Grand River Transit

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wheelchair-accessible low-floor buses such as this Nova LFS now form the majority of the GRT fleet. The bus is also equipped with a bicycle rack on the front grille
Founded	2000
Headquarters	250 Strasburg Rd., Kitchener
Service area	Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, St. Jacobs
Service type	Bus service, Paratransit
Operator	Region of Waterloo
Web site	GRT

Grand River Transit, or GRT, is the public transport operator for the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It operates daily bus services in the region, primarily in the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge.

It was named for the Grand River, which flows through the Region; the naming also echoes the Grand River Railway, a former electric railway which served the area in the early twentieth century. GRT is a member of the Canadian Urban Transit Association.

[edit] Overview

On January 1, 2000 the Region of Waterloo created GRT by assuming the operations of the former Kitchener Transit (which also served Waterloo) and Cambridge Transit from these cities. By the end of that year, operations had been fully synchronised and buses began running between Cambridge and Kitchener; as a result, ridership in Cambridge improved dramatically, and there has been increases in services, including Sundays, and late evening Mondays-Saturdays.

In recent years, many new low-floor, wheelchair-accessible buses have been purchased, principally from Nova Bus, Orion, and New Flyer, and these now constitute the majority of the fleet. Most operating buses are less than twenty years old, though a few older buses are used primarily for high-school special runs. GRT has also in recent years installed bicycle racks on the front of its buses in order to encourage the use of sustainable transport; all standard and express buses now have these racks.

Service to less dense areas is provided by the busPLUS system, large vans which take regular fares on scheduled routes to new neighbourhoods and more remote facilities; if ridership is sufficiently high, these services can later be replaced with regular buses, as happened with the 71 Melran route in Cambridge.

GRT also operates MobilityPLUS, which provides specialised transit for disabled patrons using minibuses equipped with wheelchair lifts.

The GRT fleet consists entirely of motor-buses; although the former Kitchener Transit operated trolleybuses earlier in their history, these had all been withdrawn during the 1970s, well before the systems were merged. They have continued operating 23 compressed natural gas-driven buses inherited from Kitchener Transit, but have not expanded this fleet. Until the 1950s, the area was served by electric passenger and freight trains run by the Grand River Railway, who even earlier in the 20th century had run streetcars on city streets before the separated railway lines were built.

Effective September 1, 2007 all undergraduate students at the University of Waterloo are required to purchase a 4-month UPass [1] for less than a quarter of the equivalent adult monthly pass.

On February 14, 2008, the GRT and members of CAW4304 planned to go on strike, disrupting and shutting down Waterloo Region's transit system entirely, however a tentative agreement was reached before 12:01 AM.[2]

[edit] History

Kitchener

• Berlin Gas Company 1888-1894 horsecar
• Berlin Street Railway 1894-1906 - electric car
• Berlin and Bridgeport Railway Company 1904-1906
• Berlin Public Utilities Commission 1906-1916
• Kitchener Public Utilities Commission 1916-1973
• Kitchener Transit 1973-2000

[edit] iXpress

As part of its autumn service expansion, on September 6, 2005, GRT launched an express bus service called iXpress ("i" for intelligent because of ITS being implemented) along a central transit corridor running from Conestoga Mall in north Waterloo, mainly along King Street and Highways 8, 401, and 24 (Hespeler Road) to the Ainslie Street bus terminal in downtown Cambridge. In order to provide faster service, the iXpress stops only at thirteen stations along its route, rather than having many closely-spaced request stops as do most other GRT routes. The express bus is not considered sufficient to meet the Region’s long-term needs, but is seen as a way to build up ridership levels in order to demonstrate the viability of GRT’s plans for higher-grade transport services.

iXpress buses (such as 2417 seen here at the Charles Street Terminal in Kitchener) are not painted in the usual GRT livery.

iXpress uses the same fare and ticketing structure as the rest of GRT’s bus routes. The buses do not bear GRT’s usual livery, but instead are white with a large iXpress logo on each side. These buses can be occasionally seen running regular routes, when the fleet is short on operable standard-livery vehicles, which recently has been quite frequent. All buses with iXpress livery are Nova LFS models purchased in 2004, numbered from 2406-2420. Occasionally, a bus not painted in iXpress livery is used on the route, but this is relatively infrequent. Even more infrequently, a bus other than a Nova LFS can be seen on the route, usually an Orion VII purchased in 2003.

The bus route, which is supported in part by funding from the federal government, presently runs on weekdays and Saturdays, every fifteen minutes during peak times and every half-hour at midday and on Saturday. GRT reports that the buses are given priority at fifteen intersections, and that future expansion will add further priority measures such as queue-jump lanes, along with enhanced stations offering real-time passenger information, lockers, and bicycle racks.

Though it replaces and expands the former Express Route 101, which had provided peak-time express services between Fairview Park Mall and University of Waterloo, iXpress is internally numbered as Route 80 on run numbers, while most public signs and maps mainly refer to it by its name only. Originally, signs at iXpress bus bays at the Kitchener Transportation Centre (the main downtown terminal for the K-W division) described the iXpress as route 200, but this was soon removed. Digital displays on the dashboards of iXpress buses currently refer to it as route 200.

In early 2006, new bus shelters were installed along the iXpress route, at McCormick, R&T Park, UW, Laurier, and Grand River Hospital stations. These new shelters are state-of-the-art, and are powered by a solar panel on the roof. Of a modern design, more are to be installed at other stations in future. Other features currently being rolled out include real-time tracking, which will show what time the next bus will arrive, through a GPS system installed on the buses. Electronic displays with this information, along with maps, are being added to the specialized shelters. On June 30th, 2007, the iXpress added daytime Saturday service; September 2007 saw the addition of evening weekday service and Sunday service.[3]

[edit] iXpress Stations

iXpress bus stop at McCormick

• Conestoga Mall (King Street near Conestoga Parkway and Northfield/Conestogo Roads) Conestoga Mall is a major shopping centre located on 550 King Street in north Waterloo. It is used from people all over the region, and also features a key bus terminal, serving routes 7 Mainline, 9 Lakeshore, 12 Fairview Park Mall, 14 Waterloo Industrial (peak, operates in accordance with most factory shift changes), 21 St. Jacobs (Thursdays and Saturdays Only), 35 Eastbridge, and 74 busPLUS RIM Park.
• McCormick (Albert McCormick Community Centre, Parkside Drive and Cedarbrae Avenue) This is a skating rink, community centre and library branch that is mainly used by people in Waterloo; it connects with routes 9 Lakeshore and BusPlus 73 Northlake)
• R&T Park (University of Waterloo Research & Technology Park, Hagey Road and Wes Graham Way) The University of Waterloo’s Research and Technology Park station is used mainly by students; the iXpress and GRT's Late Night Loop are the only routes to run on Hagey Boulevard
• U Waterloo (University of Waterloo, Davis Centre) Connecting routes include 7E UW via Columbia Street, 9 Lakeshore, 13 Laurelwood, nearby routes on University Avenue include 7D UW via University Avenue, 8 University/Fairview, 12 Fairview Park Mall/Conestoga Mall and 29 Keats Way
• Laurier (Wilfrid Laurier University, University Avenue and Hazel Street) Connects to 7 Mainline, 8 Fairview, 9 Lakeshore, 12 Fairview/Conestoga
• Uptown Waterloo (King Street beside Waterloo Town Square) Connects to 7 Mainline, 5 Erb West, 35 Eastbridge
• Grand River Hospital (King Street and Pine Street) Connects to 7 Mainline, and nearby 4 Glasgow
• Charles Terminal (downtown Kitchener bus station on Charles Street, formerly known as the Kitchener Transportation Centre) Connects to the 1 Stanley Park, 2 Forest Hill, 3 Ottawa South, 4 Glasgow, 6 Bridgeport, 7 Mainline (All branches: A-F), 8 University/Fairview, 11 Country Hills, 15 Frederick, 18 Guelph Street, 19 Victoria South (weekday rush hours only), 20 victoria Hills, 22 Laurentian West, 23 Idlewood, 24 Highland, 25 Queen South, and out-of-town buses (Greyhound, + Coach Canada and other charter lines)
• Ottawa (Ottawa Street and Charles Street) Connects to 7 Mainline, 1 block north on King Street
• Fairview (Fairview Park Mall, Kingsway Drive near Wilson Avenue, or Fairway near Highway 8) This is Kitchener’s major shopping mall, with connections to 7 Mainline, 8 King & University, 10 Conestoga College, 12 Conestoga Mall, 17 Heritage Park, 23 Idlewood, 27 Chicopee, 52 Ainslie Terminal and 110 EXPRESS Conestoga College; Cambridge-bound trips take Highway 8 just to the north of the mall, eventually connecting with Highway 401, express to exit 282, Hespeler Road
• Smart Centres (formerly Bridgecam) (the Bridgecam Power Centre at Highway 401 exit 282 by Hespeler Road, north of Pinebush Road) A major power centre just off the 401; connections are available to route 51 Hespeler Road, and nearby routes 67 Lovell Industrial (Weekday rush hours only) and 68 Eagle Street .
• Cambridge Centre (on Dunbar, east of Hespeler Road) This is Cambridge’s major shopping centre; GRT routes that serve it include: 51 Hespeler Road, 56 Dunbar, 60 Northview Acres, 64 Langs, 67 Lovell Industrial, and 75 busPLUS Saginaw.
• Ainslie Terminal (downtown Cambridge bus station) This is the main terminal for Cambridge, where many of the city’s routes meet: the 51 Hespeler Rd, 52 Fairview Mall, 53 Franklin Blvd (weekdays only), 54 Lisbon Pines, 55 St. Andrews, 57 Blair Road, 58 Elmwood, 59 Christopher, 62 Woodside, and 63 Champlain; the only other GRT route bound for Kitchener is the 52 Fairview Mall

[edit] Future expansion

Grand River Transit has purchased six Diesel-Hybrid buses due to be in service by October 2008.^[1]

[edit] Rapid transit

Main article: Rapid transit in Waterloo Region

The Region of Waterloo is currently conducting an Environmental Assessment for the implementation of rapid transit in the area, which would boost more compact urban growth along the main corridor. A light rail or bus rapid transit line is expected to run from near Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to the southern part of Cambridge.

[edit] Fares Effective July 1, 2007

[edit] Routes

Routes marked with are routinely operated with low-floor, wheelchair-accessible buses; other routes sometimes use new buses, but do not do so reliably.

[edit] Cross-service area routes

Route		Service Limitations	Notes
52 Fairview Park Mall - Ainslie Street Terminal		(Service every day)	Runs from Kitchener service area to Cambridge service area
61 Conestoga College - Preston		Weekday service only	Runs from Kitchener service area to Cambridge service area At Lowther and King, buses change to route 68 Eagle Street
72 Cherry Blossom BusPLUS		Weekday rush hour service only	BusPLUS route Limited service extension available to Plastic Prescriptions (Saltsman Drive)
iXpress Conestoga Mall - Ainslie Terminal		(Service every day)	Express route

[edit] Kitchener-Waterloo service area

Route		Service Limitations	Notes
1 Stanley Park		(Service every day)	Limited service on Becker extension Monday-Saturday: service on Stanley Park loop in both directions (clockwise = via Lorraine, counterclockwise = via River) Sunday/holidays: service to Stanley Park Mall via Lorraine side of loop only (service on Lorraine side of loop in both directions)
2 Forest Hill		No Sunday/holiday service	Service on Southmoor extension in peak direction only during weekday rush hour; service in both directions at other times
3 Ottawa South		(Service every day)
4 Glasgow		No Sunday/holiday service
5 Erb West		No Sunday/holiday service	At Uptown Waterloo, buses change to route 35 Eastbridge
6 Bridgeport		No Sunday/holiday service
7A Fairview via Connaught		(Service every day)	Sunday/holidays: service towards Fairview Park Mall only: trips return to Downtown Kitchener via route 7F
7B Fairview via Weber		(Service every day)
7C Conestoga Mall		(Service every day)
7D University of Waterloo via University		(Service every day)	Sunday/holidays: service towards University of Waterloo only: trips return to Downtown Kitchener via route 7E
7E University of Waterloo via Columbia		(Service every day)	Sunday/holidays: service towards Downtown Kitchener only: trips come to University of Waterloo via route 7D
7F Fairview via Wilson		(Service every day)	Sunday/holidays: service towards Downtown Kitchener only: trips come to Fairview Park Mall via route 7A
8 University via Weber		(Service every day)
8 University via Westmount		(Service every day)
8 Fairview via Courtland		(Service every day)
8 Fairview via Franklin		(Service every day)	Sunday/holidays: service via East Avenue instead of Weber Street
9 Lakeshore		(Service every day)	At University of Waterloo, buses change to route 13 Laurelwood
10 Conestoga College		(Service every day)	Evenings, weekends, holidays: service to Conestoga College via Bechtel extension and Residences extension
11 Country Hills		(Service every day)	Sunday/holidays: service via Strasburg Road instead of Alpine Road
12 Conestoga Mall - Fairview Park Mall		(Service every day)	Various short turns are used, due to the total length of route 12. Short turns are performed at: Forest Glen Plaza, Highland Hills Mall, and King @ University
13 Laurelwood		(Service every day)	At University of Waterloo, buses change to route 9 Lakeshore
14 Waterloo Industrial		Weekday rush hour service only	AM: trips depart Conestoga Mall via Davenport Road PM: trips depart Conestoga Mall via Conestogo Road 2 trips per day extend to Bridge Street @ Bathurst Street
15 Frederick		No Sunday/holiday service	Limited weekday rush hour service on Centennial extension
16 Forest Glen		Weekday service only	Weekday midday service on extension to Biehn @ Kilkerran 2 trips per day service Doon Public School
17 Heritage Park		(Service every day)	Sunday/holidays: service between Fairview Park Mall and Stanley Park Mall only
18 Guelph Street		No Sunday/holiday service
19 Victoria South		Weekday rush hour service only
20 Victoria Hills		(Service every day)
21 St. Jacobs		Thursday and Saturday service only	Some trips continue to the town of St. Jacobs, while others end at the St. Jacobs Market
22 Laurentian West		No Sunday/holiday service
23 Idlewood		No Sunday/holiday service	Weekday rush hour extension to Fairview Park Mall
24 Highland		No Sunday/holiday service	Evening: modified route beyond Highland Hills Mall
25 Queen South		(Service every day)	Evening, Sunday, holidays: modified route beyond Highland Hills Mall
26 Trillium		Weekday rush hour service only
27 Chicopee		(Service every day)
29 Keats Way		Weekday service only
35 Eastbridge		No Sunday/holiday service	At Uptown Waterloo, buses change to route 5 Erb West 2 trips per day extend to Bridge Street @ Bathurst Street
52 Fairview Park Mall - Ainslie Street Terminal		(Service every day)	Runs from Kitchener service area to Cambridge service area
61 Conestoga College - Preston		Weekday service only	Runs from Kitchener service area to Cambridge service area At Lowther and King, buses change to route 68 Eagle Street
72 Cherry Blossom BusPLUS		Weekday rush hour service only	*BusPLUS route Limited service extension available to Plastic Prescriptions (Saltsman Drive)
73 Northlake BusPLUS		Weekday rush hour service only	BusPLUS route
74 RIM Park BusPLUS		No Sunday/holiday service	BusPLUS route
110 Conestoga College Express		Weekday rush hour service only Service only from September to April, except for the Christmas schedule period	Express route
iXpress Conestoga Mall - Ainslie Terminal		(Service every day)	Express route
Huron Industrial Special		Weekday rush hour service only	Selected trips on weekday rush hours only

[edit] Cambridge service area

Route		Service Limitations	Notes
51 Hespeler Road		(Service every day)	At the Hespeler Terminal, some buses change to route 65 Fisher Mills or route 66 Winston Some trips short turn at Cambridge Centre
52 Fairview Park Mall - Ainslie Street Terminal		(Service every day)	Runs from Kitchener service area to Cambridge service area
53 Franklin Boulevard		Weekday service only	At the Hespeler Terminal, buses change to route 66 Winston
54 Lisbon Pines		No Sunday/holiday service	At Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to route 57 Blair Road
55 St. Andrews		(Service every day)	At Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to route 59 Christopher
56 Dunbar		No Sunday/holiday service	At Cambridge Centre, buses change to route 60 Northview Acres (except for 11:26 PM arrival on weekdays: route 51 Hespeler Road to Hespeler)
57 Blair Road		No Sunday/holiday service	At Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to route 54 Lisbon Pines
58 Elmwood		(Service every day)	At Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to route 62 Woodside
59 Christopher		(Service every day)	At Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to route 63 Champlain Sunday: buses to not serve extension to Edgemere/Langlaw Sunday: buses are extended to South Cambridge Shopping Centre
60 Northview Acres		(Service every day)	At Cambridge Centre, buses change to route 64 Langs (except for Monday-Saturday arrivals at 6:30 PM and later: route 56 Dunbar)
61 Conestoga College - Preston		Weekday service only	Runs from Kitchener service area to Cambridge service area At Lowther and King, buses change to route 68 Eagle Street
62 Woodside		No Sunday/holiday service	At Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to route 58 Elmwood
63 Champlain		No Sunday/holiday service	At Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to route 55 St. Andrews
64 Langs		No Sunday/holiday service	At Cambridge Centre, buses change to route 56 Dunbar (except for Monday-Saturday arrivals at 6:30 - 8:30 PM: route 60 Northview Acres)
65 Fisher Mills		(Service every day)	At the Hespeler Terminal, buses change to route 51 Hespeler Road
66 Winston		(Service every day)	At the Hespeler Terminal, buses change to route 53 Franklin Boulevard, Weekdays between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM only
67 Lovell Industrial		Weekday rush hour service only
68 Eagle Street		No Sunday/holiday service	At the Hespeler Terminal, buses change to route 71 Melran Weekday: At Lowther and King, some buses change to route 61 Preston - Conestoga College
71 Melran		No Sunday/holiday service	At the Hespeler Terminal, buses change to route 68 Eagle Street
72 Cherry Blossom BusPLUS		Weekday rush hour service only	BusPLUS route Limited service extension available to Plastic Prescriptions (Saltsman Drive)
75 Saginaw BusPLUS		Weekday rush hour service only	BusPLUS route
iXpress Conestoga Mall - Ainslie Terminal		(Service every day)	Express route

[edit] Numbering notes

Route 8 is so numbered because its travelled route forms a rough figure 8 through Kitchener and Waterloo, with the Charles Street terminal as the central point.

Many routes in the Kitchener-Waterloo area had their numbering split in the early 2000s as interlining was handled differently, to allow more flexibility. The separated sections usually had major route or schedule changes at the time. Routes split were:

Many Cambridge-area routes are based on their former Cambridge Transit numbers, with 50 added to the number. Thus, the 51 is the former Cambridge Route 1, and the 52 is the former Route 2 Coronation which was extended from Preston Parkway into south Kitchener by merging it with the former Kitchener Transit Route 20 Sportsworld/Gateway Park (The Route Number 20 has since been reused in Victoria Hills); Cambridge Route 14 became 56, 17 became 60, and since 2000, additional routes have been numbered in the 60s.

During the turbulent times surrounding the Kitchener Transit - Cambridge Transit merger, many short-lived, experimental, or interim routes existed. One was the route 20 Sportsworld/Gateway Park, which was later merged with Cambridge Transit route 2 Coronation to form the route 52. At one point, a very short-lived route 61 existed as a satellite route operating from Highland Hills Mall. Soon after, this route was changed to a long-since forgotten route: route 41 Laurentian West - Highland West BusPLUS. This route did not last long, and its service area was later covered by routes 19, 20, and 22. Route 21 St. Jacobs started by running to St. Jacobs Market from Conestoga Mall via Northfield Drive and Weber Street.

[edit] School specials

GRT also provides school specials to most Secondary Schools in the Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge areas. The purpose of these routes is to help alleviate overcrowding problems on regular GRT Routes, and supplement regular GRT routes by adding extra and/or short turn trips. The main function of many of the specials is to provide services between schools and neighbourhoods where limited or no regular service is available, or where multiple time-consuming transfers would be required. These specials usually operate on completely or partially different routings than regular GRT Routes. Any other school bus services are yellow school bus services.

[edit] Bus fleet

[edit] Berlin/Kitchener

• horse drawn cars - Berlin Gas Company
• Preston Car & Coach Company cars - Berlin PUC
• ex-Cleveland Street Railway cars - Berlin PUC
• 10 Yellow Coach model 733 bus - Kitchener PUC
• 25 Canadian Car & Foundry T44 trolleybus - Kitchener PUC
• 2 CCF-Brill model C-36 gas bus - Kitchener PUC
• 5 ex-Ottawa Transportation Commission trolley buses - Kitchener PUC
• 8 General Motors TDH-3501 bus - Kitchener PUC
• 10 GMDD TDH-3502 bus - Kitchener PUC
• 1 Aerocoach - ex-Wellesley Bus Lines - Kitchener PUC
• 2 Brills - ex-Wellesley Bus Lines - Kitchener PUC
• 1 Ford - ex-Wellesley Bus Lines - Kitchener PUC
• 6 GMDD T6H-5305 - Kitchener PUC

[edit] Kitchener-Waterloo Division: Current Fleet

Grand River Transit has a fleet of 208 buses. These include:

• at least 75 NOVA LFS
• 47 NFI D40LF
• 30 Orion VII
• 24 Orion V
• 23 NFI C40LF
• 4 GMC CLASSICS
• 10 MCI CLASSICS
• 4 ORION VI
• 1 ORION I

[edit] Cambridge Division (ordered before incorporation)

• Leased GM New Look fishbowl (returned)
• Motor Coach Industries & GM TC40102N (Classic)
• NovaBus LFS
• Orion Bus Industries I 01.507 (retired in 2006)
• Orion Bus Industries V 05.501
• Orion Bus Industries VI 06.501

[edit] Kitchener-Waterloo Division (ordered before incorporation)

• Flyer Industries D800-B
• GM New Look fishbowls (Retired November 2005)
• Motor Coach Industries & GM TC40102N (Classic) (ordered 1985-1989)
• Orion Bus Industries V 05.501 (ordered 1989-1990)
• New Flyer Industries D40LF (ordered 1992)
• New Flyer Industries D40LF (ordered 1994)
• New Flyer Industries C40LF (ordered 1996)

[edit] Both Divisions (ordered after incorporation)

• New Flyer Industries D40LF (ordered 2002)
• Orion Bus Industries VII 07.501 (ordered 2003)
• NovaBus LFS (ordered 2004)
• NovaBus LFS (ordered 2006)
• NovaBus LFS (ordered 2007)
• Ford minibus – F450 chassis

Denotes wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

[edit] Facilities

Major transit terminals are operated and staffed in both Downtown Kitchener on Charles Street (Routes 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,11,15,18,19,20,22,23,24,25,iXpress) and the Galt City Centre in Cambridge on Ainslie Street (Routes 51,52,53,54,55,57,58,59,62,63,iXpress).

Unstaffed off-road satellite terminals are also in place at Waterloo’s Conestoga Mall (Routes 7,9,12,14,21,35,74,iXpress), Kitchener’s Fairview Park Mall (Routes 7,8,10,12,17,23,27,52,110,iXpress), Forest Glen Plaza (Routes 3,11,12,16,22,26), Stanley Park Mall (Routes 1,17,23), Highland Hills Mall (Routes 2,12,19,20,22,24,25), Sportsworld (Routes 52,72) and Cambridge Centre (Routes 51,56,60,64,67,75,iXpress).

Other significant transfer points include King Street/University Avenue (Routes 7,8,9,12,iXpress), the University of Waterloo (Routes 7,8,9,12,13,29,iXpress), Uptown Waterloo (Routes 5,7,35,iXpress), Holiday Inn Drive/Hespeler (Routes 51,53,65,66,68,71), Conestoga College (Routes 10,16,61,110) and the Preston Towne Centre (Routes 52,56,61,64,68)

The Kitchener-Waterloo fleet, and all central operations, are run from the agency’s headquarters on Strasburg Road in Kitchener (across from the Laurentian Power Centre); the Cambridge fleet has its base on Conestoga Boulevard, behind the Cambridge Centre.

[edit] See also

• Grand River Railway
• GO Transit
• Guelph Transit
• VIA Rail

[edit] External links

• Grand River Transit web site
  • iXpress bus site
  • Announcement of light-rail study work
  • Rapid Transit Environmental Assessment
• Region of Waterloo