Curbing coronavirus spread drives York Region Transit ridership down, costs up

What you need to know about hopping on a bus

Yorkregion.com
April 24, 2020
Amanda Persico

HOW HAS THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC AFFECTED PUBLIC TRANSIT?

According to Ann-Marie Carroll, York Region Transit (YRT) general manager, YRT ridership is down by about 80 per cent compared to last year.

“Ridership and the demand for transit service has significantly decreased with the closure of schools, businesses, municipal and public spaces and more residents working from home,” she said.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

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Service levels have been adjusted: routes temporarily suspended, cancelled and operating on limited schedules.

What routes take priority?

Travel for essential services: connecting employment areas in York Region; connecting to TTC subway stations; and transit services that mimic weekday rush hours.

DOES A DECREASE IN SERVICE MEAN MONEY IS BEING SAVED?

No.

“The cost of delivering transit has increased due to the significant loss of fare revenue,” said Carroll.

The weekly net cost for delivering YRT services during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased to $1.6 million up from $1.1 million.

There’s also the additional cost of bus and facility cleaning and disinfection, a weekly additional $30,000.

HOW DO YOU PRACTICE PHYSICAL DISTANCING ON PUBLIC TRANSIT?

Board the bus at the middle or rear doors.

Pay before boarding.

Stand back from the red line behind the driver. If you would like to speak with the driver, speak loudly.

Keep a two-metre distance from other passengers. YRT is closing several seats on buses to support physical distancing.

HOW HAVE MOBILITY ON-REQUEST SERVICES CHANGED?

Riders are screened prior to YRT dispatch staff accepting a booking for a ride through the Mobility On-Request contact centre.

Riders are asked to call and book a ride up to two days in advance.

For the safety of travellers and transit operations, YRT is limiting the number of passengers and Mobility On-Request vehicles are cleaned a minimum of three times a day.

HOW CAN I HITCH A RIDE IF MY LOCAL ROUTE HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED?

Mobility On-Request services are now available in areas where routes have been cancelled, connecting riders with local shopping areas and taking over low demand routes including: Route 10 --Woodbridge; Route 31 --Aurora; Route 51 --Keswick local; Route 58 --Mount Albert; and Route 84 --Oak Ridges.

HAVE YRT ROUTES BEEN CANCELLED? WHICH ONES?

Yes, and no.

Some routes are cancelled or temporarily suspended due to low ridership, alternative options are available or the cancelled routes were part of the 2020 operating budget.

Some of the temporarily suspended routes include: rush-hour only routes; overlay services and express routes.

The following YRT routes are temporarily suspended: Viva Blue A, Viva Pink, Viva Green, 22-King City, with a revised schedule; 42-Berczy; 45-Mingay; 81-Inspiration; 82-Valleymede; 301-Markham Express; 302-Unionville Express; 304-Mount Joy express; and 760-Vaughan Mills/Wonderland.

The following route has been discontinued: 15-Stouffville/Mobility On-Request.

Routes still operating during the week are operating on a modified Saturday schedule.

WHERE CAN I FIND CURRENT YRT INFORMATION AND UPDATED SCHEDULES?

Visit yrt.ca/servicechanges for the most updated schedules or call 1-866-668-3978.

The YRT trip planner and real-time app are unavailable until April 26. Third-party apps will also not reflect updated schedules.