Grand River Transit

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Grand River Transit

Wheelchair-accessible low-floor buses such as this Nova LFS now form the majority of the GRT fleet. The bus is also equipped with a bicycle rack on the front grille
Founded 2000
Headquarters 250 Strasburg Rd., Kitchener
Service area Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, St. Jacobs, Elmira
Service type Bus service, Paratransit
Fleet 238 buses[1]
Daily ridership 40,000[1]
Operator Region of Waterloo
Website www.grt.ca

Grand River Transit, or GRT, is the public transport operator for the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It operates daily bus services in the region, primarily in the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge.

It was named for the Grand River, which flows through the Region; the naming also echoes the Grand River Railway, a former electric railway which served the area in the early twentieth century. GRT is a member of the Canadian Urban Transit Association.

Overview

On January 1, 2000, the Region of Waterloo created GRT by assuming the operations of the former Kitchener Transit (which also served Waterloo) and Cambridge Transit from these cities. By the end of that year, operations had been fully synchronized and buses began running between Cambridge and Kitchener; as a result, ridership in Cambridge improved dramatically,and there have been increases in service, including Sundays and late evenings Monday-Saturday.

In recent years, many new low-floor, wheelchair-accessible buses have been purchased, principally from Nova Bus, Orion, and New Flyer, and these now constitute the majority of the fleet. Most operating buses are less than twenty years old, though a few older buses are used primarily for high-school special runs. GRT has installed bicycle racks on the front of its buses in order to encourage the use of sustainable transport; all standard and express buses now have these racks.

Service to less dense areas is provided by the busPLUS system, large vans which take regular fares on scheduled routes to new neighbourhoods and more remote facilities; if ridership is sufficiently high, these services can later be replaced with regular buses, as happened with the 71 Melran route in Cambridge.

GRT also operates MobilityPLUS, which provides specialized transit for disabled patrons using minibuses equipped with wheelchair lifts.

The GRT fleet consists entirely of motor-buses. Kitchener Transit operated trolleybuses earlier in its history, but they were withdrawn from service during the 1970s, well before the systems were merged. GRT has continued operating 23 compressed natural gas-driven buses inherited from Kitchener Transit but has not expanded this fleet; these buses are to be retired before the end of 2009. Until the 1950s, the area was served by electric passenger and freight trains run by the Grand River Railway, which even earlier in the 20th century had run streetcars on city streets before the separated railway lines were built.

Effective September 1, 2007, all undergraduate students at the University of Waterloo are required to purchase a 4-month UPass for less than a quarter of the equivalent adult monthly pass.[2]

On February 14, 2008, the members of Canadian Auto Workers 4304, which represents GRT employees, planned to go on strike.[3] However a tentative agreement was reached before the deadline of 12:01 am and the strike was averted.[4]

History

Public transit in the Grand River area began with private operators and slowly gave way to municipal run service. Interurban and streetcar service were the earlier modes and by the mid 20th century bus transit became the norm.

Kitchener-Waterloo

  • Berlin Gas Company 1888-1894 horsecar
  • Berlin Street Railway 1894-1906 - electric car
  • Berlin and Bridgeport Railway Company 1904-1906
  • Berlin Public Utilities Commission 1906-1916
  • Kitchener Public Utilities Commission 1916-1973; operated streetcars, buses and trolley cars
  • Kitchener Transit 1973-2000
  • Grand River Transit 2000–present

Cambridge

Public transit was provided to Galt and Preston before Cambridge was formed.

  • Grand River Railway Company 1919-1957; bus and interurban electric service
  • Galt, Preston City and Suburban Transit Co. 1921-1929; transit bus service
  • Dominion Power and Transmission Company 1929-?; transit and interurban bus service
  • Canada Coach Lines 1950-1962; transit bus service
  • Galt Public Service Commission 1962-1973; transit bus service
  • Cambridge Transit 1973-2000; transit bus service

Elmira

Elmira had bus service to Kitchener that ended in 1997. Route 21 now travels to Elmira from Conestoga Mall in north Waterloo. Riders can then transfer to another bus to get to Kitchener.

  • Elmira-Kitchener Bus Lines 1922-1929
  • Lishman Coach Lines Limited 1929-1979
  • United Trails Incorporated 1975-1997

Grand River area also had interurban railway service from 1894 to 1955 by various operators.

iXpress

An iXpress bus

The iXpress bus rapid transit operated by GRT consists of three routes along main corridors in Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge. The older route, Route 200 (then known solely as the iXpress without a route number), was launched in September 2005, and runs from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo and Ainslie Street Terminal in Cambridge primarily along King Street in Kitchener and Waterloo and Hespeler Road in Cambridge. The second route, route 201, runs from Forest Glen Terminal in Kitchener to Conestoga Mall in Waterloo, primarily along Fischer-Hallman Road in both cities. The third, route 202, runs in a crosstown fashion through Waterloo, primarily along University Avenue, between the Boardwalk shopping centre and Conestoga Mall.

Future expansion

Grand River Transit has purchased six diesel-hybrid buses which began service in late August 2008.[5] To get the best use of their powertrain, these buses run on routes like Route 7 Mainline, which have frequent stops and heavy usage.

Rapid transit

The Region of Waterloo is preparing for the implementation of rapid transit in the area, under the brand name ION, which would boost more compact urban growth along the main corridor. A light rail line is expected to run from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to Fairview Park in Kitchener, and a bus rapid transit line from Fairview Park in Kitchener to Ainslie Street Terminal in Cambridge.[6]

Fares

Conventional transit fares

Grand River Transit Fare Change effective Monday, July 1, 2013, as approved by Regional Council May 8, 2013.[7]

Category Cost Comments
Cash Fares $3.00 Children under 5 ride free to a maximum of 3 children per paying adult customer
Adult Tickets $11.50 (for 5) Sold in strips of 5
Reduced Tickets $10.00 (for 5) Sold in strips of 5, available for seniors, elementary and high school students
Adult Monthly Pass $72.00 Valid for adults, college students and university students, with GRT photo ID
Reduced Monthly Pass $60.00 Valid for seniors, elementary and high school students, with GRT photo ID
Corporate Pass $61.00 Payroll deduction for employees of participating employers
College Pass $240.00 Valid for 4-month term
Conestoga College Pass $204.00 Valid for 4-month term
Student Summer Pass $101.00 Valid July and August for elementary and high school students
U-Pass $72.23 Cost deducted for each semester directly through tuition paid by university students
Day Pass $6.00 Valid for 1 customer for regular weekday and Saturday service; valid for 2 adults and up to 3 children, or 1 adult and up to 4 children on Sundays and Statutory holidays
T.R.I.P. Pass $40.00 Transit for Reduced Income Program

MobilityPLUS urban area fares

Item Cost (CAD) Comments
Cash Fare & Ticket Price 2.50 Permanent registered MobilityPLUS users ride conventional transit for free

MobilityPLUS rural township area fares

Item Cost (CAD) Comments
Within Township 2.50 --
First Boundary Crossed 4.75 --
Secondary Boundary Crossed 7.00 --

Routes

Route listing effective September 2, 2013. Routes marked with are routinely operated with low-floor, wheelchair-accessible buses; other routes sometimes use new buses, but do not do so reliably.

Cross-service area routes

Route Service Limitations Terminals Major Destinations Notes
52 Fairview Park Mall - Ainslie Street Terminal (Service every day) Fairview Park Mall
Ainslie Street Terminal
Freeport Health Centre, SportsWorld Crossing, Cambridge Memorial Hospital Alternating weekday trips between Cherry Blossom Road loop and Preston Parkway loop. All weekend trips travel along Preston Parkway loop.
61 Conestoga College - Cambridge Centre Weekday service only Cambridge Centre
Conestoga College Main Campus
Conestoga College Cambridge Campus
72 Cherry Blossom BusPLUS Weekday rush hour service only SportsWorld Crossing
Cambridge Business Park.
One trip per day in each direction extends to Research in Motion plant.
111 Ainslie Street-Conestoga College Express Weekday rush hour service only Ainslie Street Terminal
Conestoga College Main Campus
Conestoga College Cambridge Campus Service runs September to April, except for the Christmas schedule period.
200 iXpress Conestoga Mall - Ainslie Terminal (Service every day) Conestoga Mall Terminal
Ainslie Street Terminal
Waterloo Research & Technology Park, University of Waterloo, Laurier University, Waterloo Town Square, Grand River Hospital, Charles Street Terminal, Fairview Park Mall, SmartCentre Cambridge, Cambridge Centre Bus rapid transit service.

Kitchener-Waterloo service area

Route Service Limitations Terminals Major Destinations Notes
1 Stanley Park (Service every day) Charles Street Terminal
Stanley Park Mall
Limited service to Belleview Avenue extension. On Monday through Saturday, service on the Stanley Park loop travels in both directions (clockwise via Lorraine, counterclockwise via River). On Sundays and holidays, the Stanley Park Mall is served via the Lorraine side of the loop only (service on Lorraine side of loop in both directions).
2 Forest Hill No Sunday/holiday service Charles Street Terminal
Highland Hills Mall
Serves Southmoor Place extension in peak direction only during weekday rush hour. Limited service provided during midday runs.
3 Ottawa South (Service every day) Charles Street Terminal
Forest Glen Plaza
Laurentian Centre
4 Glasgow No Sunday/holiday service Charles Street Terminal
The Boardwalk Terminal
5 Erb (Service every day) Bridgeport
The Boardwalk Terminal
Westmount Plaza, Westside Marketplace, Bridgeport Plaza
6 Bridge (Service every day) Charles Street Terminal
Conestoga Mall Terminal
7A Fairview via Connaught (Service every day) Charles Street Terminal
Fairview Park Mall.
Arrives at Fairview Park Mall via Fourth and Connaught. Typically, buses return to Downtown Kitchener as Route 7B.
7B Fairview via Weber (Service every day) Charles Street Terminal<BF>Fairview Park Mall Arrives at Fairview Park Mall via Weber and Fairway. During the daytime on weekdays and Saturdays, buses return to Downtown Kitchener as Route 7A. On Monday through Saturday evenings and on all Sunday and holiday runs, they return as Route 7F.
7C Conestoga Mall via King (Service every day) Charles Street Terminal
Conestoga Park Mall.
Grand River Hospital, Waterloo Town Square, Wilfred Laurier University Limited service to Regina Street loop.
7D University of Waterloo via University (Service every day) Charles Street Terminal
University of Waterloo
Grand River Hospital, Waterloo Town Square, Wilfred Laurier University Arrives at University of Waterloo via University Avenue. Typically, buses return to Downtown Kitchener as Route 7, or Fairview Park Terminal as Route 7A, 7B, or 7F.
7E University of Waterloo via Columbia No Evening, Sunday/Holiday service Charles Street Terminal
University of Waterloo
Grand River Hospital, Waterloo Towns Square, Wilfred Laurier University Arrives at University of Waterloo via Columbia Street. Typically, buses return to Downtown Kitchener as Route 7, or Fairview Park Terminal as Route 7A, 7B, or 7F.
7F Fairview via Wilson No Evening Sunday/Holiday service Charles Street Terminal
Fairview Park Mall.
Arrives at Fairview Park Mall via Fourth and Wilson. During the daytime on weekdays and Saturdays, buses return to Downtown Kitchener as Route 7F. On Monday through Saturday evenings and on all Sunday and holiday runs, they return as Route 7B.
91 Late Night Loop No Monday-Wednesday OR Sunday/holiday service Charles Street Terminal
University of Waterloo
Grand River Hospital, Waterloo Town Square, Wilfred Laurier University, Waterloo Research & Technology Park. Information on this route is found in Route 7 schedules; Route 91 is not shown on the destination signs. Service provided on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 1230 am to 2 am from September to June. This route is marketed towards university frequenting bars in Downtown Kitchener and Uptown Waterloo; it serves residences at both universities, as well as the Lakeshore neighbourhood, which contains the majority of private off-campus student housing.
8 University via Weber (Service every day) University and King
Charles Street Terminal
8 University via Westmount (Service every day) Charles Street Terminal
University and King
Westmount Plaza, University of Waterloo, Wilfred Laurier University
8 Fairview via Courtland (Service every day) Charles Street Terminal
Fairview Mall
8 Fairview via Franklin (Service every day) Fairview Mall
Charles Street Terminal
Evening and Sunday service travels via East Avenue instead of via Weber Street between Ottawa Street and Frederick Street.
9 Lakeshore (Service every day) Conestoga Mall
University of Waterloo
Wilfred Laurier University At University of Waterloo, buses change to route 13 Laurelwood, except when Route 13 does not operate; at these times (weekday late night and weekend evenings), buses short-turn at University and King. Limited service extension to Elmira Poultry plant.
10 Conestoga College (Service every day) Fairview Park Mall
Conestoga College Main Campus
Evenings, weekends, and holidays service extends to Bechtel Drive loop and Conestoga College residences quarter.
11 Country Hills (Service every day) Charles Street Terminal
Forest Glen Plaza
Sunday and holidays service travels along Ottawa Street and Strasburg Road instead of Alpine Road.
12 Conestoga Mall - Fairview Park Mall (Service every day) Conestoga Mall
Fairview Park Mall
Forest Glen Plaza, Westmount Plaza, University of Waterloo, Wilfred Laurier University Due to the total length of Route 12 and varying service demands over different sections of the route, various short-turns are used. Short-turns are performed at: Forest Glen Plaza, the University of Waterloo, University and King, and University at Lincoln.
13 Laurelwood (Service every day) University of Waterloo
The Boardwalk Terminal
At University of Waterloo, buses change to Route 9 Lakeshore.
14 Bathurst Weekday rush hour service only Conestoga Mall
Wyman and Colby
15 Frederick No Sunday/Holiday service Charles Street Terminal
Lackner and Victoria
Three round trips per day extend to Centennial Industrial Park.
16 Forest Glen Weekday service only Conestoga College Main Campus
Forest Glen Plaza
Midday service extends to Blehn and Kilkerran.
17 Heritage Park (Service every day) Fairview Park Terminal
Lackner and Victoria
Stanley Park Mall Monday through Saturday evening and all Sunday and holiday service short turns at Stanley Park Mall.
18 Guelph Street No Sunday/Holiday service Charles Street Terminal
Maple and Guelph
19 Victoria South Weekday rush hour service only Charles Street Terminal
Highland Hills Mall
20 Victoria Hills (Service every day) Charles Street Terminal
Highland Hills Mall
Weekday rush hour service short turns at Ingleside and Hazelglen.
21 Elmira No Sunday/Holiday service Conestoga Mall
Church and Maple
Waterloo Factory Outlet Mall Only route that travels outside the boundaries of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge. Serves the Woolwich Township communities of St. Jacobs and Elmira.
22 Laurentian West No Sunday/Holiday service Highland Hills Mall
Charles Street Terminal
Laurentian Centre, Forest Glen Plaza
23 Idlewood No Sunday/Holiday service Charles Street Terminal
Oldfield and Springmount
Frederick Street Mall, Stanley Park Mall Weekday rush hour extension to Fairview Park Mall.
24 Highland No Sunday/Holiday service Charles Street Terminal
Driftwood and Westheights
Highland Hills Mall Modified evening service via Highview Drive and Yellow Birch Drive.
25 Queen South (Service every day) Charles Street Terminal
Golden Meadow and Highview
St. Mary's Hospital, Highland Hills Mall Modified evening, Sunday, and holiday service via Highland Road.
27 Chicopee (Service every day) Fairview Park Mall
Quinte and Morrison
29 Keats Way (Service every day) The Boardwalk Terminal
University and King
Westside Marketplace, University of Waterloo Some weekday trips short turn at Fischer-Hallman and Keats
31 Columbia Weekday service only Clair Hills
Conestoga Mall Terminal
32 Kumpf Weekday rush hour service only Conestoga Mall
Weber and Northfield
33 Huron Weekday rush hour service only Two round trips per day bypass Strasburg Road and extend to Groff Place.
52 Fairview Park Mall - Ainslie Street Terminal (Service every day) Fairview Park Mall
Ainslie Street Terminal
Freeport Health Centre, SportsWorld Crossing, Cambridge Memorial Hospital Alternating weekday trips between Cherry Blossom Road loop and Preston Parkway loop. All weekend trips travel along Preston Parkway loop.
61 Conestoga College - Cambridge Centre Weekday service only Cambridge Centre
Conestoga College Main Campus
Conestoga College Cambridge Campus
72 Cherry Blossom BusPLUS Weekday rush hour service only SportsWorld Crossing
Cambridge Business Park.
One trip per day in each direction extends to Research in Motion plant.
73 Northlake BusPLUS Weekday rush hour service only McCormick Community Centre
Lake Louise and Conservation
110 Fairview Park Mall-Conestoga College Express No Saturday, Sunday or holiday service Fairview Park Mall
Conestoga College Main Campus
Service runs September to April, except for the Christmas schedule period. Morning trips from Conestoga College to Fairview Park and afternoon trips from Fairview Park to Conestoga College service Pioneer Park Plaza.
111 Ainslie Street-Conestoga College Express Weekday rush hour service only Ainslie Street Terminal
Conestoga College Main Campus
Conestoga College Cambridge Campus Service runs September to April, except for the Christmas schedule period.
116 Forest Glen-Conestoga College Express Weekday rush-hour service only Forest Glen Plaza
Conestoga College Main Campus
Service runs September to April, except for the Christmas schedule period.
200 iXpress Conestoga Mall - Ainslie Terminal (Service every day) Conestoga Mall Terminal
Ainslie Street Terminal
Waterloo Research & Technology Park, University of Waterloo, Wilfred Laurier University, Waterloo Town Square, Grand River Hospital, Charles Street Terminal, Fairview Park Mall, SmartCentre Cambridge, Cambridge Centre Bus rapid transit service.
201 iXpress Conestoga Mall - Forest Glen (Service every day) Conestoga Mall Terminal
Forest Glen Terminal
University of Waterloo, Highland Hills Mall Bus rapid transit service.
202 iXpress Conestoga Mall - The Boardwalk (Service every day) Conestoga Mall Terminal
The Boardwalk Terminal
University of Waterloo, Wilfred Laurier University, RIM Park Bus rapid transit service.

Cambridge service area

Route Service Limitations Terminals Major Destinations Notes
51 Hespeler Road (Service every day) Ainslie Street Terminal
Hespeler Street Terminal
Cambridge Centre Terminal, SmartCentre Cambridge At the Hespeler Terminal, some buses change to Route 65 Fisher Mills or Route 66 Winston. Some trips short turn at Cambridge Centre Terminal.
52 Fairview Park Mall - Ainslie Street Terminal (Service every day) Fairview Park Mall
Ainslie Street Terminal
Freeport Health Centre, SportsWorld Crossing, Cambridge Memorial Hospital Alternating weekday trips between Cherry Blossom Road loop and Preston Parkway loop. All weekend trips travel along Preston Parkway loop.
53 Franklin Boulevard No Sunday/holiday service Ainslie Street Terminal
Hespeler Street Terminal
South Cambridge Shopping Centre At the Hespeler Terminal, buses change to Route 66 Winston.
54 Lisbon Pines No Sunday/holiday service Ainslie Street Terminal
Champlain and Christopher
South Cambridge Shopping Centre At the Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to Route 58 Elmwood.
55 St. Andrews (Service every day) Ainslie Street Terminal
Grand Ridge and Oak Hill
Southworks Mall, Westgate Centre Sunday service extends along Grand Avenue and Main Street. At the Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to Route 59 Christopher.
56 Dunbar (Service every day) Cambridge Centre Terminal
Westminster and King
At Cambridge Centre Terminal, buses change to Route 60 Northview Acres.
57 Blair Road No Sunday/holiday service Ainslie Street Terminal
Blair and Bismark
Westgate Centre At Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to Route 54 Lisbon Pines.
58 Elmwood (Service every day) Ainslie Street Terminal
Elgin and Avenue
At Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to Route 62 Woodside.
59 Christopher (Service every day) Ainslie Street Terminal
Champlain and Elgin
At Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to Route 63 Champlain. Sunday and holiday trips do not serve Edgemere Drive loop; these trips instead extend to South Cambridge Shopping Centre
60 Northview Acres (Service every day) Cambridge Centre Terminal
Saginaw and Burnett
Northview Plaza At Cambridge Centre Terminal, buses change to Route 64 Langs.
61 Conestoga College - Cambridge Centre Weekday service only Cambridge Centre
Conestoga College Main Campus
Conestoga College Cambridge Campus
62 Woodside No Sunday/holiday service Ainslie Street Terminal
Cedar and Woodside
Westgate Plaza At Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to Route 58 Elmwood.
63 Champlain No Sunday/holiday service Ainslie Street Terminal
Champlain and Christopher
South Cambridge Shopping Centre At Ainslie Street Terminal, buses change to Route 55 St. Andrews.
64 Langs No Sunday/holiday service Cambridge Centre Terminal
Rose and Lowther
At Cambridge Centre, buses change to Route 56 Dunbar.
65 Fisher Mills (Service every day) Hespeler Street Terminal
Baldwin and Blackridge
At the Hespeler Terminal, buses change to Route 51 Hespeler Road.
66 Winston (Service every day) Hespeler Street Terminal
Ellis and Adler
At the Hespeler Terminal, buses change to route 53 Franklin Boulevard on weekdays between 7 am and 6 pm.
67 Lovell Industrial Weekday rush hour service only Cambridge Centre Terminal
Lovell Industrial Park
One round trip per day extends to SmartCentre Cambridge.
71 Melran No Sunday/holiday service Hespeler Street Terminal
Ellis and Kerwood
Evening, Sunday, and holiday service travels directly to Ellis and Kerwood via Winston Churchill Boulevard; these trips bypass the Franklin Boulevard, Cooper Street, and Queen Street service areas.
72 Cherry Blossom BusPLUS Weekday rush hour service only SportsWorld Crossing
Cambridge Business Park.
One trip per day in each direction extends to Research in Motion plant.
75 Saginaw Weekday regular service Cambridge Centre Terminal
Townline and Coulthard
111 Ainslie Street-Conestoga College Express Weekday rush hour service only Ainslie Street Terminal
Conestoga College Main Campus
Conestoga College Cambridge Campus Service runs September to April, except for the Christmas schedule period.
200 iXpress Conestoga Mall - Ainslie Terminal (Service every day) Conestoga Mall Terminal
Ainslie Street Terminal
Waterloo Research & Technology Park, University of Waterloo, Laurier University, Waterloo Town Square, Grand River Hospital, Charles Street Terminal, Fairview Park Mall, SmartCentre Cambridge, Cambridge Centre Bus rapid transit service.

Numbering notes

Route 8 is so numbered because its travelled route forms a rough figure 8 through Kitchener and Waterloo, with the Charles Street terminal as the central point.

Many routes in the Kitchener-Waterloo area had their numbering split in the early 2000s as interlining was handled differently, to allow more flexibility. The separated sections usually had major route or schedule changes at the time. Routes split were:

Route before splitting Year of split Routes after splitting
  • 1 Stanley Park - Queen South
  • 2003
  • 1 Stanley Park
  • 25 Queen South
  • 2 Forest Hill - Glencairn
  • 2004
  • 2 Forest Hill
  • (2 Glencairn completely eliminated; in its place, route 22 Laurentian West was massively reworked to cover the old service area of route 2 Glencairn)
  • 3 Ottawa South - Idlewood
  • 2004
  • 3 Ottawa South
  • 23 Idlewood
  • 5 Erb West - Lancaster - Eastbridge
  • 2007
  • 5 Erb West
  • 35 Eastbridge
  • 10 Conestoga College - Chicopee
  • 2003
  • 10 Conestoga College
  • 27 Chicopee
  • 110 Conestoga College Express
  • 11 Country Hills - Victoria Hills
  • 2002
  • 11 Country Hills
  • 19 Victoria South
  • 20 Victoria Hills
  • 15 Forest Heights West - Frederick
  • 2003
  • 15 Frederick
  • 24 Highland

Many Cambridge-area routes are based on their former Cambridge Transit numbers, with 50 added to the number. Thus, the 51 is the former Cambridge Route 1, and the 52 is the former Route 2 Coronation which was extended from Preston Parkway into south Kitchener by merging it with the former Kitchener Transit Route 20 Sportsworld/Gateway Park. (The route number 20 has since been reused in Victoria Hills); Cambridge Route 14 became 56, 17 became 60, and since 2000, additional routes have been numbered in the 60s.

Numbers above 100 are reserved for express-level service. Those in the 100s operate under standard branding (and, currently, all serve Conestoga College); the 200s operate under the iXpress branding.

During the Kitchener Transit - Cambridge Transit merger, many short-lived, experimental, or interim routes existed. One was the route 20 Sportsworld/Gateway Park, which was later merged with Cambridge Transit route 2 Coronation to form the route 52. At one point, a very short-lived route 61 existed as a satellite route operating from Highland Hills Mall. Soon after, this route was changed to a long-since forgotten route: route 41 Laurentian West - Highland West BusPLUS. This route did not last long, and its service area was later covered by routes 19, 20, and 22. Route 21 St. Jacobs started by running to St. Jacobs Market from Conestoga Mall via Northfield Drive and Weber Street.

School specials

GRT also provides school specials to most secondary schools in the Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge areas. The purpose of these routes is to help alleviate overcrowding problems on regular GRT routes, and supplement regular GRT routes by adding extra and/or short turn trips. The main function of many of the specials is to provide services between schools and neighbourhoods where limited or no regular service is available, or where multiple time-consuming transfers would be required. These specials usually operate on completely or partially different routings than regular GRT routes. Any other school bus services are yellow school bus services.

Bus fleet

Grand River Transit has a fleet of 240 buses and an additional 30 MobilityPLUS vehicles in their fleet.[8]

Facilities

Charles Street Terminal, the main K-W station

Major transit terminals are operated and staffed in both Downtown Kitchener (Charles Street Terminal) - (Routes 1,2,3,4,6,7A,7B,7C,7D,7E,7F,8,11,15,18,19,20,22,23,24,25,200) and the Ainslie St. Transit Terminal at Galt City Centre in Cambridge - (Routes 51,52,53,54,55,57,58,59,62,63,111,200).

Unstaffed off-road satellite terminals are also in place at Waterloo’s Conestoga Mall (Routes 6,7C,9,12,14,21,31,32,200,201,202), The Boardwalk (Routes 4,5,13,29,202), Kitchener’s Fairview Park Mall (Routes 7A,7B,7F,8,10,12,17,23,27,52,110,200), Forest Glen Plaza (Routes 3,11,12,16,22,33,116,201), Stanley Park Mall (Routes 1,17,23), Highland Hills Mall (Routes 2,19,20,22,24,25,201), Sportsworld (Routes 52,72busPLUS) and Cambridge Centre (Routes 51,56,60,61,64,67,75busPLUS,200).

Other significant transfer points include King Street/University Avenue (Routes 7C,7D,7E,8,9,12,200,202), the University of Waterloo (Routes 7D,7E,8,9,12,13,29,31,200,201,202), Uptown Waterloo (Routes 5,7C,7D,7E,200), Holiday Inn Drive/Hespeler (Routes 51,53,65,66,71), Conestoga College-Doon Campus (Routes 10,16,61,110,111,116) and the Preston Towne Centre (Routes 52,56,61,64).

Grand River Transit has two garages:

  • Strasburg Road Transit Operations Centre / North Division at 250 Strasburg Road - indoor garage built in 1976 stores 167 buses in the Kitchener-Waterloo fleet, and all central operations and GRT headquarters (across from the Laurentian Power Centre)
  • Conestoga Boulevard Transit Operations Centre / South Division at 460 Conestoga Boulevard - 64 bus garage for Cambridge fleet (behind the Cambridge Centre).

See also

References

External links

Media related to Grand River Transit at Wikimedia Commons

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