Just under four years ago, York Region Transit (YRT) added front-end bike racks to its fleet of over 300 "conventional" buses.
Just recently, the same bike racks were added to each bus on the Viva system, York Region's bus rapid transit service.
The result, says Christine Terin, marketing and communications manager with YRT/Viva, "all of the region's buses are now bike-friendly."
"People have wanted these [new] bike racks for a while, they've been witting for them," says Terin. "People have been seeing them on our conventional fleets for years...on the first day the Viva racks were in use, I saw people using them right away."
The YRT/Viva system (unlike the TTC) offers users a time-based transfer that allows unlimited travel on any YRT/Viva vehicle for up to two hours, in any direction, with a single cash fare. Now that each of the more than 400 buses is outfitted with bike racks, cyclists can combine multiple bus and bike trips with a single cash fare. There is no extra charge for transporting a bike.
"The great thing about this program is that people can take their bikes on local and longer trips," says Terin. "There is now bike infrastructure not only on buses but at every Viva station."
Bike 'N' Bus, as the rack program is called, is Metrolinx funded initiative and part of the Region's larger strategy to increase residents' use of active transportation.
The launch of the new Viva bike racks strategically conicides with this year's
York Region Bike Month; a series of events running from May 26 to June 26 promoting cycling and healthing living across southern Ontario.
Throughout the month--as well as at scattered events throughout the year--Terin and her colleagues will be demonstrating for residents how to use the front-end bus bike racks.
"We do a lot of outreach, we want to make sure people know about and understand the program," says Terin. "We're at over 200 events a year and we also make sure information is on our website and getting out there through social media. All of our drivers are also trained on how to use the bike racks so they're also able to assist riders."
Now that the racks are integrated across the whole system, Terin anticipates they will become even more widely used. The system is more convenient then ever - any rider using any of the over 120-routes YRT/Viva routes can travel throughout all nine municipalities knowing they can switch between bike and bus at any point during the trip.
"We know that we have a young audience on our system, a lot of high school and university students," says Terin. "This is really convenient for them because it makes getting around that much easier."
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: Christine Terin, Manager of Marketing and Communications, YRT/Viva