bus service

Viva is a bus rapid transit network in York Region, Ontario, Canada, with connections to northern Toronto.

It is the brand name for the York Region Rapid Transit Plan, and was funded through a P3 (Public-Private Partnership) consortium called the York Region Rapid Transit Corporation. York Region has control over all fares and service planning. Viva service is integrated with York Region Transit's conventional transit service and operated as one regional transit system (1system) that enables customers to travel across the Region.

Viva began operations on September 4, 2005 at 9 am EST, and officially opened on September 6, 2005. The second phase was opened on October 16, 2005, the third phase was opened on November 20, 2005, and the first part of the fourth phase was opened on January 2, 2006 (the Cornell extension is the second part of Phase 4).

Five routes are currently in operation:

• Viva Blue: Finch TTC Station — Newmarket Terminal (along Yonge Street).
• Viva Purple: York University — Markville Mall at McCowan Road.
• Viva Orange: Downsview TTC Station — Martin Grove/Highway 7.
• Viva Green: Don Mills TTC Station — Unionville GO Station off-peak, McCowan Road at peak times.
• Viva Pink: Finch TTC Station — Unionville GO Station.

Overview

Viva is the first phase of York Region's three-phase rapid transit plan to reduce congestion on local roads.

The service is using high-end Belgian-built Van Hool buses referred to as "rapid transit vehicles" (RTVs), which make use of existing or specially-lengthened right-turn lanes to move through an intersection ahead of traffic. They are given priority at traffic signals. Viva buses run 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, from 5:30 am to midnight on weekdays, 6:30 am to midnight on Saturdays and 8:00 am to midnight on Sundays. During peak hours (6:30 am - 9:00 am and 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm), buses arrive every three to ten minutes depending on the route and less than 15 minutes for off peak hours. Free Wi-Fi is currently available on a limited number of vehicles and will be available on the entire fleet by the end of 2006.

During Viva's next phase, the service is to incorporate dedicated "transitways" at the centre of the street, separated from regular traffic. A later phase may incorporate some form of light railway, or an extension of the Toronto's subway lines, but the plan will need to be re-evaluated at this point to determine whether such service is indeed warranted.

Viva is operated by 4286847 Canada Incorporated (known in promotional material as the "York Region Rapid Transit Corporation") on behalf of York Region. The system is operated by Connex, a division of Veolia Environment.

Stops along the routes are referred to as "Vivastations", and incorporate a ticket vending machine and a ticket validator (fares are on a proof-of-payment basis to speed up boarding times), as well as a real-time "smart" display that notify passengers when the next vehicle is expected to arrive. Most Vivastations are blue, but several stops on Yonge Street have a unique bronze design referred to as "vivavintage" in order to better suit the historic areas, especially along Yonge Street in Thornhill, Richmond Hill, and Aurora where space is short, and will be served by miniature "vivamicro" stations. Vivastations on York University's campus are red in keeping with the University's signage policy.

Viva routes connect to Toronto Transit Commission's Yonge, Spadina, and Sheppard subway lines, and to a number of Toronto bus routes. Viva is integrated with YRT's existing bus network, and passengers are able to pay one fare to use both Viva and the regular bus system.

On March 31, 2005, at the Regional Municipality of York Council meeting, the contract for the operations and maintenance of the entire Viva’s fleet for its first five years of service was approved to be awarded to Connex Canada. The approved contract was valued at $112,496,870, inclusive of GST.

Viva managers are concerned over the fate of later expansion because of the lack of committed funds for growth of the service. Both the federal and provincial governments have pledged funds for the expansion, but there is a concern that the funds will not be available. York Region officials have said they will scale down service if the funds are not forthcoming, but they are concerned that service reductions would impair the success of the service.

Routes

*The proposed extension of the Spadina line of the Toronto subway would run from Vaughan Corporate Centre to Downsview Station. A subway will provide new transit capacity in the western reaches of York Region and relieve some of the crowding on the Yonge Street line by giving York residents an alternative to accessing the subway at Finch. The extended subway line will make for smoother connections with Viva, getting people to work or play sooner. It is also anticipated to encourage development at Vaughan Corporate Centre in much the same way that the Sheppard Subway has created high density nodes at each station point along its route.

Viva buses travelling into the city of Toronto (south of Steeles Avenue, the regional boundary) do not pick up passengers when travelling southbound, and do not allow passengers to disembark when travelling north. However, passengers may be picked up at York University for travel to Downsview Station, and vice versa.

Major locations and terminals

Renovations (new shelters and platforms) to accommodate VIVA were completed during late summer 2005. Viva operates at several major locations and terminals, with Vivastations (the names of the stations in brackets) at:

• Finch Station - north of Finch TTC station. An elevator and Viva shelter are available.
• Newmarket Terminal - across from Upper Canada Mall on Davis Drive, at Eagle Street West (Newmarket Terminal).
• Richmond Hill Centre - Yonge Street at Highway 7/Highway 407 next to Silvercity Richmond Hill theatres, with future access to Langstaff (GO Station).
• Promenade Terminal - in Vaughan on the north side of Promenade Mall (T&T Supermarket), on Centre Street west of Bathurst Street.
• Bernard - on east side of the mall on Yonge Street at Bernard (Bernard), just north of Elgin Mills Road.
• York University, at York Commons on Ian Macdonald Blvd.
• Don Mills Station - located outside the TTC's Fare Paid Zone, near Fairview Mall (Don Mills Station) on Don Mills Road opposite Leith Hill Road, just north of Sheppard Avenue, as well as inside the fare-paid zone.
• Downsview Station - located outside the TTC Fare Paid Zone, on Sheppard Avenue West at Allen Road, as well as inside the fare-paid zone.
• Unionville Station - located adjacent to the Highway 407 and Kennedy Road interchange (exit 88) in Unionville, in the city of Markham.

Fares

Both Viva and YRT are part of YRT's 1system fare policy. This means that a Viva fare and a YRT fare are treated the same, and that riders can transfer from either service to the other without having to pay an additional fare. Riders can also transfer from TTC buses operating in York Region, assuming that they have paid the YRT fare when boarding the TTC bus (when in York Region) or exiting the TTC bus (when travelling to York Region from Toronto).

YRT 1system operates on a zone fare system. Much of southern York Region is in one zone and central York Region is in another zone. The Oak Ridges Moraine splits the zones. (Georgina, which constitutes another zone at least for Mobility Plus riders, do not have connections on the YRT to any other zone at present, thus fares are basically the same for one-zone down south, and transfers would be accepted if the rider used the GO Bus in between YRT routes.)

Riders can purchase "oneRide" (for a single ride) at all vivastations. In addition, riders may purchase "multiRide" (for ten rides) tickets from fare machines at terminals where viva operates or at authorized vendors. oneRide and single ticket fares are good for a 2-hour window (time printed on ticket) on any viva or YRT route.

Each ticket is divided into one or two zone fares. A single oneRide fare costs $2.50 for one zone, or $3.50 for two zones.

To ensure that all passengers pay their fares, the YRT has special "Fare Inspectors". Occasionally, they will go from bus to bus to make sure that passengers pay the fare; those that fail to do so will be fined CAD $250. Students must produce an authentic student ID card. (TTC Student ID cards are also considered a valid student ID card). Fines for students start from CAD$150.

As of July 1st 2006, all monthly passes for YRT 1system will be subject to a 15.5% tax rebate from the Government of Canada, which can be redeemed at the end of the year with proof of monthly pass purchase

Ticket machines

Viva went beyond other transit service by applying the latest technologies in their services. Currently, the ticketing machines operate on Microsoft Windows 2000 and a customized Viva client. Due to the large number of people using the ticketing machines in bus terminals, they are usually in constant repairs. The ticket machines which are not in a bus terminal has a validation machine attached to its side. For those ticketing machines inside the bus terminal, the validation machine is separated from the ticket machines because there could be multiple of ticket machines side by side.

One can purchase multi-tickets in packs of Student (student ID required), Adult, or Child/Senior tickets (seniors are required to show their ID). Zone upgrades can also be purchased from these machines. The machines accept coins, bank notes and credit cards.

Vehicles

Viva's initial stock includes 85 buses comprised of two models, referred to as Rapid Transit Vehicles (RTVs):

Similar buses are being used in Longueuil (Montreal's South Shore) by Réseau de transport de Longueuil, and in Oakland, California by AC Transit.

All Viva buses are wheelchair-accessible.

Service fleet include:

Future extensions

Plans call for Viva’s Purple and Green lines to be extended east from their current McCowan Road terminus to Main St. Markham, Wootten Way, Cornell, and eventually Markham By-Pass. In the revised 5-year plan for YRT/Viva it was confirmed that service expansion to Cornell would be implemented on July 1, 2007. [1]

YRT/Viva have also identified a partnership with Brampton Transit's Acceleride, a service similar to Viva operating in the Region of Peel, as a priority. Connections along Highway 7 are expected to start upon Acceleride's inception. Integration with Brampton Transit, Page 7

Phases

1. Bus rapid transit (currently in action)
2. Dedicated transitways (reserved bus lanes at the centre of the street) for Viva, subject to funding from the three levels of government
   • Currently, an environmental assessment has been completed for the area on Yonge Street from Steeles to 19th Line. An application has been submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Environment, pending approval.
3. Transitways being turned into light-rail transit (ie. streetcars), subject to need and funding; not expected in the immediate future.

The next review of the service will take place in 2009, at which time decisions will be made about the transfer of service to different vehicles, and the addition, removal, or modification of current routes.

Staff

Drivers and other staff of Viva are employed by the bus operator.

Uniforms

Uniforms for Viva operators consist of a white shirt with Viva logo, a grey and black vest and dark pants. Male operators usually wear a blue Viva tie.

Special Constables

A contingent of YRT-viva Special Constables patrol both Viva and YRT properties. They have the same powers as the York Regional Police to enforce:

• Criminal Code
• Controlled Drugs and Substances Act of Ontario
• Trespass to Property Act of Ontario
• Liquor License Act of Ontario
• section 17 of the Mental Health Act of Ontario
• Regional Municipality of York By-law R-1415-2005-028

Special constables wear distinct uniforms with black jackets and blue shirts with Special Constables identification (blue and black crest on their shoulders).

Fare Inspectors are enforcement officers responsible for issues relating to fare violations.

The constables patrol within areas served by the YRT.

References

Viva publications

• Viva - A Rider's Manual, York Region September 2005
• Viva - York Region Rapid Transit Route Map 2005
• the viva rapid transit vehicle/rtv:ag300 2005
• "Viva RT - New Transit System Coming Soon", About Markham, p.2. June 2005
• MyTransit, York Region Transit, September 2005. (PDF)

Government publications

• Viva Rapid Transit Phase One Operations and Maintenance Services Contract. Minutes of Council – March 31, 2005, Regional Municipality of York, March 31, 2005.
• Viva Fare Collection Equipment, Maintenance Services Sourcing, Minutes of Council – June 23, 2005, Regional Municipality of York, June 23, 2005.
• Viva rapid transit Fact Sheet, Regional Municipality of York, September 6, 2005.
• Yonge Street Environmental Assessment, Regional Municipality of York, November 10, 2005.

Newspapers

• "vivatalk - York Region's Rapid Transit Update", Economist & Sun/Sun-Tribune: Community, p.7. June 11, 2005
• "Bus Riders find bearings", Toronto Star, p.B3, September 7, 2005.

Other sources

• "Ontario and Beyond - York Region Rapid Transit Plan", Transfer Points June-July 2004, p.5-6.

See also

• List of rapid transit systems
• Connex

External links

• Viva Promotional Information (requires Shockwave Flash)
• York Region Transit/1system Website