Viva (bus rapid transit)

A Viva bus at the Richmond Hill station.
Slogan	From A to being...Alive
Parent company	York Region Transit
Founded	2005
Headquarters	50 High Tech Road, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4N7
Locale	York Region, ON
Service area	York Region along the Highway 7 and Yonge Street corridors
Service type	Bus rapid transit
Routes	5
Stations	59
Fleet	60 40' units 30 60' units
Operator	4286847 Canada, L.P. (Veolia Transportation)
Web site	Official Website

Viva is a bus rapid transit network in York Region, Ontario, Canada, with connections to northern Toronto and Toronto Transit Commission subway stations. Viva is a subsidiary of York Region Transit.

It is the brand name for the York Region Rapid Transit Plan, and was funded through a Public-Private Partnership (P3) 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 are Viva Blue, Viva Purple, Viva Orange, Viva Pink, and Viva Green.

Overview

By entering the "Bus Stop Number" to the Next Bus webpage, riders can check vehicle arrival information via the Internet, or the YRT Information Line.

Viva's vivasmart display showing real-time vehicle arrival information.

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

The service uses 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.

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 Transport.

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 depart. 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. Viva is not, however, integrated with the region's GO train network, and only one of York Region's fourteen GO stations is served by Viva.^[1]

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 Goods and Services Tax.

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.^{[citation needed]}

Routes

^{* Running time based on normal traffic and weather conditions, retrieved from the YRT website.}

As Viva’s mandate does not include local service in the city of Toronto, Viva buses travelling 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.

The sole exception to this rule is for travel between York University and Downsview Station, where Viva buses complement the TTC’s crowded services along the same route.

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 Bus Terminal).
• Richmond Hill Centre - Yonge Street at Highway 7/Highway 407 next to Silvercity Richmond Hill theatres. Langstaff GO Station is accessible through a pedestrian overpass.
• 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, 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.

Future terminals

Cornell Terminal was originally planned to open in July 2007, but has been postponed to a date probably in late 2008. The terminal is to be built near Markham Stouffville Hospital, near the intersection of Markham By-Pass and Highway 7.

Wooten Way and Main St. Markham Vivastations currently serve the Viva Purple line, but will serve the Viva Green lines in the future, in conjunction with extending the Viva service to Cornell.

Fares

This is an example of a validated and expired VIVA Student Ticket dated on May 4th, 2006. The printed date and time shows when the ticket expires.

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, although starting in September 2007, YRT fares will be accepted on that GO bus, with a usual zone suplement.)

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 $3.00 for one zone, or $4.00 for two zones, effective January 1, 2008.

The single oneRide fare of YRT and VIVA buses rose by $0.25 as of January 1, 2008. However, tickets and monthly pass fares remain unchanged.

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 $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 1, 2006, monthly passes for YRT 1system are eligible for a 15.5% tax rebate from the Government of Canada, which can be claimed when filing tax returns at the end of the year, with proof of purchase.

In late 2010 Viva will start introducing the Presto card ^[2].

Ticket machines

Viva ticketing machines at the Finch Bus Terminal.

A Viva Ticket Validation Machine.

Viva went beyond other transit services by applying the latest technologies in their services. Currently, the ticketing machines operate on Microsoft Windows 2000 and a customized Viva client. Because of the large number of people using the ticketing machines in bus terminals, they are inspected often and usually in good working order. The ticket machines that are not in a bus terminal have a validation machine attached to their sides. For those ticketing machines inside the bus terminal, the validation machine is separated from the ticket machines because there could be multiple ticket machines side by side.

One can purchase multi-tickets in packs of Student (student ID required when riding), Adult, or Child/Senior tickets (seniors are required to show their ID). Zone upgrades can also be purchased from these machines. All machines accept coins, while machines at select terminals also accept $5, $10, $20 bills and debit cards. Credit cards were originally accepted, but as of 2007 they are no longer accepted due to issues with their credit card company.

As of 2007, Viva Stops (as well the buses themselves) began having dome security cameras installed to prevent abuse to the machines.

Vehicles and fleet rosters

Viva's buses are intended to be much more luxurious than is usual for public transport.

Viva RTVs tend to be a little more comfortable in design than normal transit buses, equipped with "Next Station" prompts, information screens (although they are no longer used) and even Wireless Internet.

Viva Van Hools A330

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

Make/Model	Description	Fleet #	Notes
Van Hool  Belgium	articulated newAG300	5201-5225, 7201-7205	Length: 18 m (60 feet) Cost per vehicle: $742,000 Engine/Transmission: Cummins ISM/Voith D864
Van Hool  Belgium	newA330	5101-5160	Length: 12 m (40 feet) Cost per vehicle: $494,000 Engine/Transmission: Cummins ISL/Voith D864
Ford Taurus  United States	mid size station wagons - support vehicles
Ford Focus  United States	compact station wagons - support vehicles

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.

Future extensions

Viva Purple was extended to Markham Stouffville Hospital on January 27, 2008, providing service to 3 new vivaStations: Main Street Markham, Wootten Way, and Markham Stouffville Hospital. If warranted, viva green will also be extended from its current terminus of McCowan Road in the near future along this route.

York Region Transit has been proposing a terminal in Cornell, Markham since the inception of viva. However, opening dates have been pushed back from July 1, 2007, to February 2008, to some future date as of January 2008. The Cornell Terminal will provide connections with Durham Region Transit, as well as GO Transit, YRT, and Viva.

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

Plans for dedicated bus lanes on Highway 7 will begin once environmental assessment has been completed. Similar plans for the Yonge Street portion are on hold as the provincial government has indicated it will fund an extension of the TTC Yonge subway line from its current terminus at Finch to Highway 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 Avenue in Toronto to Highway 7 (and eventually to Newmarket). An application has been submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Environment, pending approval. The transitway would have buses running in a dedicated middle lanes with islands allowing passengers to board and disembark.
3. Transitways being turned into light-rail transit (i.e., 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

The vivasmart display alerting passengers that no VIVA service is available during the strike.

Viva's 165 bus operator are are members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113. The union and president are the same union representing transit operators for the Toronto Transit Commission.

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.

Strike

A fully packed YRT bus during the strike.

On September 25, 2008, 160 operators walked off the job at 4am EST. 61% of the operators rejected the contract that had been offered the previous week.^[3] While Viva service is disrupted, York Region Transit is still operating as they are represented by a different union.^[4]

On October 10, 2008, 65% of the operators voted to accept the contract that they rejected on Sept 25, ending the 16-day strike.^[5] Service resumed at 6am EST on 11 October 2008.

Transit enforcement

Main article: YRT/VIVA Special Constable Services

Fare Inspectors and Special Constables patrol the entire transit system for the safety and security of passengers and to ensure compliance with the proof-of-payment system. They make random checks onboard buses to ensure the proper use of tickets, transfers and passes. Customers without valid fares are subject to a warning, an instant fine or a criminal charge.

Notes

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

General

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Viva

• List of rapid transit systems
• Veolia Transportation - operator of Viva

York Region Transit predecessors

• Aurora Transit
• Newmarket Transit
• Markham Transit
• Richmond Hill Transit
• Vaughan Transit

Greater Toronto Area transit

• GO Transit
• MoveOntario 2020

External links

• Viva Promotional Information (requires Shockwave Flash)
• YRT Information Site
• YRT/VIVA Fare Rates
• The Toronto LRT Information Page (possible VIVA LRV rendering is shown)