YRT/Viva Construction Thread (Rapidways, Terminals)

[anb]

Tip: Always take the stouffville/barrie or RH corridor of go buses if you are near them in york region. Also take zum if you are on highway 7, and viva only if it is necessary on hwy 7/yonge

 

[kali]

^Basically, if you're in York Region - avoid YRT lol

 

[anb]

^Basically, if you're in York Region - avoid YRT lol

I forgot one other thing, feel free to take the ttc routes in york region (with the exception of 102 that route is even more atrocious than some collector yrt routes and you’re better off taking go bus 54/71), as well as the fact that you might be lucky to just pay one fare to the subway lmao

 

[Haydenpoon]

^Only if you live near them

 

[stevensontransit]

I forgot one other thing, feel free to take the ttc routes in york region (with the exception of 102 that route is even more atrocious than some collector yrt routes and you’re better off taking go bus 54/71), as well as the fact that you might be lucky to just pay one fare to the subway lmao

The main reason why ridership on YRT is lower because of double fare at Steeles and the fares being too high.

 

[Haydenpoon]

The main reason why ridership on YRT is lower because of double fare at Steeles and the fares being too high.

Plus the infrequent services.

 

[anb]

Plus the infrequent services.

Its interesting to see both miway and brampton transit take over yrt by 100 miles through the years when they were also a developing and troublesome transit service. We're gonna have basically 2 RT lines in Mississauga (transitway + lrt), and these lines will guarantee have service every 3-7 minutes. Zum definitely changed the way BT is, and even during the pandemic, they made the 501 depending on peak period, come every 2-6 minutes, and the 511 probably every 7-10 minutes. Its actually sad to see a more frequent option in taking BT to martin grove and 7, vs taking yrt's own martin grove bus at humber college (for example)


The only yrt service i see done the best is viva blue, but because its yonge st it's always going to have 24h demand. I can applaud them for making BRT dedicated lanes even before the peel region projects like dundas, queen and maybe steeles in the future, but YRT/Viva needs to actually apply the frequencies that these rapidways desperately needs as well. As well, there should've been 15 or better service since time on the regional roads like Rutherford, Major Mac, Jane, Dufferin, Keele, Bathurst, and even Steeles if there will be no fare integration. The poor infrastructure and frequencies are the reason why people take Zum, GO and TTC routes in york and this definitely needs to change

 

[kali]

Plus the infrequent services.

And the low density

 

[sche]

Plus the infrequent services.

For sure - many of YRT's services are so infrequent they're basically useless. Off peak and weekend service is especially terrible.
I had to ride the 84 Oak Ridges route daily last summer and summer 2018 for a few weeks, and it really sucked. On the YRT map, YRT claimed the 84 was a regular service route, but iirc the route didn't run for about 3 hours in midday on weekdays and stopped running at something like 6:30 pm ish. I would've missed the last bus several times if the driver hadn't waited for me before leaving my stop. That driver was definitely one of the nicest I've ever met.
The route was a single bus running in a one-way loop around Oak Ridges, meaning I would have to make a pretty long detour when travelling in one direction, and the headway was just the time it took to drive around the circle - about 30ish mins (which I admit isn't the worst, but there definitely are YRT routes that are worse). One time my Viva Blue bus got delayed and I missed the connection, and I ended up having to walk down a stretch of Yonge with no sidewalk for something like 20 mins in 30+ degree weather.
Definitely a poor transit experience, even if the bus driver was extremely nice.

 

[stevensontransit]

For sure - many of YRT's services are so infrequent they're basically useless. Off peak and weekend service is especially terrible.
I had to ride the 84 Oak Ridges route daily last summer and summer 2018 for a few weeks, and it really sucked. On the YRT map, YRT claimed the 84 was a regular service route, but iirc the route didn't run for about 3 hours in midday on weekdays and stopped running at something like 6:30 pm ish. I would've missed the last bus several times if the driver hadn't waited for me before leaving my stop. That driver was definitely one of the nicest I've ever met.
The route was a single bus running in a one-way loop around Oak Ridges, meaning I would have to make a pretty long detour when travelling in one direction, and the headway was just the time it took to drive around the circle - about 30ish mins (which I admit isn't the worst, but there definitely are YRT routes that are worse). One time my Viva Blue bus got delayed and I missed the connection, and I ended up having to walk down a stretch of Yonge with no sidewalk for something like 20 mins in 30+ degree weather.
Definitely a poor transit experience, even if the bus driver was extremely nice.

I agree with you.

 

[anb]

For sure - many of YRT's services are so infrequent they're basically useless. Off peak and weekend service is especially terrible.
I had to ride the 84 Oak Ridges route daily last summer and summer 2018 for a few weeks, and it really sucked. On the YRT map, YRT claimed the 84 was a regular service route, but iirc the route didn't run for about 3 hours in midday on weekdays and stopped running at something like 6:30 pm ish. I would've missed the last bus several times if the driver hadn't waited for me before leaving my stop. That driver was definitely one of the nicest I've ever met.
The route was a single bus running in a one-way loop around Oak Ridges, meaning I would have to make a pretty long detour when travelling in one direction, and the headway was just the time it took to drive around the circle - about 30ish mins (which I admit isn't the worst, but there definitely are YRT routes that are worse). One time my Viva Blue bus got delayed and I missed the connection, and I ended up having to walk down a stretch of Yonge with no sidewalk for something like 20 mins in 30+ degree weather.
Definitely a poor transit experience, even if the bus driver was extremely nice.

Similar issues can be seen at many other transit agencies. I'd argue its even worse and these 2 routes, BT 5, and Miway 7, are two of the many busiest routes in their respective cities. They not only have infrequent + incompetent drivers, but also both routes seem to be going on and on for way too long to their destinations. And the covid reduction is a joke. Not only did they both lose their express counterparts in their corridors, but they also suffer from overcrowding and even worse schedules. Here's a challenge, try taking both of these routes from mount pleasant to square one via westwood because they link up there, and see how much you wished you took an uber or lyft instead

 

[Wm Perkins Bull]

Similar issues can be seen at many other transit agencies. I'd argue its even worse and these 2 routes, BT 5, and Miway 7, are two of the many busiest routes in their respective cities. They not only have infrequent + incompetent drivers, but also both routes seem to be going on and on for way too long to their destinations. And the covid reduction is a joke. Not only did they both lose their express counterparts in their corridors, but they also suffer from overcrowding and even worse schedules. Here's a challenge, try taking both of these routes from mount pleasant to square one via westwood because they link up there, and see how much you wished you took an uber or lyft instead

To get from Mount Pleasant to Square One, why wouldn't you take the 5 to Main and then take the 502 to Square One instead of going massively out of the way via Westwood?

 

[anb]

To get from Mount Pleasant to Square One, why wouldn't you take the 5 to Main and then take the 502 to Square One instead of going massively out of the way via Westwood?

This was actually a recommended option for me one time on google maps. I don’t understand how one could handle that atrocity let alone ‘suggest’ i should take this but yes that is obviously true that the 5-502 or even the 1-502 would be the main route you would take to either ends.

 

[shammyjammy]

Some night action near Yonge/Observatory from Aug. 25

 

[Wm Perkins Bull]

This was actually a recommended option for me one time on google maps. I don’t understand how one could handle that atrocity let alone ‘suggest’ i should take this but yes that is obviously true that the 5-502 or even the 1-502 would be the main route you would take to either ends.

Why is that an atrocity if it is more direct and probably faster?

Note, the 5 is the 8th busiest bus route in Brampton from 2018 data, it isn't that busy