Dial-A-Ride comes to Keswick, YRT changes bus routes

On-demand YRT bust service comes to Keswick

Yorkregion.com
May 31, 2019
Amanda Persico

Changes to York Region Transit means all of Georgina will be serviced by on-demand YRT bus services during off-peak hours.

Currently, route 50 and 51 travel through the Keswick area, with Pefferlaw and Sutton serviced through on-demand bus routes.

Starting in September, Keswick will also be part of the on-demand service area.

Route 51 will operate a dial-a-ride service during off-peak hours.

The change doesn’t impact those commuting during the morning or afternoon rush hour but does make it more challenging for those travelling midday.

Keswick resident Roxanne Doucette, a mother of three, is one of those midday riders, relying on Route 51 to run her errands, grocery shop and pick up her kids from recreational activities at the ROC.

Doucette, working a split shift, often walks to and from work four times a day. It’s the in-between time that poses the problem.

Instead of following a conventional schedule, during off-peak hours riders can call YRT dispatch, 1-844-667-5327, and request a ride at least 60 minutes in advance.

“It’s the waiting,” Doucette said. “I know exactly when the bus is coming, so I’m not wasting time waiting.”

Through the on-demand service, a YRT vehicle will pick you up and drop you off at your destination, the closest bus stop to your destination or to a connecting bus station.

It’s the uncertainty that’s the time-waster, sometimes making travel times longer, Doucette said.

Roxanne Doucette waits for a bus on the Queensway North in Keswick. She worries how bus route changes will impact her ride to work in the fall.

“Right now, I know the schedule. I can walk to the bus stop and get on the bus in a matter of minutes and go to where I need to go,” she said. “I can do my errands within two hours and be home ready for my next work shift.”

The decision to cut Route 51 to an on-demand service is two-pronged: cost savings and efficiency.

Route 51 is one of the most expensive routes to operate per ride, costing $25 per rider during the weekday rush hours, close to $40 during off-peak hours and about $63 on Saturdays.

It doesn’t make sense to run an empty bus on a conventional schedule, said Fabrizio Guzzo, YRT operations director.

Instead, the on-demand service is a practical response, using an array of YRT vehicles, from sedans, to mini and full-sized passenger vans, he added.

“We want to optimize our service and maximize our vehicles on the road,” Guzzo said. “It’s the efficient thing to do. And it provides for greater access to transit.”

Offering on-demand services also falls in line with YRT’s strategy to help reduce congestion.

YRT changes in Georgina:

• Route 50 -- frequency increased from 44 minutes to 33 minutes during weekday rush hour services, effective June 30;

• Route 51 -- to become an on-demand service during off-times, effective Sept. 1. On-demand services will also be extended an hour earlier and an hour later than the regular schedule.

The changes will not affect the high school special buses.

YRT offers a travel training guide, MyRide, for residents and community groups to learn how to take public transit.

For more information, call 1-866-668-3978 or email myride@york.ca.