On January 1, 2000, the Region of Waterloo created GRT by assuming the operations of the former Kitchener Transit (which also served Waterloo) and Cambridge Transit. By the end of that year, operations had been fully synchronized and buses began running between Cambridge and Kitchener; as a result, ridership in Cambridge improved dramatically, and there have been increases in service, including Sundays and late evenings Monday-Saturday.
Grand River Transit has consistently purchased low floor, wheelchair-accessible buses, principally from Nova Bus, Orion, and New Flyer, and these now form the entirety of the standard fleet. Most operating buses are less than twenty years old, though a few older buses are used primarily for high-school special runs. GRT has installed bicycle racks on the front of its buses in order to encourage the use of sustainable transport; all buses now have these racks. Bicycles are also allowed on-board Ion trains.
Service to less dense areas is provided by the busPLUS system, large vans which take regular fares on scheduled routes to new neighbourhoods and more remote facilities; if ridership is sufficiently high, these services can later be replaced with regular buses, as happened with the 71 Melran route in Cambridge.
The GRT fleet consists entirely of motor buses. Kitchener Transit operated trolleybuses earlier in its history, but they were withdrawn from service during the 1970s, well before the systems were merged. GRT continued operating 23 compressed natural gas-driven buses inherited from Kitchener Transit but did not expand this fleet; these buses were retired before the end of 2009. Until the 1950s, the area was served by electric passenger and freight trains run by the Grand River Railway, which even earlier in the 20th century had run streetcars on city streets before the separated railway lines were built.
Since September 1, 2007, all undergraduate students at the University of Waterloo have purchased a non-refundable four-month U-Pass as part of their tuition fees for less than a quarter of the equivalent adult monthly pass.[4]
Grand River Transit has six diesel-hybrid buses which began service in late August 2008.[5] To get the best use of their powertrain, these buses run on routes like Route 7 King, which have frequent stops and heavy usage.[citation needed]
With the launch of Ion rapid transit in June 2019, GRT's bus services were substantially reorganized. The greatest effect was in decentralizing the network in Kitchener–Waterloo by no longer using the Charles Street terminal as a service hub; the affected routes now connect with Ion trains at their stations, forming a centralized spine.
History
Public transit in the Grand River area began with private operators and slowly gave way to municipal run service. Interurban and streetcar service were the earlier modes and by the mid-20th century, bus transit became the norm.
Public transit was provided to Galt and Preston before Cambridge was formed.
Grand River Railway Company 1919–1957; bus and interurban electric service
Galt, Preston City and Suburban Transit Co. 1921–1929; transit bus service
Dominion Power and Transmission Company 1929–?; transit and interurban bus service
Canada Coach Lines 1950–1962; transit bus service
Galt Public Service Commission 1962–1973; transit bus service
Cambridge Transit 1973–2000; transit bus serviceAn old GRT bus on the 21 Elmira Route at Conestoga Station
Elmira
Elmira had bus service to Kitchener that ended in 1997. Route 21 now travels to Elmira from Conestoga Mall in north Waterloo. Riders can then transfer to another bus to get to Kitchener.
Elmira-Kitchener Bus Lines 1922–1929
Lishman Coach Lines Limited 1929–1979
United Trails Incorporated 1975–1997
New Hamburg
On April 25, 2016, Grand River Transit began operating route 77 which connects The Boardwalk and the Wilmot Township (Petersburg, Baden and New Hamburg) during the AM and PM peak periods. This route is a BusPlus route and because of the length of the route, route 77 operates every 75 minutes. GRT is using Voyago (formerly Voyageur Transportation Services) to operate the new route.
The Grand River area also had interurban railway service from 1894 to 1955 by various operators.
Breslau
As of June 11, 2022, Grand River Transit operates BusPlus service for Breslau, which provides locations in Breslau, including Region of Waterloo International Airport. Connections with route 34 and 204 are also available for those needing a trip to Kitchener, Waterloo or Cambridge.
The first light-rail vehicle - a Bombardier Flexity Freedom - on public display in April 2017LRT vehicle in line testing in 2018
In June 2011, Waterloo Region council approved a plan for a light rail transit line, powered by electricity, between Conestoga Mall in north Waterloo and Fairview Park Mall in south Kitchener. At first, rapid buses would run from the south end of Kitchener to the "downtown Galt" area of Cambridge but eventually, the LRT would be expanded to that city.[6] (At least one journalist pointed out the similarity between this plan and the electric Grand River Railway system of the early 1900s.)[7] In Stage 1, the Ion rapid transit train runs between Fairview Park Mall and Conestoga Mall by way of the central districts of Kitchener and Waterloo.
Construction on the light rail system, now named Ion, began in August 2014 and the Stage 1 service was expected to begin in 2017. Most of the rails had been installed by the end of 2016; the maintenance facility and all underground utility work had been completed.[8] The start date of service was postponed to early 2018, and then to December 2018, however, because of delays in the manufacture and delivery of the vehicles by Bombardier Transportation. Bombardier was to deliver all 14 vehicles by December 14; that was postponed to December 2017 and then to June 2018. In April 2018, the planned start of Ion service was postponed to December,[9] and was finally accomplished on June 21, 2019.[10]
In late February 2017, plans for the Stage 2 (Cambridge section) of the Ion rail service were still in the very early stage but a proposed route with map had been published.[11][12][13] The public consultation process for Cambridge was postponed to 2018.[11]
In early July 2017, Cambridge City Council expressed an objection to parts of the route planned for that city and requested the Region to consider alternatives.[14][15] At that time, a report indicated that construction of Stage 2 would not begin until 2025.[14] Until LRT service arrives in Cambridge, GRT will offer rapid transit with adapted iXpress buses to Fairview Park Mall using bus-only lanes at Pinebush, Munch and Coronation to minimize slowdowns at times of heavy traffic. In 2017, the route also continued to Conestoga Mall in Waterloo (though not as rapid transit) with many stops along the way.[16][better source needed] Following Ion launch in Kitchener–Waterloo, GRT is continuing the remainder of the iXpress 200 service to the terminal at Fairview Park, renumbered as 302.[17][18]
The iXpressexpress bus service is operated by GRT consisting of six routes[19] along main corridors in Kitchener–Waterloo and Cambridge, serving major roads in all 3 cities.
In order to increase ridership across the region and facilitate the expected growing population, the Region of Waterloo unveiled the Regional Transportation Master Plan in 2010, which consisted of seven iXpress-style routes that criss-cross the important secondary corridors along the region (with the proposed light rail serving the Central Transit Corridor), and where they are expecting the most growth to occur. These corridors include Fischer-Hallman, University, Highland/Victoria North, Ottawa, Homer Watson/Maple Grove, Coronation, and the Cambridge stubs centered around Cambridge Centre and Ainslie Street Terminal. The routes were to be phased in, with the last route being introduced in 2015. The plan was eventually scaled down in order to put more emphasis on the LRT proposal with the Cambridge stubs largely eliminated, and the timeline was also spread out, with all routes expected to be implemented by 2018.[20]
There were different naming proposals for the new iXpress routes. During the public consultations in March 2011, the proposal was to name each iXpress route after a colour, with the letter X at the back. For example, Fischer-Hallman iXpress would be named Blue X, and the shelter would have blue stickers in order to identify each route. However, the plan was eventually dropped, and GRT decided to stick with the iXpress trademark, with route numbers being added to signify between the different iXpress routes.[20]
Fischer-Hallman was chosen as the first corridor to have the new iXpress service, as the current route 12 serving this corridor is full during most times of the day, and residents wanted a faster service to Forest Glen, Highland Hills Mall, and the university area. During the public consultations, there were different routing proposals at the north end. Proposals ranged from having the route go all the way east on Columbia to King, south on King, west on University, and north on Phillip, to having the route go only as east as Phillip, then head south on Phillip, west on University, north on Seagram, and east on Ring Road to serve the current UW Davis Centre bus stop. Eventually, the suggested proposal was to have the route go east on Columbia, south on Phillip, east on University, and north on Hazel. This allows equal access to the north end of the University of Waterloo campus, the RIM offices along Columbia, and Wilfrid Laurier University.
The first (and now defunct) route, designated route 200 after the expansion of iXpress service, was launched in September 2005 and ran from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo and Ainslie St. Transit Terminal in Cambridge primarily along King Street in Kitchener and Waterloo and Hespeler Road in Cambridge, utilizing a short section of Highway 401. The second route, route 201, runs from Conestoga College Doon Campus Door 6 in Kitchener to Conestoga Mall in Waterloo, primarily along Fischer-Hallman Road in both cities. The third, route 202, runs in a crosstown fashion through Waterloo, primarily along University Avenue, between the Boardwalk shopping centre and Conestoga Mall. The fourth iXpress route, route 203, opened on April 28, 2014. It runs from Cambridge Centre to Sportsworld Terminal. An extension of the 203 to Conestoga College is made during the AM and PM peak periods when classes are in session. The fifth iXpress route, route 204, began service in September 2015. The 204 iXpress runs from Ottawa and Lackner to the Boardwalk via Victoria Street, Highland Road, Ira Needles Boulevard and Downtown Kitchener.[21] The 205 Ottawa iXpress opened on April 30, 2018, which primarily served norther Ottawa Street.[22] and the 206 Coronation iXpress launched September 2, 2019, partially replacing route 52.[23] The 200 was discontinued upon the launch of Ion service; the bus portion not converted to light rail now runs on route 302, branded as Ion Bus.
In April 2017, it was announced that the Ion and iXpress services would be closely integrated into a single system.[24] In March 2018, nine new Ion buses were unveiled; initially they were used on local routes in Cambridge. They now operate from Fairway Station in Kitchener to the Ainslie Street terminal in Cambridge. These vehicles offer new features, such as more comfortable, high-back seats, free Wi-Fi and USB charging ports.[9][25]
Fares
Fare media used on Grand River Transit
Buses and Ion fare machines accept cash and the EasyGo smart card; unlimited transfers are available for 90 minutes of travel following payment of a single-use fare. Monthly passes or a stored fare balance are loaded on the EasyGo card; this can be done online, at customer service desks, or at ticket machines. Specialized passes for corporate or school purposes are loaded on specialized smart cards.[26]
The new EasyGO system on electronic fare cards was first made available on March 1, 2019, in anticipation of the Ion light rail launch.[27] At Ion launch, this fully replaced an old system of paper passes (and accompanying photo ID) and paper tickets.
Connect-to-GO
Beginning March 31, 2023, riders can enrol in Connect-to-GO, which gives riders a rebate to their GRT fare when travelling to or from Kitchener station, using an EasyGo fare card.[28]
Current routes
Routes are listed effective September 5, 2022. The following is a general summary of route services; for details, consult the official website. Routes numbered below 100 are local services, in the 200s are express service with the iXpress brand, and in the 300s are full rapid transit with the Ion brand. Routes marked + use smaller BusPLUS vehicles. All routes, excluding 79 make connections to major transit hubs.
In 2022, Grand River Transit announced that they had ordered six electric Nova BusLFSe+ to their fleet, scheduled to arrive in spring 2023. An additional five electric buses will arrive in 2024.[29]
Facilities
Ainslie St. Transit Terminal, the main Cambridge stationKitchener customer service centre, at King and Benton streets
All ION stations have customer help points and ticket machines; most are major transfer points, with Waterloo’s Conestoga Mall, Kitchener’s Fairview Park Mall, and the University of Waterloo station also having off-street bus terminals. Unstaffed off-road satellite terminals are also in place at The Boardwalk Station, Stanley Park Mall, Sportsworld, Sunrise Centre, and Cambridge Centre. An additional terminal at the Conestoga College Doon Campus is planned.[31]
Other significant transfer points include King Street/University Avenue, Holiday Inn Drive/Hespeler, Conestoga College-Doon Campus, and the Preston Towne Centre.
Grand River Transit has 4 garages:
Garage
Opened
Address
Description
Notes
Strasburg Road Transit Operations Centre
1976
250 Strasburg Road
Storage facility for up to 250 buses
Stores the Kitchener/Central bus fleet
Conestoga Boulevard Transit Operations Centre
1967
460 Conestoga Boulevard
Storage facility for up to 50 buses
Stores the Cambridge/South bus fleet.
Northfield Drive Maintenance facility
2022
300 Northfield Drive
Storage for 200 buses, 25 dedicated repair stations (22 repair bays, 3 inspection bays) and 2 bus wash stations[32]
^"Cambridge and its influence on Waterloo Region's light rail transit". Waterloo Region. Waterloo Region. January 19, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2017. the first electric line running up Water and King Streets from Galt to the Mineral Springs Hotel across the Speed River in Preston ... Next, the train line extended north of Kitchener and a spur line ran into Hespeler.
