According to York Region Transit, “Ridership and the demand for transit service has significantly decreased with the closure of many schools, businesses, municipal and public spaces and more residents working from home…” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
YRT says it’s consistently reviewing ridership patterns to make sure its services continue to meet passenger demand and still allow for physical distancing on buses. “We know many York Region residents continue to rely on YRT, and we remain committed to delivering the exceptional service residents have come to expect,” it says.
Starting Sunday, April 5, YRT is extensively revising its services, after already having done so March 23. These service changes continue until further notice.
YRT is temporarily cancelling service along some routes but those services will resume in the future, after the COVID-19 crisis. However, note that it’s also taking this opportunity to permanently cancel other services, as it proposed in its 2020 Service Plan. These services will not resume.
The YRT trip planner and real-time application are unavailable until Sunday, April 26. Third-party real-time apps will also not reflect new schedules.
Starting Sunday, April 5, YRT is:
- adjusting the schedules for buses along routes “to meet current [passenger] demand”;
- operating with Saturday schedules Mondays to Fridays;
- decreasing Monday-to-Friday service along routes;
- temporarily cancelling service along routes;
- permanently cancelling service along routes “due to low ridership”;
- permanently replacing buses along routes with Mobility on-Request service.
- expanding Mobility on-Request services;
- introducing new Mobility on-Request services;
- cancelling Mobility on-Request services;
- increasing service along a few routes;
- operating with regular service along routes;
- making other changes to service along routes.
YRT is adjusting the schedules for buses along these routes “to meet current [passenger] demand”:
- Viva blue;
- Viva orange;
- Viva purple;
- Viva yellow;
- 7 Martin Grove;
- 9 Ninth Line;
- 20 Jane (Saturdays, Sundays and holidays only);
- 24 Woodbine;
- 25 Major Mackenzie;
- 107 / 107B Keele;
- 204 Berczy GO shuttle;
- 222 Aurora - Newmarket GO shuttle (YRT adjusting afternoon schedules to maintain service to passengers connecting with GO Transit trains at Aurora GO Station.)
YRT is operating with Saturday schedules Mondays to Fridays along these routes:
- 1 Highway 7;
- 4 / 4A Major Mackenzie;
- 5 Clark;
- 16 16th Avenue;
- 33 / 33A Wellington;
- 54 Bayview;
- 56 Gorham / Eagle;
- 57A Mulock;
- 77 Highway 7;
- 80 Elgin Mills;
- 85 Rutherford;
- 88 Bathurst;
- 90 Leslie (buses along the 90B branch continue to operate with regular Monday-to-Fridayschedules);
- 91 / 91A Bayview (buses along the 91B branch continue to operate with regular Monday-to-Fridayschedules);
- 98 Yonge;
- 98 / 99 Yonge late-night;
- 99 Yonge;
- 105 Dufferin; and
- 165 Weston.
Since YRT operates with Saturday service along the 105 Dufferin route, all buses operate to and from Rutherford Road. Buses don’t operate along Peter Rupert Avenue and to and from Major Mackenzie Drive West.
YRT is decreasing Monday-to-Friday service along these routes:
- 3 Thornhill;
- 8 Kennedy;
- 12 Pine Valley;
- 13 Islington;
- 14 14th Avenue;
- 18 Bur Oak;
- 20 Jane;
- 21 Vellore local;
- 22 King City (Mondays to Fridays);
- 23 Thornhill Woods;
- 26 Maple local;
- 32 Aurora South;
- 40 Unionville local;
- 41 Markham local;
- 44 Bristol;
- 50 Queensway;
- 52 Holland Landing;
- 83 / 83A Trench;
- 86 Newkirk - Red Maple;
- 87 Autumn Hill; and
- 96 Keele - Yonge.
YRT is temporarily cancelling service along these routes:
- Viva blue “A”;
- Viva green;
- Viva pink;
- 42 Berczy;
- 45 Mingay;
- 57 Mulock (buses continue to operate along the 57A branch);
- 81 Inspiration;
- 82 Valleymede;
- 85C Rutherford (buses continue to operate along the 85 branch);
- 91E Bayview express (buses continue to operate along the 91, 91A and 91B branches);
- 165F Weston (buses continue to operate along the 165 branch);
- 301 Markham express;
- 302 Unionville express;
- 304 Mount Joy express;
- 760 Vaughan Mills / Wonderland (a seasonal route - buses don’t usually operate along the route during early spring.)
YRT is permanently cancelling service along these routes “due to low ridership”:
- 13 Islington (Saturdays only - buses continue to operate Mondays to Fridays);
- 15 Stouffville local;
- 22 King City (Saturdays only - buses will resume Monday-to-Friday service after the COVID-19 crisis.)
- 28 Huntington;
- 40 Unionville local (Sundays and holidays only - buses continue to operate Mondays to Fridays and Saturdays);
- 40 Markham local (Sundays and holidays only - buses continue to operate Mondays to Fridays and Saturdays);
- 44 Bristol (Saturdays only - buses continue to operate Mondays to Fridays);
- 50 Queensway (Limited service between Sutton and Pefferlaw early Monday-to-Friday mornings and late evenings all week ends “due to low ridership”. All other route 50 service continues);
- 55 Davis Drive (buses continue to operate along the former 55B branch Mondays to Fridays during rush hours - branch 55B is now the only path for all buses along route 55.)
- 56 Gorham - Eagle;
- 77A Highway 7 (buses continue to operate along the main 77 branch. YRT says, “This route was originally implemented in order to avoid construction delays and traffic due to rapidway construction along Highway 7 West. In January 2020, the final piece of the Highway 7 West rapidway was completed along Bathurst and Centre Street.”).
YRT is permanently replacing buses along these routes by introducing new Mobility on-Request services or expanding current Mobility on-Request services:
- 10 Woodbridge - Mobility on-Request Woodbridge replaces buses along route 10, operating Mondays to Fridays from 9:30 a.m. until 7:45 p.m.;
- 31 Aurora North - Mobility on-Request Aurora - Oak Ridges replaces buses along route 31, operating Mondays to Fridays from 7 a.m. until 10:45 p.m.
- 51 Keswick local - Mobility on-Request Keswick replaces buses along route 51, operating Mondays to Fridays from 8 a.m. until 10:45 p.m. Alternatives before 8 a.m. include Mobility on-Request North or regular buses along the 50 Queensway route.
- 58 Mount Albert — Mobility on-Request Mount Albert replace buses along route 58, operating Mondays to Fridays from 8 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. Alternatives before 8 a.m. include Mobility on-Request North or regular buses along the 50 Queensway route.
- 84 Oak Ridges — Mobility on-Request Aurora - Oak Ridges replaces buses along route 84, operating Mondays to Fridays from 7 a.m. until 10:45 p.m.
- 520 / 521 Newmarket local - Mobility on-Request Newmarket local replaces buses along routes 520 and 521, operating Mondays to Fridays from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
- 589 / 590 Richmond Hill local - Mobility on-Request Richmond Hill local replaces buses along routes 589 and 590, operating Mondays to Fridays from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
YRT is expanding these Mobility on-Request services:
- Aurora and Oak Ridges — replacing the 31 Aurora North and 84 Oak Ridges routes and supplementing the 32 Aurora South route.
- Keswick — replacing the 51 Keswick local route.
- Mount Albert — replacing the 58 Mount Albert route.
- Woodbridge — replacing the 10 Woodbridge route.
YRT is introducing these new Mobility on Request services:
- Newmarket local - replacing the 520 / 521 Newmarket local routes.
- Richmond Hill local - replacing the 589 / 590 Richmond Hill local routes.
YRT is cancelling these Mobility on-Request services:
- Stouffville; and
- Bristol (Saturdays only; on-Request still available Mondays to Fridays).
YRT is increasing service along these routes:
- 55 Davis Drive — YRT is renaming Route 55B rush-hour service as Route 55 and extending the path so that buses operate to and from 404 Town Centre.
- 96 Keele - Yonge — Starting Saturday, April 11, YRT introduces new Saturday service along the route, replacing Saturday service along the 22 King City route. Buses operate along the route about every hour from about 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. Saturdays.
- 240 Mill Pond GO shuttle - Starting Monday, April 6, YRT is operating a new trip along the route. The bus leaves Richmond Hill GO Station at 8:25 a.m.
- 522 Markham local - YRT is operating an earlier bus along the route. The first eastbound bus leaves Hagerman’s Corners at 7:45 a.m. The first westbound bus leaves Tony Wong Place at 7:43 a.m. And, the first westbound bus leaves Markham Stouffville Hospital at 7:51 a.m.
Apparently, buses operate along these routes with regular schedules and without change:
- 201 Markham GO shuttle;
- 202 Unionville GO shuttle;
- 203 Milliken GO shuttle;
- 243 Beverley Acres GO shuttle;
- 243 Redstone GO shuttle;
- 300 Business express; and
- 303 Bur Oak express.
Making other changes to services
- 50 Queensway — buses operate from platform 1 at Newmarket Terminal.
- 55 Davis Drive — YRT is renaming Route 55B rush-hour service as Route 55 and extending the path so that buses operate to and from 404 Town Centre.
- 98 Yonge — buses operate from platform 11 at Newmarket Terminal.
- 98 / 99 Yonge late-night — buses operate from platform 11 at Newmarket Terminal.
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