Brantford Transit Newsletters: Text Versions
August 2010
Service Expansion for Routes #6 & #12
To keep pace with growing demand, Brantford Transit will be expanding its service
yet again in September 2010. The fast-growing southwest area (West Brant) will
receive expansion to its existing #6 (Monday to Saturday peak) and #12 (Monday to
Saturday evening and Sunday) routes.
Earlier this year, Brantford Transit purchased five new hybrid buses; four were
replacements for existing older buses that would be retired from service, and the fifth
was acquired to accommodate this projected service expansion.
“Brantford Transit continues to work with our riders in an effort to make public transit
more convenient and reliable,” said Elisabeth van der Made, Brantford Transit
Operations Manager. “With so many new subdivisions appearing in West Brant over
the past few years, plans have been in the works for quite some time to expand service
in that area to handle the population growth. We want to make Brantford Transit
the convenient and ideal way to travel in Brantford for everyone.”
A public meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 25 at the Salvation Army Church on
Diana Ave. to present area residents with the route and timing changes, provide
details of the expanded service and distribute printed schedules that will illustrate
the route in detail. (Please see the new route #6 map and schedule on page 4.)
The public meeting will run from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and Transit staff will be on hand
to answer any questions about the planned changes. Councillor Jennifer Kinneman,
representing Ward 1, will also be on hand to speak with residents about the
changes. Everyone is invited to attend the public meeting.
Students & Transit:
Gearing up for back to school...
Why wait until the last minute to get your Student Transit Passes for going back to school? Come in to the Transit Terminal any day this month leading up to September, and passes can be issued now - avoid the last minute rush! Passes can be issued so that they become valid once school begins.
Student Fares:
Cash: $ 2.25
Limited 10-ride disposable B-Card: $23.00
Multi-Value B-Cards:
10-ride $18.50
20-ride $37.00
30-ride $55.00
40-ride $74.00
Monthly Pass $45.00 per month
Please note, $5.00 one-time administration fee or $5.00 replacement fee for Multi-Value B-Cards and
Monthly Passes apply.
Wilfred Laurier Students - Transit fees paid for within OneCard fees.
Remaining 2010 Holiday Schedule....
Monday August 2, Civic Holiday: Sunday Service, 8:30am - 6:30pm
Monday September 6, Labour Day: No Service
Monday October 11, Thanksgiving: No Service
Friday, December 24th, Christmas Eve Day: Regular Service until 6:30pm
Saturday, December 25th, Christmas Day: No Service
Sunday, December 26th, Boxing Day: Sunday Service, 8:30am - 6:30pm
Friday, December 31st, New Years Eve Day/Night: Regular service until 6:30 pm,
regular evening service, until 2:00 am
Please note that New Year’s Eve Transit service will not be provided free
2010 Brantford Rotary Charity Airshow
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
FREE! Shuttle Bus Service
(2 shuttle buses available - first come, first serve)
Leaving: Time: Destination:
Transit Terminal 2:00pm Brantford Airport
Transit Terminal 2:30pm Brantford Airport
Brantford Airport 7:00pm Transit Terminal
Brantford Airport 7:30pm Transit Terminal
For more information contact Brantford Transit at: 519-753-3847
BRANTFORD ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
“The Brantford Accessibility Advisory Committee (BAAC) shall provide vision and
direction towards the attainment of a universally accessible Brantford.”
The Committee meets the first Thursday of each month.
For further information please contact:
Jenny Sawicki, Coordinator
Municipal Accessibility Plan
TEL: 519-759-4150, x. 2266
e-mail: jsawicki@brantford.ca.
New School Special for St. John’s College
The school expansion project that will be underway this September at St. John’s College has prompted the Brant County Health Unit and Brantford Transit to join forces to recommend alternative transportation options to SJC students. Anyone who has travelled on Paris Road between 8:30 am and 9:00 am on a regular school day morning will attest to the heavy traffic in the school’s vicinity, as individual vehicles drop off students.
With the construction taking place this fall, access in to and out of the school property will be severely restricted. Working with the St. John’s Green Team, Brantford Transit and the BCHU are promoting healthy choices for transportation, encouraging St. John’s students to walk, bike, or take public transit to school. The main purpose behind this initiative is to use a challenging situation to affect a positive outcome. It’s obvious that walking and biking to school will result in a positive impact on student health, but so too can using transit, since each bus ride starts and ends with a walk. All of these options will also have a positive environmental and traffic safety impact by reducing the number of vehicles in the SJC area.
Brantford Transit has reinstated a “school special” morning bus in its #8 Holmedale Mayfair route to make it more convenient for SJC students to ride transit to school. Every school day morning, the bus will pass by Northridge Plaza at King George and Kent Roads at 8:10 am and arrive at SJC by 8:25 am, making all regular stops along the way.
April 2010
Brantford Transit Goes "Green"!
Spring is the perfect time of year for Brantford Transit to introduce hybrid electric (“green”) buses into the fleet. Thanks in part to a federal Gas Tax grant and provincial funding, Brantford Transit is replacing some of its older model buses with new, environmentallyfriendly hybrid electric alternatives. Five hybrids have been purchased in total; four replacement buses and one to expand service to Brantford’s southwest region.
Why Hybrids?
What makes hybrid electric vehicles different from regular conventional buses? These buses use a blend of electric power and diesel power. The battery powers the vehicle from a stopped position and at low speeds, and the engine takes over powering the vehicle at higher speeds, when it is most efficient. Additionally, when stopping or decelerating, the transmission converts the energy of the rolling vehicle into electricity and stores it in the battery, for use in powering the bus all over again. The hybrid buses will be used on Brantford Transit’s busiest routes with frequent stops— ideal conditions for these vehicles.
Benefits of hybrid buses
- Decreased fuel consumption (up to 20% less than regular conventional diesel buses).
- Lower greenhouse gas emissions (hybrids release up to 60 per cent less emissions).
- Lower maintenance costs - the electric operating system places less stress on the engine’s mechanical components, resulting in less frequent maintenance.
- Quieter and smoother ride than regular conventional buses.
In addition to the environmental benefits, the low-floor design of the hybrids means that the Brantford Transit fleet will now be fully accessible! Brantford Transit is the third system in Ontario to have a fully accessible fleet.
Attend the launch!
Brantford Transit will be holding an official launch of the hybrid buses on April 19, 2010 at City Hall. The ceremony will begin at 4:00 pm and a Brantford Transit hybrid bus will be onsite to be unveiled for public viewing. Everyone is invited to attend the launch and get a preview of one of the hybrid buses before they go into service later in April.
November 2009:
Calling out of bus stops system
Just as a quick reminder to passengers that the newly installed calling out of bus stops system is now in place. You may notice at times that the volume level is different, depending on the bus you’re riding at the time. This is because some of the newer buses have up to 6 speakers all around the bus, making it very audible. Some of our older buses only have one speaker towards the front, making it not as easy to hear. The system calls out the stop once prior to arrival. The visual screen at the front of the bus, will keep the name of the bus stop on display until it’s past and also until it’s close enough to the next location, to pick up the new coordinates.Just as a quick reminder to passengers that the newly installed calling out of bus stopssystem is now in place. You may notice at times that the volume level is different,depending on the bus you’re riding at the time. This is because some of the newer buses have up to 6 speakers all around the bus, making it very audible. Some of our older busesonly have one speaker towards the front, making it not as easy to hear. The system callsout the stop once prior to arrival. The visual screen at the front of the bus, will keep thename of the bus stop on display until it’s past and also until it’s close enough to the nextlocation, to pick up the new coordinates. Thank you for your patience while staff have worked to install this system!
SNOW: Bus stop clearing reminder
Also as a reminder to our transit ridership, the completion of snow clearing at all bus stoplocations will happen 24hours after the completion of snow clearing, on the roads. Snowclearing on the roads, as Mandated by Council: All streets plowed within 36 hours fromcompletion of a snowfall. This conforms to the Provincial Minimum Standards.
SNOW: Emergency Bus Route Map
The Snow emergency Bus Route Map is now available under the Routes & Schedules portion of this website. This map shows the routing that will be taken by Brantford Transit, when a snow emergencyis declared or when transit management feel that the road conditions warrant the use oftransit snow routes - the reason for something like this could be just to give the City’sPublic Works Department a chance to “catch-up” on clearing the roads, so that buses cansafety make their way down roads.
August 2009:
Students & Transit
Gearing up for back to school...Why wait until the last minute to get your Student Transit Passes for going back toschool? Come in to the Transit Terminal any day this month leading up to September,and passes can be issued now - avoid the last minute rush! Passes can be issued sothat they become valid once school begins.
Student Fares:
- Cash: $2.25
- Limited 10-ride disposable B-Card: $23.00
- Multi-Value B-Cards:
- 10-ride, $18.50
- 20-ride, $37.00
- 30-ride, $55.00
- 40-ride, $74.00
- Monthly Pass: $45.00 per month
Please note, $5.00 one-time administration fee or $5.00 replacement free for Multi-Value B-Cards and Monthly Passes.
Wilfred Laurier Students - Transit fees paid for within one-card fees.
Brantford Community Garden Project
Using a collective and collaborative approach, many citizens, local businesses, and organizations have donated time, money and other resources to help us with this endeavour. The Roundtable wouldlike to create further interest in this project and make an appeal to businesses, organizations, governments,and community members to help us secure the resources needed to keep this project successful andsustainable. Organizations currently involved include the Grand River Community Health Centre, OjistohHouse, and Brantford Native Housing. More items such as picnic tables, canopy's, chairs, wheelbarrows,seedlings, plants, financial assistance, and volunteers are needed and encouraged. Anyone can come out and create their own garden for free in the available plots.
Located at: 237 Mohawk Street. Volunteer, get some exercise, and learn gardening techniques.
For general inquiries please email us at: brant.community.garden@gmail.com or call 519-753-5408.