More than 17 million riders depend on YRT/Viva annually

York Regional council recently released the 2006 ridership statistics for York Region Transit (YRT) and Viva, York Region's rapid transit system.

Following are the highlights for 2006: + More than 17 million passengers chose to park their cars and take YRT/Viva in 2006, an increase of 1.8 million riders that is equivalent to an additional 3,500 residents taking YRT/Viva to and from work every day for the year. + YRT/Viva ridership climbed 12.4 per cent in 2006, reflecting the highest growth in the Greater Toronto Area. + From September to December, ridership increased by 14.7 per cent over the same period in 2005, when Viva was first launched and had achieved a similar increase in ridership. + Every weekday, approximately 69,000 trips are made on the YRT/Viva system.

The Region strives to constantly improve the ever-growing transit system, and it has reported system enhancements rolled out in 2006, including: + Introduction of an additional 260,000 service hours. + Eight new buses added to our fleet and six buses replaced. + 210 upgrades to bus stops. + Enhanced accessibility for users.

York Region operates two public transit services, the conventional YRT service and the Viva bus rapid transit service that was launched in September 2005. YRT also operates the door-to-door Mobility Plus service for individuals with disabilities. YRT Mobility Plus services reported a ridership increase of 10.4 per cent in 2006.

For information on YRT/Viva routes and fares, visit www.yrt.ca or call toll-free at 1- 866-MOVE-YRT (668-3978), locally at (905) 762-2100 or TTY line at 1-866-276- 7478.