Entry #48 Peak Hour Service

What seems the be the most brought up topic to my attention is peak hour service. Peak hour is also known as rush-hour service. Before I continue on, rush-hour service is defined as service that is provided Monday to Friday between 6:30am and 9:00am and 2:30pm and 7:00pm. There are certain routes that operate during the AM and PM peak periods, those routes are routes:
1 Queen-River (every 15 minutes during the school year)
3 Ottawa South (every 15 minutes for the school year)
5 Erb (instead of interlining with the 29 during the PM rush hour, there is an extra 5 operating until the end of service)
7 Mainline (extra trips on the 7B, 7D and 7E branches)
8 University-Fairview Park (extra trips on the 8 University branches)
9 Lakeshore (every 15 minutes during the AM and PM rush hours, there are midday trips between UW and Cedarbrea due to overcrowding)
11 Country Hills (every 15 minutes for the school year)
12 Conestoga Mall-Fairview Park (during the school year, route 12 during the AM rush hour ends at University and King as for the PM rush hour goes all the way to Conestoga Mall and in the AM the peak 12 starts at Conestoga Mall, once the Universities get out the 12 during the AM and PM rush hours, end at University at King)
13 Laurelwood (every 15 minutes during the AM and PM rush hours, there are midday trips between UW and Laurelwood and Blue Beech due to overcrowding)
14 Waterloo Industrial
20 Victoria-Frederick (every 15 minutes due to over crowding)
21 Elmira (because this is a township route, route 21 operates hourly during the midday and every 30 minutes during the AM and PM peak), route
33 Huron (operates from Forest Glen Plaza to the Huron Industrial Park and the Huron Village)
34 Bingemans (Operates from Charles St. Terminal to the Shirley-Bingemans Centre industrial Park and Bingemans Park)
57 Blair Road
67 Lovell Industrial
72 Cherry Blossom BusPlus
73 Northlake BusPlus (operates from Mccorminc community centre to Northlake Drive and Conservation Drive neighbourhood)
76 Doon South BusPlus (Operates from Conestoga College Doon to the Pioneer Plaza via Doon South Drive)
77 Wilmot BusPlus (Operates from The Boardwalk to New Hamburg via Highland Road, Snyder's Road, Huron Street, and Peel Street)
91 Late Night Loop (Operates from September to June only)
92 University Loop (operates during the fall and winter terms only)
110 Conestoga College/Fairview Park Express (operates from Fall to Winter terms only)
111 Ainslie/Conestoga College Express (operates from Ainslie Street to Conestoga Cambridge and Doon ever 40-45 minutes during the Fall and Winter terms only)
116 Forest Glen/Conestoga College Express (Operates during the Fall and Winter terms only)
201 Fischer-Hallman iXpress (operates every 15 minutes for the fall and winter terms. No service from May until September  30 minute midday and 15 minute rush-hour)
202 University iXpress  (operates every 15 minutes dfor the fall and winter terms. 30 minute midday and 15 minute rush-hour)
203 Mid-Region iXpress (During the AM and PM rush-hours the 203 operates between Cambridge Centre, the L.G. Lovell Industrial Park, Hespeler, Sportsworld and Conestoga College Doon and Cambridge Campuses for the fall and winter terms. No service from May until September)
204 Victoria-Highland iXpress (Summer and Christmas time, every 30 minutes 15 minute peak)

What bothers myself the most is when a new route gets implemented, it get's peak hour service only, that gives the folks that live in the area limited service and cannot get to doctors appointments, spend time with family and friends or catch a movie during the day. In my personal opinion, there should be no peak hour service. Everything should be operating, even just hourly service to the neighbourhoods would be better than having peak service. In other cities outside the Region, for example Brampton, everything operates, there is no peak hour service.

As a person that enjoys transit, I believe that there should be no peak hour service, everything should be operating because it's all about moving people and getting them around the Region quickly with reliable transportation.

Entry #47: Route 77 Wilmot and the Possible Expansion to other Townships

Starting next Monday (April 25) GRT's new BusPlus pilot project, route 77 Wilmot will begin servicing The Boardwalk in Kitchener-Waterloo and the Wilmot Township communities of Petersburg, Baden and New Hamburg. When reading more information about this new pilot project, the Regional planners are calling for 80-90 people a day (10-11 customers per hour). When the Regional planners put that in the report for the project, this will probably become a full conventional bus (40 foot bus). A new feature for this project is the flex routing. Flex routing is when a customer has to phone into GRT and they will be sent to a dispatch agent and the agent will determine if the route can do the flex routing. Personally, I am not a fan of the flex routing (just because of it takes the route out of it's way, and if successful, the flex routing would not work for a full 40 foot bus.) 

After hearing about the project, and knowing this route will do very well, the main question that came into my head was, what about the other townships? Taking a cab from North Dumbries (Ary), Woolwhich (Breslau, Maryhill, Conestoga, Elmira, and St. Jacobs) and Wellesley (Wellesley, St. Clements, Heidlburg, Linwood) can get very very expensive.  With this being the second township bus route, the first being route 21 Elmira, and shown that the 21 is very successful, why not give the 21 30 minute service during the week and Saturdays, even introduce hourly or maybe 40 minute Sunday service to see what ridership is like. I know this is all being very thoughtful and giving bus service to the townships would provide a direct link to spending time with family and friends, getting to part-time and full time jobs, see a movie, do errands in the city, going to the Airport and making connections to other GRT routes so people can move around the Region easily and quickly. 

Personally, I believe that route 77 will be a very successful route and will turn out to be a second route 21, busy and people can make other connections with other GRT routes and move freely throughout the Region. 

Entry #46 Route 77 New Hamburg-The Boardwalk

Some exciting news for the folks that live in the communities of Petersburg, Baden and New Hamburg, GRT has finalized the routing for the busPlus route New Hamburg and the Boardwalk. The route will be named route 77 and will travel from the Boardwalk, to the Medical Centre then continue along Ira Needles to Highland Road, out Highland Road/Snyders Road East, Waterloo Street, Huron Street and Peel Road. This route will operate every 1 hour and 15 minutes Monday to Friday. This is on for a 1-year trial basis to see if the BusPlus would be a success. If proven a success, more service would probably be added to the route, and start to put a 40 foot bus on the route (something similar to the route 21 Elmira). To bring a positive look on this pilot project, I believe that this trial run of route 77 will be a success as I believe in reaching out to the townships and provide transit service so that the people will have a safe and reliable way to come in and out of the city.

Here is the the schedule for route 77 departing the Boardwalk:
7:00am, 8:15am, 9:30am, 3:00pm, 4:15pm, 5:30pm and 6:45pm

Here is the schedule leaving New Hamburg back to the Boardwalk:
7:45am, 9:00am, 10:15am, 2:35pm, 3:45pm, 5:00pm, and 6:45pm

I am very excited to take route 77 out for a ride out and back to New Hamburg from the Boardwalk!