it's not a completely empty bus that should be disregarded.

 

[kettal]

No, the contradiction is giving a rapid transit route less service than a secondary bus route that sees only one-quarter of the ridership.

In the night, when there's little traffic and even fewer passengers, the 99 is no less Rapid Transit than Viva blue.

 

[doady]

In the night, when there's little traffic and even fewer passengers, the 99 is no less Rapid Transit than Viva blue.

That's not the point is it? VIVA Blue is marketed as rapid transit, the 99 is not.

But since YRT has no idea what rapid transit is, and already there some rush hour only VIVA routes, then it doesn't matter. This latest change just shows how pointless VIVA is, which I have been saying all along anyways.

 

[smuncky]

Thornhill residents don't want LRT in their back yard

Thornhill
June 30, 2009 08:03 AM

David Fleischer

Light rail transit may change the face of the GTA and create a new, transit-friendly culture, but that doesn’t mean everyone wants it running through their back yard.

“This is quiet residential neighbourhood and having an LRT going through it will destroy the sense of community,” German Mills Ratepayers Association vice-president Marsha Winton said.

York Region is examining plans to build light rail — essentially streetcars in their own right of way — along Don Mills Road and Leslie Street and Ms Winton was among those at a public meeting earlier this month.

If residents opposing a major, forward-thinking project sounds like a case of NIMBYism, that’s just fine with Ms Winton.

“This is definitely a case of ‘not in my backyard,’” Ms Winton said with no regrets.

Since her back yard faces Don Mills Road, it’s easy to understand her fears about trains rumbling by.

Eileen Liasi, who also lives in the neighbourhood, was disappointed that staff at the public information meeting couldn’t answer questions about how much noise the LRT will generate or about other environmental impacts.

Councillor Erin Shapero understands residents’ concerns.

“People do want something done, but it has to be suit the community,” she said, adding this meeting was just the start of a long process.

The idea for the line comes from Toronto’s LRT-based Transit City plan.

One planned line would go along Jane Street, perhaps into Vaughan and other routes are planned along major streets such as Eglinton Avenue and Sheppard Avenue.

The initial plan was for the Don Mills line to run from the Bloor subway up to Sheppard station, terminating at Steeles Avenue. Metrolinx recognized the need to go into York Region and regional officials sought to have it extended up to where Viva lines run along Hwy. 7.

Markham and Richmond Hill councils asked planners to study taking the line as far north as Major Mackenzie Drive.

The situation was discussed at the region’s rapid transit committee meeting June 18, with Markham regional councillor Jim Jones wondering if there was a way to elevate the line or otherwise mitigate the effects.

“I’m for the LRT,” he said. “I’m just trying to find how it could go through there in the least disruptive way.”

“We’re transforming and we have to keep transforming,” Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow said of the shift to a transit culture in York Region.

“Otherwise you aren’t going to move forward,” Vaughan Regional Councillor Joyce Frustaglio said, finishing his thought.

The region needs to work more directly with local councils to ensure they are on side with such bold regional efforts, she added.

Staff will report back to the committee in September with another public meeting likely for October.

You can see the meeting presentation at www.vivanext.com/past_consultations_light_rail_transit

 

[threnody]

The situation was discussed at the region’s rapid transit committee meeting June 18, with Markham regional councillor Jim Jones wondering if there was a way to elevate the line or otherwise mitigate the effects.

“I’m for the LRT,†he said. “I’m just trying to find how it could go through there in the least disruptive way.â€

Anybody who thinks an elevated rail line would be less disruptive than at-grade LRT obviously doesn't have much knowledge about rail transit.

 

[Twisted Son of Gumby]

Anybody who thinks an elevated rail line would be less disruptive than at-grade LRT obviously doesn't have much knowledge about rail transit.

I drive at least once a week along Don Mills/Leslie between Steeles and Major Mac, and I see absolutely no reason to waste even a pittance of thought on a full grade seperation. The nature of the corridor between Steeles and Hwy 7 doesn't justify that kind of infrastructure.

If Ms. Marsha Winton is peeving over the negligible increase of traffic white noise from an LRT line beyond her back brick fence, you can only imagine the nimby holy war against a skytrain-like guideway down Leslie Street. It's not gonna happen.