Grand River Transit

[KevinL]

Is that the official Ion station name?

It is. Of note the revised Route 10 inbound to Fairview Park says "10 PIONEER <flip> to Fairway Stn. <flip> via Mill Park" or "10A PIONEER <flip> to Fairway Stn. <flip> via Old Carriage".

They seem to be moving to calling any destinations by their proper Ion name, if one applies. The new 33 terminus is 'Block Line station' (as opposed to 'Block Line and Courtland'), despite this being the only service there at the moment.

[Pheidippides]

I noticed there is a bid out for new buses including some 60ft ones (I think that is a GRT first?):
"This Request for Proposal (RFP) is for the purchase of up to 122 Transit Coaches across a five year term.  The immediate need is for the supply of 6, possibly another 6 for a total of 12 of the 40’ Diesel Low Floor comes with Flip Out Ramp Transit Coaches for delivery in July 2019. The requirement for the additional 6 will be confirmed by early October 2018. The intent is to purchase 40’ and 60’ Diesel Low Floor comes with Flip Out Ramp Transit Coaches and 40’ or 60’ Hydro Propulsion for delivery in July starting in 2019 and ending in 2023."

[panamaniac]

Hydro Propulsion? As in electric?

[bgb_ca]

Interesting. I guess with Charles terminal closing, they can use articulated busses on the 7 or ixpress routes?

As for hydro propulsion, its likely electric, but could be hydrogen (but didn't they try that years ago if I remember?)

[danbrotherston]

Interesting. I guess with Charles terminal closing, they can use articulated busses on the 7 or ixpress routes?

As for hydro propulsion, its likely electric, but could be hydrogen (but didn't they try that years ago if I remember?)

I dont recall any hydrogen buses, but the region has operated compressed natural gas buses before but apparently the reliability was less than stellar .

[bgb_ca]

Interesting. I guess with Charles terminal closing, they can use articulated busses on the 7 or ixpress routes?

As for hydro propulsion, its likely electric, but could be hydrogen (but didn't they try that years ago if I remember?)

I dont recall any hydrogen buses, but the region has operated compressed natural gas buses before but apparently the reliability was less than stellar .

Come to think of it, you are right. I just remember seeing them when I moved to kw, and a year or two later they were retired.

I just took a peek at the tender document, and I just see mentions of diesel and hybrids, except for one line where it mentions hydro. The tender document also mentions having usb ports on the busses.

[KevinL]

The new bus garage in north Waterloo is intended to have facilities for articulated buses; presumably they would all be based there.

[KevinL]

New stop platforms being readied on Block Line at Strasburg - this is in preparation for the 201 serving the intersection when Ion launches. The foreground one's bigger than usual, the entire boulevard is nearly impassable!

Shockingly, very little has been completed here; there's still no sidewalk, and that will remain the case for the second straight weekend. Ugh.

[YKF]

Could hydro be a typo and they actually meant hybrid? Unless hydro = electric, I'm very disappointed that they did not open up electric buses.

Just seems incredibly shortsighted for us to be procuring diesel buses in 2021 whereas cities around the world are moving to electrify their bus fleets.

[jeffster]

I noticed there is a bid out for new buses including some 60ft ones (I think that is a GRT first?):

I was under the impression that I responded to this, seems I didn't hit the "Post Reply".

Anyway, the 60' bus are the articulated ones, and would be a first for the region.

I wonder if they'd be used for the BRT...

[bgb_ca]

Just noticed the 9 has been changed to use conestoga station instead of conestoga mall.

[Spokes]

Are there any significant system wide changes that will roll out when ION officially starts?

[neonjoe]

http://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/2018-tran...twork.aspx

[KevinL]

Are there any significant system wide changes that will roll out when ION officially starts?

Beyond the end of using Charles and Forest Glen terminals, and rerouting many buses to connect to Ion stations? There's the removal of 7's alphabet soup, making the 8 rational as a single bidirectional leg, and re-working quite a lot of the network. The post above links to it all, of course.

[bgb_ca]

Are there any significant system wide changes that will roll out when ION officially starts?

Yes. Major changes are proposed. Details are here