miWay Transit

[doady]

One thing that Brampton has over MiWay would be that at least all buses try their best to connect to one of the Zum routes whether they are on grid or not, so you wouldn't have to take more than 2 buses to most areas. MiWay needs to think more grid like, especially on their N-S corridors.

You could technically make McLaughin/Confederation into one route the same way that the Bramalea and Dixie buses head to the BCC terminal and then back on grid, or at the very least interline both the 28 and 66 routes.

Mavis should stop heading to CCTT, head down to Dundas and either go to UTM, Cooksville, or Trillium. Erin Mills should have a proper bus route from Steeles to Clarkson, as it is ridiculous that you need to take 4 whole buses to head up and down the corridor, and 1 of them includes a GO Bus.

Maybe have extra smaller routes too like one going on Tenth Line to Eglinton then on Ridgeway. Or extend the 44 to head to Port Credit on Misssissauga Rd.

Diverting buses off Dixie and Bramalea to serve the terminal is more a hub-and-spoke type of service than a grid type of service. Some corridors like Rutherford Road S and West Dr don't even have full two-way service. Brampton Transit route 10 is the worst route in the entire GTA.

Mavis south of Rathburn is a bad corridor compared to Confederation, which is lined with mixed use and high rise development. McLaughlin is also very close to Mavis, so they only one of them needs to go south of Rathburn.

48 Erin Mills from Clarkson to Steeles would be an extremely long route, and there is no terminal at Steeles for buses to layover and operators to rest. Erin Mills north of Eglinton is not a busy corridor compared to Glen Erin. Mississauga Road of Dundas is even worse.

 

[MiExpress]

Next week's Transit Advisory Committee agenda has been posted. There are three staff presentations on the agenda which i'll attach rather than linking because if the agenda gets amended the links go dead.

Some points of interest from the presentations:

MiWay Service Update Presentation

• Revenue ridership is projected to decline 8% in 2025 vs 2024. The decline in post-secondary ridership due to immigration restrictions as well as rising unemployment is contributing to this.
• One slide has a chart showing on a per-capita basis, investment in transit and service hours per capita over the last 10 years. While the financial investment in transit has steadily increased over the last 10 years, service hours have not necessarily followed the same trend. Without question, there is a need for more service hours, but the ever increasing cost of delivering service means you get less service hours relative to the financial investment.
• Related to the point above, service hours can be calculated in three different ways: in-service time only (time the vehicle is on route, not including layovers), total time (including both on route time and layovers) and total vehicle hours (in service, layover, deadheads). If the graph for service hours per capita is only showing in-service time, this can be slightly misleading as many routes have received significant additions to layover times in their schedules.
• Routes with growing ridership are those serving employment and industrial areas, but the routes listed (43, 70, 74, 108) are relatively lower ridership so the percentage increases are not relative.
• Routes with the highest ridership declines are 18 Derry, 5 Dixie, 22 Finch, 66 McLaughlin, 57 Courtneypark with 21-26% loss of ridership. Context is important however; with the exception of the 5 Dixie all these routes saw explosive growth due to international stduent ridership and even with these declines, are still likely to equalize or exceed pre-covid ridership.
• Routes with capacity issues planned for 2026 improvements are 1, 11, 26/126, 44, 101, 109, 110. Given the tough budget year the city faces, some of this could be accomplished by reallocating service from routes with ridership declines.
• The 23 Lakeshore, a significant grid route, is shown as experiencing crowding issues yet not listed for improvements (peak service was cut from 14 min to 26 min during covid)
• Really happy to see the 109 on the short list for improvements given it's network significance. Hopefully a similar service boost that the 107 received recently. Increasing the weekday midday frequency from 20 min to 15 min and weekend base frequency from 30 min to 20 min would be a significant step. However that still doesn't get it to where 109 service was pre-covid - 12 min weekday midday and 15-17 min weekend base frequency.

MiWay 5 Plus Update

• Finalized report and presentation to council in February 2026.
• Maps included in presentation are what was included in the surveys and shared previously in this thread.
• Route 50 is still shown for implementation despite intervention (micromanagement) from the local councillor's office killing the idea based on a survey that generated 70 responses.
• Grid routes are classified as tier 1 and tier 2, with tier 1 having higher frequency standards. However, no indication of what routes fall into which tier and the cynic in me suggests that it will never be public knowledge, so routes can be classified based on budget or service constraints, and classification of routes can be changed between tiers on a whim. Can't afford to keep a route tier 1? Classify it tier 2.
• There is an acknowledgement from survey feedback that service spans need to improve, but the proposed minimum span standards across all service types are abysmal and go against that goal.
• Mention of building up a overnight 24/7 network of routes but no indication which routes.

 

[Lake Ontario]

Bids are open for:

Professional Consulting Services Required for the Design of MiWay’s Third Garage (West Credit)

Bids and Tenders - Mississauga

mississauga.bidsandtenders.ca

PRC005161 - Request for Proposal for Detailed Design and Construction Administration of Parking Lot Upgrades at Cawthra Transitway Station – New Bus Loop, Bus Parking

Bids and Tenders - Mississauga

mississauga.bidsandtenders.ca

 

[doady]

Location for the next garage:

Street View · Google Maps

Explore a place in a more immersive way in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

Oh so close to Derry Road, maybe an opportunity for trolley buses to serve the 42/42A Derry? Other potential routes for trolley buses: 39 Britannia, 43 Matheson, 45 Winston Churchill. If they are truly serious about electrification.

I think it will be a mistake to not have the 142 serve Humber College and connect with the LRT.

Britannia Road and Derry Road between Ninth Line and Winston Churchill is a very obvious gap on their "2030 Core Network Map", unless they are expecting Milton Transit to step in...

 

[Bojaxs]

Location for the next garage:

Street View · Google Maps

Explore a place in a more immersive way in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

Oh so close to Derry Road, maybe an opportunity for trolley buses to serve the 42/42A Derry? Other potential routes for trolley buses: 39 Britannia, 43 Matheson, 45 Winston Churchill. If they are truly serious about electrification.

I think it will be a mistake to not have the 142 serve Humber College and connect with the LRT.

Britannia Road and Derry Road between Ninth Line and Winston Churchill is a very obvious gap on their "2030 Core Network Map", unless they are expecting Milton Transit to step in...

In this day and age of battery powered electric buses, why would Mississauga consider trolley buses???

 

[drum118]

Location for the next garage:

Street View · Google Maps

Explore a place in a more immersive way in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

Oh so close to Derry Road, maybe an opportunity for trolley buses to serve the 42/42A Derry? Other potential routes for trolley buses: 39 Britannia, 43 Matheson, 45 Winston Churchill. If they are truly serious about electrification.

I think it will be a mistake to not have the 142 serve Humber College and connect with the LRT.

Britannia Road and Derry Road between Ninth Line and Winston Churchill is a very obvious gap on their "2030 Core Network Map", unless they are expecting Milton Transit to step in...

You will never see trolley buses in Mississauga or the GTAH due to the high cost of maintaining the overhead system regardless if the bus can go off route when wires are down..

Why a mistake for 142 when 107 service Humber College today??

 

[doady]

In this day and age of battery powered electric buses, why would Mississauga consider trolley buses???

Because batteries are terrible for the environment.

You will never see trolley buses in Mississauga or the GTAH due to the high cost of maintaining the overhead system regardless if the bus can go off route when wires are down..

Why a mistake for 142 when 107 service Humber College today??

Because buses on Derry should connect to the Finch LRT. Same way buses on Eglinton, Burnhamthorpe, Rathburn, Bloor, Dundas connect to the subway.

 

[drum118]

Because batteries are terrible for the environment.


Because buses on Derry should connect to the Finch LRT. Same way buses on Eglinton, Burnhamthorpe, Rathburn, Bloor, Dundas connect to the subway.

The ridership for 142 doesn't justify it going to Humber and will become duplication of service with poor cost ratio. All the other routes are not dupications to a point. Rathburn is part of a dupication of 126 and 26 while Dundas is an combination of a number of duplication but it offer better service as a trunkline for most of the route that has the 2nd highest ridership in the system. Dundas routes all start at Kipling and branch off starting at Mississauga Rd and Erin Mills while 142 starts at Westwood with the 107 starts at Humber. The 107 is feeded by other routes at Westwood for both directions.

When Finch LRT is extended to the Woodbine Station and then to the airport, the 142 would connect to it then but how do you deal with the Westwood riders wanting to use the 142??. Current ridership on Derry as well Burnhamthorpe do not justify express buses at this time as well Eglinton. If you are talking close to 20,000 riders then an express bus is needed not 10,000 or less.

 

[doady]

The ridership for 142 doesn't justify it going to Humber and will become duplication of service with poor cost ratio. All the other routes are not dupications to a point. Rathburn is part of a dupication of 126 and 26 while Dundas is an combination of a number of duplication but it offer better service as a trunkline for most of the route that has the 2nd highest ridership in the system. Dundas routes all start at Kipling and branch off starting at Mississauga Rd and Erin Mills while 142 starts at Westwood with the 107 starts at Humber. The 107 is feeded by other routes at Westwood for both directions.

When Finch LRT is extended to the Woodbine Station and then to the airport, the 142 would connect to it then but how do you deal with the Westwood riders wanting to use the 142??. Current ridership on Derry as well Burnhamthorpe do not justify express buses at this time as well Eglinton. If you are talking close to 20,000 riders then an express bus is needed not 10,000 or less.

Are you seriously suggesting that Derry does not have close to 20,000 riders? Derry is the second busiest corridor in Mississauga. It surpassed Dundas in 2023. It has more than twice the ridership of Burnhamthorpe. Why do you think they are doing a study for LRT along Derry Road?

The busiest east-west transit corridor in Mississauga should connect to the TTC. Other than Bristol Road, it is the only east-west corridor with no connection the TTC. I am not even calling for the 42/42A to connect with the TTC, just the 142. I don't think it is too much to ask.

 

[drum118]

Are you seriously suggesting that Derry does not have close to 20,000 riders? Derry is the second busiest corridor in Mississauga. It surpassed Dundas in 2023. It has more than twice the ridership of Burnhamthorpe. Why do you think they are doing a study for LRT along Derry Road?

The busiest east-west transit corridor in Mississauga should connect to the TTC. Other than Bristol Road, it is the only east-west corridor with no connection the TTC. I am not even calling for the 42/42A to connect with the TTC, just the 142. I don't think it is too much to ask.

Your numbers say there isn't 20,000
2. 42 Derry: 11766 (+54%) in post #1,503

 

[jys]

MiWay Service Update Presentation

• One slide has a chart showing on a per-capita basis, investment in transit and service hours per capita over the last 10 years. While the financial investment in transit has steadily increased over the last 10 years, service hours have not necessarily followed the same trend. Without question, there is a need for more service hours, but the ever increasing cost of delivering service means you get less service hours relative to the financial investment.
• Related to the point above, service hours can be calculated in three different ways: in-service time only (time the vehicle is on route, not including layovers), total time (including both on route time and layovers) and total vehicle hours (in service, layover, deadheads). If the graph for service hours per capita is only showing in-service time, this can be slightly misleading as many routes have received significant additions to layover times in their schedules

Confirmed it only includes in-service time. No layover time, no deadheading time.

MiWay 5 Plus Update

• Grid routes are classified as tier 1 and tier 2, with tier 1 having higher frequency standards. However, no indication of what routes fall into which tier and the cynic in me suggests that it will never be public knowledge, so routes can be classified based on budget or service constraints, and classification of routes can be changed between tiers on a whim. Can't afford to keep a route tier 1? Classify it tier 2..
• Mention of building up a overnight 24/7 network of routes but no indication which routes.

It was clarified that tier 1 and tier 2 are indeed simply standards, and which tier a route falls into can change overtime based on ridership profile. I share your concern, I'd like to see MiWay publish the thresholds separating tier 1 and 2 so they can held accountable.
Similarly, no firm commitment on which routes will receive overnight service. MiWay is looking at several promising routes, final decision will come down to the ridership profile. I'd also like to see more transparency in this process.

 

[ShonTron]

I have a real soft spot for trolley buses, but I only see new systems coming on line where overhead wire is practical for a long, relatively straight section with minimal special work where many buses can charge, then continue off wire. At the same time, it doesn’t make as much sense anymore for systems with still-extant trolley overhead to take them down (though complex special work for low-use turns are no longer necessary, saving some maintenance costs.)

I can’t think of many routes in the 905 where such in-motion charging wire would be cost-effective because of frequency or long sections of common routing. Maybe on sections of the Dundas and Queen BRT routes; maybe Burnhamthorpe and/or Transitway too.

 

[ShonTron]

Are you seriously suggesting that Derry does not have close to 20,000 riders? Derry is the second busiest corridor in Mississauga. It surpassed Dundas in 2023. It has more than twice the ridership of Burnhamthorpe. Why do you think they are doing a study for LRT along Derry Road?

The busiest east-west transit corridor in Mississauga should connect to the TTC. Other than Bristol Road, it is the only east-west corridor with no connection the TTC. I am not even calling for the 42/42A to connect with the TTC, just the 142. I don't think it is too much to ask.

When Woodbine GO Station opens, it could be an ideal terminus for a few Miway routes too. The 142 could be a good option.

It would be good too to improve transfers at Derry and Airport Road, which right now is a really hostile place to be despite all the bus routes passing by. Bigger shelters, queue jumps, and a better pedestrian access to the GO Malton platforms from the street could go a long way.

 

[doady]

Your numbers say there isn't 20,000
2. 42 Derry: 11766 (+54%) in post #1,503

That is 42 Derry only. Doesn't include 18 Derry. From the document I posted on the previous page:

Weekday boardings, October board period, 2024

2 Hurontario: 9392
17 Hurontario: 3598
103 Hurontario Express: 4532

18 Derry: 5071
42 Derry: 11766

1 Dundas: 9649
101 Dundas Express: 5780

Total

Hurontario: 17522
Derry: 16837
Dundas: 15429

I have to correct my previous post, Derry actually has approx 70% higher ridership than Burnhamthorpe if you include 126 Burnhamthorpe Express. Regardless, Burnhamthorpe is definitely not in the same category or tier as Derry.

 

[doady]

I have a real soft spot for trolley buses, but I only see new systems coming on line where overhead wire is practical for a long, relatively straight section with minimal special work where many buses can charge, then continue off wire. At the same time, it doesn’t make as much sense anymore for systems with still-extant trolley overhead to take them down (though complex special work for low-use turns are no longer necessary, saving some maintenance costs.)

I can’t think of many routes in the 905 where such in-motion charging wire would be cost-effective because of frequency or long sections of common routing. Maybe on sections of the Dundas and Queen BRT routes; maybe Burnhamthorpe and/or Transitway too.

Future bus garage beside the busiest east-west transit corridor in Mississauga, so I was just considering the possibilities. It is interesting to hear your explanation because we don't have trolley buses here so sometimes I wonder about them. They are currently studying LRT along Derry, so maybe Derry will have overhead wires either way.

I am very skeptical of battery powered electric vehicles with the impact of lithium mining and battery disposal. I think transit agencies should electrify with overhead wires or third rail instead. I think it sends the wrong message too, that not having a car and getting on a normal bus is bad for the environment.

Of course, I was stuck on a train on the Bloor-Danforth Line for over 30 minutes a couple months ago due to a power outtage. Maybe batteries would have been useful there...