http://www.thestar.com/news/transportation/article/1014817--brampton-prepares-to-zum-zoom
Brampton prepares to Züm zoom
Brampton Transit launched Züm, a new express bus service on designated routes.
RICK MADONIK/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO
Ryan Starr
Special to the Star
Zoe likes to Züm.
Zoe Leandro, a Brampton resident who works in customer service for a pizzeria chain, thinks Brampton’s new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, dubbed Züm (pronounced zoom), is a big improvement for her growing town.
“It’s so much better,†she says. “The buses are a lot faster, you never have to wait long, and they’re more comfortable.
“I think this is the best thing that Brampton could do for Brampton people.â€
The city’s first BRT line — which launched last September — runs along Queen St., connecting downtown Brampton to York University.
Züm is integrated with the transit systems of Brampton’s GTA neighbours. There are tie-ins with York Regional Transit, Mississauga Transit, as well as GO Transit and the Toronto Transit Commission.
Riders can connect to the TTC by taking the BRT to York University and on hopping an express bus to Downsview subway station.
Two additional Brampton BRT lines will be built over the next two years, one along Main St. and another on Steeles Ave.
The new Queen St. line, though only in its first year of operation, has already provided Brampton Transit ample evidence of the pent-up demand that had existed for better bus service on that busy corridor.
Ridership along the Züm Queen St. corridor in March 2011 increased by 26.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2010, according to Brampton Transit’s review of the BRT’s first six months of operation.
This spike contributed to a new all-time monthly ridership record of 1.398 million riders. All told in 2010, a total of 13.8 million riders used Brampton Transit, an increase of more than 1.5 million compared to 2009.
It was an all-time high for the system, and Brampton Transit attributes much of the growth to the launch of Züm.
“We think we’ve really attracted attention and they’ve seen our service as a new travel option,†says Brampton Transit director Sue Connor.
“We put a plan in place to improve the transit service in Brampton and clearly we’ve delivered what our residents want.â€
Though the BRT buses operate mainly in mixed traffic, the system is more efficient because it has a limited number of stops and employs “transit signal priority†technology. Buses can manipulate traffic lights — lengthen a green, shorten a red — to stay on time.
Signal controls are only triggered if the bus is running late, mind you. “It doesn’t make the bus go faster,†Connor says. “It keeps it to the schedule.â€
Once the bus clears the intersection it heads into a dedicated bus lane, allowing traffic to carry on.
Züm provides customers with real-time schedule information at all terminals and station stops, as well as online, by phone or on mobile devices.
“If for some reason we’re a little bit off schedule because of traffic, the person waiting at the station knows the time of the next three buses arriving there,†Connor explains. “From my personal experience when I use the service, you automatically get a sense of comfort when you can look over your shoulder and see what time the next bus is going to be there.â€
Plus, BRT waiting areas are heated and the buses have plush, high-back seats.
It’s all enough to make this TTC rider shed a tear.
Züm is eco-friendly, too. The buses have hybrid diesel-electric engines and are 10 per cent lighter than conventional vehicles so they’re more fuel efficient. The buses are also equipped with energy-saving LED headlights and interior lighting, and a high-efficiency climate control system.
Züm cash fare is $3.25, the same as the other Brampton Transit service. All Brampton Transit transfers, tickets and passes can be used for Züm. For riders who use the new PRESTO system, which was introduced in May, the Züm fare is $2.65.
PRESTO enables commuters to travel between multiple transit systems using a single card (it’s currently in use in Hamilton, Burlington and Oakville, and at select GO and TTC stations).
Riders load the card with a dollar amount and simply tap it when boarding a bus or train and the fare is deducted automatically (no need for exact change, tickets and transfers).
The first Züm line began operation in September along Queen St., which Brampton has identified as its priority corridor.
The city is working with Metrolinx — the regional transportation authority — to determine whether Queen might eventually need a BRT with dedicated lanes, or expand to accommodate a light rail transit line, if population densities warrant.
Connor says the city has already seen a number of development applications spurred by the launch of the Queen BRT. “Developers are using it as a marketing tool for their properties.â€
A second BRT line along Main St. will be completed this fall.
It will run from Sandalwood Parkway in the north end of Brampton and run down Hurontario St. to Mississauga Transit’s City Centre terminal, at the north side of the Square One shopping centre.
“Hurontario is already a very heavy transit user corridor,†Connor says. “So we are expecting another increase in ridership when we launch on Main St.â€
Given the heavy traffic along this corridor, planning is underway for a Hurontario/Main Street LRT line that stretches from Port Credit to Queen St. in Brampton.
The third Brampton BRT line, on Steeles, will be built by late 2012.
It will run from the Shoppers World Terminal at Steeles Ave. and Hurontario St. to Humber College’s north campus at Finch Ave. and Highway 27.
Phase two will include the extension of the existing Queen St. and Steeles Ave. lines to the west, and construction of a new BRT line running east-west along Bovaird Dr. through the northern sections of Brampton.
In all, the BRT project will cost $285 million for the two phases. This includes roadway infrastructure, intersection modifications, signal priority equipment and new terminals and station stops.
Both phases have received full funding from the three levels of government.
Connor admits the project has “a fairly aggressive timeline.†But so far, in light of the public’s early affinity for the Queen St. BRT project, so good.
“The before and after picture is so huge,†she says. “That whole corridor has been transformed.â€
For more information, got to
www.brampton.ca.
Brampton buzz
Brampton Transit recently received industry accolades for its Züm marketing campaign.
In May, the organization won an award from the International Association of Business Communicators for its efforts to sell Züm to Brampton.
In its campaign to promote Züm, Brampton Transit made appearances at a hundred community events and activities, where residents were able to tour vehicles and talk to staff about the new service.
The organization redesigned its website to promote Züm and launched a social media strategy on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
Brampton Transit also had a targeted media campaign and advertisements to help build buzz for Züm
“People were attracted to the way the buses were branded,†says Connor. “They saw it as something new and different in the community.
“I think we’ve really changed the perception of public transit.â€
