Reduced ridership during pandemic continues to impact YRT service

Effective Sunday, June 28 route and schedule adjustments will be made to 15 public transit routes

Newmarkettoday.ca
June 26, 2020

Due to a significant decrease in ridership as a result of COVID-19, many York Region Transit (YRT) routes are still not operating, while others are undergoing a service review.

Effective Sunday, June 28, 2020, route and schedule adjustments will be made to 15 YRT routes. Some of these changes include:

• Schedule adjustments to meet current customer demand, including expanded service on some routes
• Route 21 --Vellore Local will be replaced by Mobility On-Request Vellore Local, operating Monday to Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
• Routes 32 --Aurora South and 44 - Bristol will operate during rush hours only
• Mobility On-Request Aurora-Oak Ridges and Mobility On-Request Bristol service hours will be extended

YRT continues to monitor updates from York Region Public Health and will take further precautions as necessary to ensure the safety of all travellers and staff. Effective Thursday, July 2, travellers must board all buses at the front doors and exit at the middle or rear doors to help with physical distancing measures. In order to provide protection between passengers and drivers, YRT is also installing barrier shields within the driver’s area.

YRT continues to encourage the use of contactless payment through PRESTO or the YRT Pay app, maintaining a physical distance of 2 metres whenever possible and the proper wearing of a non-medical mask or face covering.

Additional measures currently in place include daily disinfection and cleaning of buses, terminals and rapidway stations with a focus on high-touch surfaces such as poles, seats and handles.

Riders are encouraged to visit yrt.ca/servicechanges to review changes that may affect their travel plans, including various seasonal and frequency adjustments.

For major service alerts, news, travel tips and other relevant transit information, call 1-866-MOVE-YRT (668-3978), visit yrt.ca or follow YRT on social media. You can also check out talk2yrt.ca, a website where you can view questions and answers about YRT or submit your own questions.