Viva, the first bus rapid transit system of its kind in the GTA, was launched in September 2005 through an innovative public-private partnership. Five months later, total transit boardings along the Yonge Street corridor for the month of January were 34% ahead of the previous year. Viva creatively combines innovative elements to replicate rapid transit service prior to the completion of environmental assessments: Real-time electronic displays to show passengers when the next vehicles are due to arrive; Modern, environmentally friendly vehicles with high-back seats, large windows, tables, WiFi and onboard television; Queue jumpers and transit signal priority for exclusive throughmovement of rapid transit vehicles at congested intersections; Computer-aided dispatch, GPS, digital voice and data communications, and other intelligent transportation system applications. This project was nominated for the TAC 2005 Sustainable Urban Transportation Award. For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD number E211521.
Abstract