Rainforest
Senior Member
Perhaps because there are no riders waiting, and nobody wants to get off the bus.
|
|
|
YRT/Viva Construction Thread (Rapidways, Terminals)
- Thread starter waterloowarrior
- Start date
Perhaps because there are no riders waiting, and nobody wants to get off the bus.
doady
Senior Member
So VIVA riders have to request stops? Really? That is very surprising, wow.
Rainforest
Senior Member
Yes, the buses are equipped with the stop request buttons just like TTC buses.
Why not? This allows them to avoid useless stops, and reduce the travel time a bit.
smallspy
Senior Member
innsertnamehere
Superstar
http://www.metrolinx.com/en/docs/pd..._BoardMtg_Progress_on_Capital_Projects_EN.pdf
Remaining part of VIVAway in Markham will open late December 2014
Davis set to open December 2015
I was up at Davis on Tuesday, the first transit shelter has been installed. Road is widened on both sides now, work is shifting to the shelters. Also, it appears that there will be a shelter for southbound VIVA Blue buses coming from north of Davis, which I wasn't expecting.
Remaining part of VIVAway in Markham will open late December 2014
Davis set to open December 2015
I was up at Davis on Tuesday, the first transit shelter has been installed. Road is widened on both sides now, work is shifting to the shelters. Also, it appears that there will be a shelter for southbound VIVA Blue buses coming from north of Davis, which I wasn't expecting.
raptor
Senior Member
In that report, on page 8, there appear to be 2 "Park 'n Ride" locations: one at Hwy 7/Bathurst and the other close to Hwy 7/Town Centre Blvd. I can't recall these ever mentioned anywhere before.
MafaldaBoy
Senior Member
Some shots of Cedarland Station, likely the least-used rapidway station on the line - 04 April 2015:
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
And some shots of the area between Cedarland Station and Town Centre Station:
Eko by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Majestic Court by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Majestic Court by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Cedarland Station by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
And some shots of the area between Cedarland Station and Town Centre Station:
Eko by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Majestic Court by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
Majestic Court by Jimmy Wu Photography, on Flickr
taal
Senior Member
It looks great but, I honestly see less people on the VIVA buses then I used to, as little sense as it makes ..
doady
Senior Member
YRT's ridership has fallen two years in a row now. Ridership fell 1.2% in 2014:
http://www.york.ca/wps/wcm/connect/...-90326d2123ad/mar+5+ridership.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
http://www.york.ca/wps/wcm/connect/...-90326d2123ad/mar+5+ridership.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
drunkmunky
New Member
It's still a suburban town and it will always have to fight the use of vehicles. Once the economy dips, you'll see a lot less people leasing 3-series or C-class and taking the bus.
As for the viva station on warden, that one gets used quite a bit during business hours.
There are some stations on the Ottawa system that are in the middle of bloody no where and they get used quite a bit, but of course, that LRT system is mature.
As for the viva station on warden, that one gets used quite a bit during business hours.
There are some stations on the Ottawa system that are in the middle of bloody no where and they get used quite a bit, but of course, that LRT system is mature.
nfitz
Superstar
Ottawa's 5-station, 3-trainset LRT system is mature?! It's in it's infancy ...
reaperexpress
Senior Member
As someone who used to take YRT but hardly does anymore, it makes perfect sense to me. The ticket prices have been skyrocketing, while the service frequencies have been dwindling. Nowadays I only take YRT when I'm connecting from GO (so the ticket price is $0.75 rather than $3.30).
ElvaSoShexai
New Member
I used to live in Toronto and moved to the warden / 7 area. i really wanted to like viva and the brt. i take it during weekdays to unionville go station (approx 10min ride)
after taking it for 4 years, now (and I still do), whenever i get the chance, i much rather bike to the go station. I have several major peeves with YRT/VIVA that i think really hurt the success of viva and the brt. my friends always hear me complain whenever i'm commuting and waiting for a viva bus.
1. All of pink / purple / green have about 15min headway. Along the stretch of highway 7 where pink and purple run, they are usually 1-3 min apart! Couldn't they schedule it so during rush hours, pink / purple and purple / green are 7 min apart? That way you don't always miss both at once. Instead, you can miss one of them, and only have to wait 7min instead of 15min for another!
2. Schedule for Pink, which is supposed to service unionville GO, has a horrible schedule.
In order to be able to catch a connecting southbound go train on weekdays, i need to take a bus that arrives at the station 15min-18min earlier. The one that arrives at the same time as the train is often 1-2min late, meaning i'd miss the train (this also means making the commute 15min longer in the morning vs a car)
In the afternoon, you'll often notice pink is completely empty until enterprise or town centre. this is because 90% of the time, it leaves the GO station without any passengers due to bad scheduling (or maybe it's also partially the drivers). The official schedule is that pink leaves the go station 1 min before the train arrives.I also mention the drivers because sometimes, they leave 1-3min later than scheduled. almost every single day, the pink leaves just as the train arrives, or as the train door opens, or even when people are already running towards it! Still see this even now that the train arrives 3min later, which is why i think it's partly the drivers. Almost everyone ends up walks to the Rivis/YMCA stop to try to catch purple which cones 1-3min later. But missing that purple (which sometimes happens), means waiting 15min for the next pink.
considering most people taking pink from unionville GO get off at either enterprise or town centre (10 min or less ride), i'm sure a lot of people that are near these stops end up driving instead of taking VIVA which ends up being an up to 25min commute each way to the GO (up to 10min ride + up to 15min wait)
I've actually contacted them multiple times about this, but they always say the schedule is the schedule, and nothing can be done.
3. I'd say 70%+ of the time, VIVA has to make a stop at every single light between town centre / 7 and birchmount / enterprise. The light at town centre / 7 is sometimes extremely long as well! I think during non-busy times.. this probably adds a bit of the time to the commute. they really need to time the traffic lights better for viva if it's to be given priority (without too negatively impacting cars, like what happened at town centre / clegg when it first opened)
4. VIVA / YRT changes their schedules every couple months! Seems every couple months, you see a notice saying there is an updated schedule. I think having a consistent schedule would go a long way vs. changing all the schedules every couple months. luckily the Viva ones I take don't usually change drastically
5. Although the 2 hour transfer is much better than TTC's one-way transfer, why can't they have a day pass on weekends like TTC??? There is a SIGNIFICANTLY higher chance I'd take Viva / YRT outside of commuting if I could share a daypass with somebody on the weekends
6. this probably applies to most transit agencies and probably is more on the riders than Viva/YRT's fault. but has anybody actually been on a VIVA? I cant believe how filthy the buses get, compared to TTC buses! even before 7am, the buses could have garbage everywhere, liquids all over the floor (not sure if it's water, or spilled drinks), dirt / garbage /etc. on seats (probably due to the orientation of the seats on viva, i've seen lots of people putting their dirty / muddy shoes on the seats)
after taking it for 4 years, now (and I still do), whenever i get the chance, i much rather bike to the go station. I have several major peeves with YRT/VIVA that i think really hurt the success of viva and the brt. my friends always hear me complain whenever i'm commuting and waiting for a viva bus.
1. All of pink / purple / green have about 15min headway. Along the stretch of highway 7 where pink and purple run, they are usually 1-3 min apart! Couldn't they schedule it so during rush hours, pink / purple and purple / green are 7 min apart? That way you don't always miss both at once. Instead, you can miss one of them, and only have to wait 7min instead of 15min for another!
2. Schedule for Pink, which is supposed to service unionville GO, has a horrible schedule.
In order to be able to catch a connecting southbound go train on weekdays, i need to take a bus that arrives at the station 15min-18min earlier. The one that arrives at the same time as the train is often 1-2min late, meaning i'd miss the train (this also means making the commute 15min longer in the morning vs a car)
In the afternoon, you'll often notice pink is completely empty until enterprise or town centre. this is because 90% of the time, it leaves the GO station without any passengers due to bad scheduling (or maybe it's also partially the drivers). The official schedule is that pink leaves the go station 1 min before the train arrives.I also mention the drivers because sometimes, they leave 1-3min later than scheduled. almost every single day, the pink leaves just as the train arrives, or as the train door opens, or even when people are already running towards it! Still see this even now that the train arrives 3min later, which is why i think it's partly the drivers. Almost everyone ends up walks to the Rivis/YMCA stop to try to catch purple which cones 1-3min later. But missing that purple (which sometimes happens), means waiting 15min for the next pink.
considering most people taking pink from unionville GO get off at either enterprise or town centre (10 min or less ride), i'm sure a lot of people that are near these stops end up driving instead of taking VIVA which ends up being an up to 25min commute each way to the GO (up to 10min ride + up to 15min wait)
I've actually contacted them multiple times about this, but they always say the schedule is the schedule, and nothing can be done.
3. I'd say 70%+ of the time, VIVA has to make a stop at every single light between town centre / 7 and birchmount / enterprise. The light at town centre / 7 is sometimes extremely long as well! I think during non-busy times.. this probably adds a bit of the time to the commute. they really need to time the traffic lights better for viva if it's to be given priority (without too negatively impacting cars, like what happened at town centre / clegg when it first opened)
4. VIVA / YRT changes their schedules every couple months! Seems every couple months, you see a notice saying there is an updated schedule. I think having a consistent schedule would go a long way vs. changing all the schedules every couple months. luckily the Viva ones I take don't usually change drastically
5. Although the 2 hour transfer is much better than TTC's one-way transfer, why can't they have a day pass on weekends like TTC??? There is a SIGNIFICANTLY higher chance I'd take Viva / YRT outside of commuting if I could share a daypass with somebody on the weekends
6. this probably applies to most transit agencies and probably is more on the riders than Viva/YRT's fault. but has anybody actually been on a VIVA? I cant believe how filthy the buses get, compared to TTC buses! even before 7am, the buses could have garbage everywhere, liquids all over the floor (not sure if it's water, or spilled drinks), dirt / garbage /etc. on seats (probably due to the orientation of the seats on viva, i've seen lots of people putting their dirty / muddy shoes on the seats)
Last edited:
drunkmunky
New Member
I meant the octranspo bus network in relation to viva's bus network
Electrify
Senior Member
Great comments! I'm going to address a few of them for you:
1. This is a frustratingly common problem across YRT, unfortunately. I see this on Major Mackenzie all the time, where a 25 bus will arrive with either a 4 or 4A, and then nothing for about 15-20 minutes! I asked them about this at a public information event and they said the reason behind this was to improve transfers for those needing to transverse multiple routes. They have another such event in Richmond Hill this week, and I think I will ask them if they have any stats as to how many people actually do this (my guess, not many do).
2. I'm going to suggest letting them know this at a public information event, as you can talk to people who actually make the schedules. There is one in Markham tomorrow, and Richmond Hill on Wednesday (http://yrt.ca/en/aboutus/serviceplanning.asp#PIC). I remember going to one, and pointing out that the 86 bus was scheduled to leave at the exact moment the GO train arrived, yet at the same time was instructed to wait for the train! Thus meaning those who used the bus beyond this stop always endured extended delays. I actually figured this out after trying to create some transit instructions to my house, and to my surprise it said for people to wait 30+ minutes for the next bus.
3. I rarely use that section of Viva, but in my experience the signal priority has been pretty sharp, though the entire Enterprise stretch is nothing short of a total waste of money at the moment (and this is someone who is thinking of writing his thesis on the benefits of implementing transit infrastructure or such provisions before it is needed!). I tweeted @YRTViva about a red light the Blue line always got, and since then it seems to hold the green for the bus.
4. I don't find schedule changes all that frequent. Keep in mind that there are seasonal changes for high schools and universities, so there may be some short term changes during Christmas, March Break, summer, fall, etc.
5. It would be nice to have a day pass, but sadly I don't see it happening. Personally monthly or weekly capping with Presto like GO and some other systems would be a good start. There have been months where I have underestimated my transit use, and in hindsight should have gotten a pass rather than just tapping for each ride.
6. Personally, no comment. Not that I disagree with you, but I just don't notice it to be any worse than other transit systems. However I do find the interior design to be far nicer on YRT vehicles than most TTC ones. Actually, the TTC's interior design of their vehicles - with the exception of the new streetcars and perhaps buses (haven't been in one yet), is pretty damn atrocious by almost any standard.
1. This is a frustratingly common problem across YRT, unfortunately. I see this on Major Mackenzie all the time, where a 25 bus will arrive with either a 4 or 4A, and then nothing for about 15-20 minutes! I asked them about this at a public information event and they said the reason behind this was to improve transfers for those needing to transverse multiple routes. They have another such event in Richmond Hill this week, and I think I will ask them if they have any stats as to how many people actually do this (my guess, not many do).
2. I'm going to suggest letting them know this at a public information event, as you can talk to people who actually make the schedules. There is one in Markham tomorrow, and Richmond Hill on Wednesday (http://yrt.ca/en/aboutus/serviceplanning.asp#PIC). I remember going to one, and pointing out that the 86 bus was scheduled to leave at the exact moment the GO train arrived, yet at the same time was instructed to wait for the train! Thus meaning those who used the bus beyond this stop always endured extended delays. I actually figured this out after trying to create some transit instructions to my house, and to my surprise it said for people to wait 30+ minutes for the next bus.
3. I rarely use that section of Viva, but in my experience the signal priority has been pretty sharp, though the entire Enterprise stretch is nothing short of a total waste of money at the moment (and this is someone who is thinking of writing his thesis on the benefits of implementing transit infrastructure or such provisions before it is needed!). I tweeted @YRTViva about a red light the Blue line always got, and since then it seems to hold the green for the bus.
4. I don't find schedule changes all that frequent. Keep in mind that there are seasonal changes for high schools and universities, so there may be some short term changes during Christmas, March Break, summer, fall, etc.
5. It would be nice to have a day pass, but sadly I don't see it happening. Personally monthly or weekly capping with Presto like GO and some other systems would be a good start. There have been months where I have underestimated my transit use, and in hindsight should have gotten a pass rather than just tapping for each ride.
6. Personally, no comment. Not that I disagree with you, but I just don't notice it to be any worse than other transit systems. However I do find the interior design to be far nicer on YRT vehicles than most TTC ones. Actually, the TTC's interior design of their vehicles - with the exception of the new streetcars and perhaps buses (haven't been in one yet), is pretty damn atrocious by almost any standard.