After reading a
recent column about overcrowded TTC buses, Adam Armstrong writes,
“We in Mississauga have the same problem on our transit. They have
recently switched from 60-foot (articulated buses) on the Hurontario
routes, to 40 footers -- and at the beginning, it was a nightmare.
“Practically
every bus was packed right to the front door. If a bus was too
crowded, they went out of service and no replacements came. I
contacted the lady who does the route planning, and was told that it
is because they don't have enough Ontario Government money for more
buses.
“Correct me if
I am wrong, but doesn't our government want people to use public
transit? If so, then why don't they fully fund it? Mississauga is no
longer a suburb of Toronto. We are quickly becoming a major Canadian
city.”
Although I
don’t take Mississauga Transit (MT) often, last weekend I boarded a
bus that arrived on time, but was full. 15 or so people were
standing -- at 10 a.m. Sunday morning.
As Yonge Street
is to Toronto or York Region, Hurontario Street is Mississauga’s
busiest transit corridor. On August 1, MT implemented major changes
to its system.
Director Bill
Cunningham says MT added a new route on Hurontario, and “The
combined frequency of the 19 and 19A from Port Credit to Britannia
(Road) was improved to 6 to 7 minutes in the peak periods from 8 to
9 -- an improvement of 2 minute frequency, which is significant.”
MT also created
the Hurontario Express 202, which has limited stops. He says the
ride from Port Credit to Shoppers World in Brampton is shorter by
about 20 minutes compared to route 19.
Cunningham
confirms MT retired 21 extra-long buses, replacing them with 35 new,
regular sized vehicles. He says, “We did that because we felt that
the 6 to 7 minute frequency (on the 19 and 19A) would be sufficient
to carry the loads.
“But what we
found, unfortunately, was that route 202 has taken a while for
people to get used to,” he says, adding MT will begin “focused
marketing” to promote the limited-stop route. “We also encourage
people to call our transit information line, (905-615-4636) to get
the proper information they need ... if they’re confused about the
service levels on the Hurontario corridor.”
He says, “The
more people who take 202, which is somewhat under-utilized, will
relieve the congestion on the regular 19s, and reduce the ‘closed
door’ crowded congestion occurrences.”
‘Closed doors,’
explains Cunningham, means “that the bus is at absolute capacity,
cannot carry any more people, and when it pulls up to the stop, we
can’t service that stop.” He reports, “on a weekly basis, over the
whole system, we’re probably averaging 70 to 80 occurrences per
week.” He says “If we had buses available, we’d plug those buses in
at those times.”
Budget
restraints also mean weekend service is well below current demand.
The MT director admits, “We know that we are underserviced on
weekends -- our drivers and customers constantly complain about
that... and we’re trying to address that, but that’s clearly an
issue.”
Coming up, I’ve
asked Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion to speak about improving
transit in her city, as well as throughout greater Toronto.