Viva Rapid Transit is expanding again

 

Yonge Street line to service Newmarket

 

NEWMARKET – On Sunday, November 20th, Viva will be further expanding its service to include a new link to the Town of Newmarket.

 

The service expansion will include:

 

• Blue route: Viva service will operate from Newmarket GO Terminal to Finch Station in five to 10 minute intervals during peak time
• Purple route: Viva service will be extended from York University to Martin Grove Road/Highway 7 during the peak hours on weekdays
• Green route: Viva service will operate between McCowan/Highway 7 and the Don Mills Subway Station in the weekday peak hours every 10 minutes

 

Viva was launched on September 4th, with service expanded on October 16th.  The latest expansion marks the implementation of the third of four phases, with the latest expansion set for January 1, 2006.

 

Ridership for 2005, through September (which includes Viva ridership since the launch), is up more than 11 per cent over the same time period last year.  At the current rate of growth, transit ridership in York Region is set to exceed 10 per cent for the fifth straight year.

 

Frequency is the hallmark of Viva with rapid transit vehicles arriving every five to 10 minutes during peak periods. New fare vending machines, located at all Viva stations and terminals, sell tickets that can be used on both Viva and YRT with no increase in price. Tickets are valid for 120 minutes, giving passengers up to two hours to hop on and hop off to run errands. Along with this frequency and flexibility, Viva also provides real time information so passengers know exactly when the next vehicle is arriving.

 

When the first phase of Viva is fully implemented, York Region estimates these initial improvements will lead to a 30 per-cent increase in transit ridership or an additional 4.5 million riders – moving 7,000 cars a day off the major arterial roads.

 

For more information on Viva please visit www.vivayork.com  

 

For YRT route and schedule information, please visit the YRT Web site at: www.yrt.ca