Grand River Transit

[KevinL]

Also an easier terminus for route 27, rather than using a residential crescent.

[KevinL]

Conestoga Mall bus terminal is reopening after a renovation. https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2025/10/29...-upgrades/

[MidTowner]

Grand River Transit 2026 Budget Proposal

No fare increase proposed for most riders, though there is an increase for U-Passes embedded in the contract with the schools.

Apart from that, most of the changes are service cuts:

• Scrapping Route 110
  
• Reduced frequency on Routes 9, 13, 19, and 30
  

Some tweaks to routings, but no increases to frequency on any routes.

[Momo26]

What a colossal oversight

.https://www.reddit.com/r/waterloo/s/dw7INVmQpO

Cross posted

[MidTowner]

This is something that GRT can and should correct. Hopefully the redditor who put together the analysis has also communicated with GRT, it seems an easy sell.

[tomh009]

What a colossal oversight

.https://www.reddit.com/r/waterloo/s/dw7INVmQpO

Cross posted

For anyone who doesn't want to go to reddit, this is about there not being late-night transit available after the arrival of the past-midnight GO train from Toronto.

It's not clear whether this is an oversight by GRT, a decision by GRT or whether Metrolinx didn't inform GRT in time for schedules to be adjusted.

[MidTowner]

What a colossal oversight

.https://www.reddit.com/r/waterloo/s/dw7INVmQpO

Cross posted

For anyone who doesn't want to go to reddit, this is about there not being late-night transit available after the arrival of the past-midnight GO train from Toronto.

It's not clear whether this is an oversight by GRT, a decision by GRT or whether Metrolinx didn't inform GRT in time for schedules to be adjusted.

It's probably a mix of the first and third reasons. To be generous to GRT, it takes time to adjust schedules and service.

[Bob_McBob]

Council votes to cut GRT routes 9, 13, 19, & 30 to every 30 mins. Motion to compromise and limit reduction to every 20 mins fails in 8-8 tie.

[ac3r]

Lmao...your tax dollars at work.

Make sure you reelect everyone who voted in favour, by the way!

[tomh009]

Buried in the transit hub article there was also a piece of good news for GRT.
https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...91d03.html

"Governments are further sharing $161 million in other costs to enhance transit.

Plans include buying 126 hybrid buses and 23 accessible buses, building or improving more than a dozen pedestrian crossings, improving bus stops, shelters and benches, improving lighting on trails and pathways, and upgrading systems for transit planning, dispatching, safety and fare payment. "

It appears that GRT is ending, at least for now, the battery-electric bus pilot, and focusing on hybrid buses, where they do not have the same charging requirements.

[tomh009]

Here are the key points for GRT funding:

• Hybrid Buses – Phase 2: Purchasing 70 hybrid 40-foot buses.
  
• Hybrid Buses: Purchasing 56 hybrid 40-foot buses over three years to replace 56 existing 40-foot diesel buses.
  
• Mobility Buses: Purchasing 23 accessible buses to expand capacity of the local transit fleet.
  
• Constructing or improving 13 pedestrian crossings: The project will also add new pedestrian paths, improvements to six bus stops and 200 additional parking spots for shared micro-mobility vehicles.
  
• Shelter and Station Improvements: Improving bus stops, shelters, stand-alone benches, pedestrian crossings and intersections across the Region of Waterloo.
  
• Transit Technology Improvements: Upgrading the transit network planning, vehicle location and dispatching tools, fare payment, booking, transit safety and fleet management systems.
  
• Transit Access Improvements for Three High-Demand Locations: 1. Installing 13 new light standards and paving of existing stone dust trail connecting Grand River Transit stops and Trinity Village Community Care Centre. 2. Installing 16 new light standards and a pedestrian/cyclist counter and wayfinding along an existing all-season trail from Phillip St. to Research and Technology Station (ION Light Rail). 3. Installing three new light standards along an existing all-season pathway connecting Westchester Dr. and Lackner Blvd. to GRT express bus service.
  

https://news.ontario.ca/en/backgrounder/...provements

[SammyOES]

Does anyone else have a problem with this:

“Region to launch pilot offering free transit for seniors”

https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2025/12/18...r-seniors/

Why is this targeting seniors? I feel a lot of our younger and poor residents are in much bigger need of this type of support. Medical appointments and grocery shopping are important, but that applies to a lot of other people including parents. And add to that there’s a lot of people that rely on public transit to get to their minimum wage jobs who can use the help.

And then:

Acting Commissioner of Transportation Doug Spooner warned of revenue loss with the program, estimating the region could lose as much as $250,000 based on the number of seniors who already take transit.

A handful of councillors, including Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic, stressed the program in other municipalities has led to people taking the bus more frequently.

“The pilot actually led to people using transit on the non-free days as well because they got used to it, and that ultimately could lead to increased revenues going forward.”

I’m super skeptical it’s going to increase revenues, but even if it did… wouldn’t that apply to all of your demographics other than seniors too? Like if this is the expected result… do it for everyone and make more money!

I’d much rather a real pilot for everyone or else something income tested. I guess age is a lot easier to verify but still feels like we could get something that works.

[MidTowner]

I wish politicians would educate themselves and stop talking about "seniors on fixed income" when that cohort is actually less likely than average to be lower income or live in poverty. But I think that there are so many good reasons to do a pilot like this, and I'm glad any time transit accessibility is increased, even if it's not for me.

Seniors are more likely to use transit at off-peak times, so that would be one reason to extend this kind of thing to them and not others, making better use of the capacity.

Seniors more than most do not drive or perhaps are in situations where they shouldn't be driving, so this is extending some freedom to them that maybe isn't needed by other cohorts in the same way.

Seniors are statistically more likely than other cohorts to vote, so getting them on buses and trains and seeing that they are an alternative, instead of knowing nothing about them, I'm in favour of that.

I would like GRT to do pilots for children and youths, too. And I think it's ridiculous that a seven-year-old is charged an adult fare on the GRT. But I still think this free-day-for-seniors pilot is a good move.

[danbrotherston]

Yeah, the seniors thing pisses me off too.

But as far as things which piss me off, it's not that high on the list.

When it comes to it, we're (trying to) rent a car this trip to Canada. Transit is just too bad and too expensive for it to be feasible to use.

Of course, renting a car is also proving difficult because they do not want my money...seems you cannot rent a car without a credit card...it literally doesn't matter how much money I have...the ONLY thing they want is my debt.

[MidTowner]

Yeah, the seniors thing pisses me off too.

But as far as things which piss me off, it's not that high on the list.

When it comes to it, we're (trying to) rent a car this trip to Canada. Transit is just too bad and too expensive for it to be feasible to use.

Of course, renting a car is also proving difficult because they do not want my money...seems you cannot rent a car without a credit card...it literally doesn't matter how much money I have...the ONLY thing they want is my debt.

I consider transit to be pretty good in Waterloo. But it's not even close to being competitive with driving when it comes to speed, for nearly any trip. When time-constrained like on vacation, it just doesn't make sense.