York University students, faculty and staff living in York Region will have a new option for travelling to and from campus commencing this September - Viva Rapid Transit.
Left: York Region's new Viva Rapid Transit system will feature a fleet of modern vehicles
The Viva Rapid Transit system will link York Region's urban centres of Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Aurora and Newmarket along four major transportation corridors, including Highway 7 and Yonge Street. In addition to York University and the new Seneca College Markham Campus, Viva will link York Region with the City of Toronto and its subway system, to GO Transit and transit systems in the Region of Peel, and eventually to Durham Region.
"Viva will be a welcome addition to our campus," said Lorna R. Marsden, York’s president and vice-chancellor, who is also a Viva ambassador. "Viva will be a major benefit to the increasing number of York students, faculty and staff who call York Region their home."
"We are pleased that Viva will service the York University community," said York Regional Chair & CEO Bill Fisch, an alumnus of York's Osgoode Hall Law School. "Our hope is to win people over to Viva, by offering a convenient and innovative transit solution."
Viva stations will be modern, bright and safe, with fare vending machines that allow passengers to purchase tickets before boarding. When passengers get their tickets, they will have up to two hours between trips – to get on and off Viva to pick up a book or go to the drug store – without having to pay an additional fare. Along with this flexibility and convenience, Viva will have electronic signs at every stop and station indicating when the next vehicle will arrive.
Eighty-five new vehicles make up the Viva fleet and there will be 119 stations and stops located throughout York Region. For more information on Viva, visit the Viva Web site.