York Region

The York Region transit authority was determined to make a substantial difference in the mobility and quality of life of its residents thanks to a major evolution in public transportation provision. In this part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), known for heavy traffic congestion, the challenge was to attract residents by providing an innovative, top-quality transit system and work with a partner capable of delivering a long-term transportation infrastructure and service vision.

• Assist York Region in developing and implementing an ambitious transportation vision.
• Guarantee all passengers outstanding service on all their routes.
• Encourage ridership use by offering a real alternative to the automobile.
• Ensure the maintenance of equipment and training of all staff aimed at customer satisfaction.

Veolia Transdev experts in bus rapid transit and operations have been the key at several stages of the contract lifecycle, notably:

• operational and network design experience to support an aggressive launch schedule and addition of supplementary routes and services as part of the York Region Transit Master Plan,
• introduction of modern, high-performance vehicle and passenger information systems associated to BRT,
• advice on adoption of environmentally-friendly alternative fuels based on worldwide experience,
• extensive re-evaluation and analysis of the broader bus network to create a balanced and integrated transit system,
• preparation of dedicated lanes reserved exclusively for Viva rapid transit vehicles, allowing them to move effortlessly past traffic congestion,
• strategic diagnosis of passenger flows and travel times in order to improve ridership.

Result: International resources to assist York Region improve the efficiency and attractiveness of existing and future systems.

In a region with a strong attachment to the automobile, it was essential to address the image deficit of public transportation at critical launch stage.

• Branding: a fresh new image in public transportation was created for the VIVA brand and the service commitments it represents.
• Clarity:
  - a simple colour-coded system has been applied to route as the network has expanded,
  - services across all routes run at regular 15 minute intervals off-peak and 5 minute intervals during peak times.
• Customer service: special attention was paid during the launch phases of additional lines to welcome new passengers, orientate users around the new vehicles and network design, and be on site with guidance for new automated ticket machines.
• Customer satisfaction: using our internationally developed methodology to understand what passengers want and their level of satisfaction has become a regular initiative.

Result: Less than 2.07 complaints per 100,000 passenger boardings in 2010.