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FAQ

FAQs

  1. How can I get information about advertising on YRT/Viva buses, bus shelters and benches?
  2. Can I bring my pet on a YRT/Viva vehicle?
  3. Can I bring my bike or other large items on a YRT/Viva vehicle?
  4. Can I bring my stroller on a YRT/Viva vehicle?
  5. Can I charter a YRT/Viva vehicle?
  6. Is it okay to rollerskate, in-line skate or skateboard on the YRT/Viva system?
  7. Do YRT/Viva vehicles have air-conditioning?
  8. Are YRT/Viva vehicles accessible to people using Mobility Aids?
  9. Can I ride YRT/Viva for free if I am visually impaired?
  10. How does YRT/Viva handle lost and found items?
  11. Who do I contact regarding installation of a bus stop?
  12. Who do I contact regarding inquiries on shelter maintenance, such as litter or snow removal?
  13. Can I get a refund on YRT/Viva tickets or passes?
  14. Does YRT/Viva have any discounts for GO Transit riders?
  15. When I ride the YRT Express services, how much extra do I have to pay if I am using a regular ticket?
  16. Can I wait for my vehicle inside the shelter?
  17. May I board a YRT/Viva vehicle south of Steeles, travelling northbound?
  18. What is a "Flag Stop?"
  19. Can I board or get off a YRT/Viva vehicle between stops? What is Request Stop?
  20. What is Yield to Bus?
  21. I operate a retail business and want to sell YRT/Viva tickets and passes. How do I become a ticket agent?
  22. Where can I get information on employment opportunities for York Region Transit?
  23. Does YRT/Viva have a Customer Code of Conduct?
  24. How do I find out more about Transit Enforcement, Fines and By-laws?

1. How can I get information about advertising on YRT/Viva buses, bus shelters and benches?

Please see our Advertise with us page HERE

2. Can I bring my pet on a YRT/Viva vehicle?

Guide dogs accompanying visually or hearing impaired passengers are welcomed on YRT/Viva.

You can also bring dogs on leashes and small non-exotic pets on-board outside of peak hours. Peak hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday inclusive, during any emergency, or at any other time that vehicles are heavily loaded.

3. Can I bring my bike or other large items on
a YRT/Viva vehicle?

Bicycles, skis, toboggans or other large items that might bother or jeopardize the safety of passengers are not allowed during peak hours. Peak hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday inclusive, during any emergency, or at any other time that vehicles are heavily loaded.

4. Can I bring my stroller on a YRT/Viva vehicle?

Strollers are allowed on vehicles, but the stroller must be folded if it will interfere with standing passengers or the safe movement of passengers. If you want to leave your child in the stroller, or if the stroller cannot be folded, you may be asked to wait for the next vehicle that has more room.

5. Can I charter a YRT/Viva vehicle?

Yes, YRT/Viva vehicles can be chartered. For more information, please download, complete and fax or mail our Customer Charter Request Form. Download Adobe PDF format (84 KB)

6. Is it okay to rollerskate, in-line skate or skateboard on the YRT/Viva system?

For safety reasons, you cannot rollerskate, in-line skate, or skateboard on YRT/Viva property, including vehicles, stations, terminals and parking lots. Please carry these items with you.

7. Do YRT/Viva vehicles have air-conditioning?

Currently, all Viva vehicles and 65% of YRT buses are air-conditioned. By the beginning of the next decade all YRT buses should be air-conditoned.

8. Are YRT/Viva vehicles accessible to people using
Mobility Aids?

Currently, all Viva vehicles and 60% of YRT buses are mobility aid friendly, with low-floor access and wheelchair securing areas. We expect to achieve 100% accessibility for those using mobility aids by the beginning of the next decade.

9. Can I ride YRT/Viva for free if I am visually impaired?

A) Yes, with appropriate identification, members of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) or any other organization operating within York Region dealing with persons with visual impairments can travel free of charge on conventional YRT/Viva transit services, including TTC routes north of Steeles Avenue and Brampton Transit routes operating within York Region.

10. How does YRT/Viva handle lost and found items?

For information on lost and found items, please contact the following contractors (listed along with their service areas):

Miller Transit  (905) 475-1367 Markham / Richmond Hill
First Group (formerly Laidlaw) (905) 895-6681 Newmarket
Can-Ar Coach (905)738-7830 Ext 321 Vaughan
Veolia (Viva) (905) 760-2223 Ext. 224  
  (Customer Service)  Vaughan / Markham / Richmond Hill

11. Who do I contact regarding installation of a bus stop?

You can call our office at 1-866-MOVE YRT (668-3978) to make a request. Or, you can e-mail us at transitinfo@york.ca.

12. Who do I contact regarding inquiries on shelter maintenance, such as litter or snow removal?

Please call our office at 1-866-MOVE YRT (668-3978) to speak with a Customer Service Representative. You can also e-mail us at transitinfo@york.ca.

13. Can I get a refund on YRT/Viva tickets or passes?

You can’t get a refund on tickets or passes, but you can exchange tickets at the YRT/Viva office located at 50 High Tech Road (5th Floor) in Richmond Hill L4B 4N7 or via the mail. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

14. Does YRT/Viva have any discounts for GO Transit riders?

Yes, for only 50¢ you can take one of our YRT GO Shuttle services to most GO Train Stations in York Region. You can also take any local YRT/Viva route that connects at a GO Train Station for 50¢. You can connect to GO Trains, Train-Bus services and GO Express services at most GO Stations.
<Click here for more information on GO connections>.

15. When I ride YRT Express services, how much extra do I have to pay if I am using a regular ticket, pass or transfer?

You’ll have to deposit an extra 50 cents (and be sure to show your proof of payment – YRT/Viva ticket, pass, transfer or GTA Weekly Pass).

16. Can I wait for my vehicle inside the shelter?

You can wait inside the shelter but once your vehicle is in view, you must move to the curbside so the driver will know to stop and pick you up. Drivers do not have to stop for customers who are not waiting on the curb.

17. Can I board a YRT/Viva vehicle south of Steeles,
travelling northbound?

Northbound You can board a northbound YRT/Viva vehicle at designated stops located on or south of Steeles Avenue for travel into York Region (including flag stops for YRT buses only – see question #15). Please note that northbound YRT/Viva vehicles will NOT drop off passengers until they cross Steeles Avenue.

Southbound Passengers on southbound YRT/Viva vehicles can be dropped off at designated stops located on or south of Steeles Ave. Please note that southbound YRT/Viva buses will NOT pick up passengers after crossing Steeles Avenue and that passengers traveling within Toronto must use TTC services.

18. What is a "Flag Stop?"

Flag stops are stops on or south of Steeles Avenue that have a YRT decal (that says ‘Flag Stop’) on the existing TTC pole or sign. If you’d like to board a YRT vehicle at one of these stops, you must flag the vehicle, allowing the driver enough time to stop safely. Please note that Viva vehicles only stop at vivastations and cannot be “flagged” the way YRT vehicles can.

19. Can I board or get off a YRT/Viva vehicle between stops? What is Request Stop?

In order to keep YRT/Viva services on schedule, you can only get on and off vehicles at designated stops. After 9 p.m., YRT offers Request Stop, a program that allows you to get off the bus between stops if the driver can stop safely. Please note that Request Stop is not available on Viva. Click here for more information on Request Stop.

20. What is Yield to Bus?

Yield to Bus is a new provincial law put in place to improve traffic flow. The new law requires drivers to yield the right-of-way to buses leaving bus bays to merge with traffic. Click here to download more information on Yield to Bus - Adobe PDF (48 kb).

21. I operate a retail business and want to sell YRT/Viva tickets and passes. How do I become a ticket agent?

For information on selling YRT/Viva tickets and passes, please call (905) 762-1282 Ext. 5611. If your business is accepted, you will need to fill out an application form and sign a contract. All approved ticket agents earn 2% commission. Please note that if a ticket agent already exists within a short distance of your business, your request to become a ticket agent may not be granted.

22. Where can I get information on employment opportunities for York Region Transit?

You can call our Human Resources Department at (905) 895-1231 ext. 5506, or email them at yrkhr@york.ca. Job postings are also listed at http://works.workopolis.com/customers/york/ 

For YRT bus operator opportunities, recruiting is handled by the following contractors (listed along with their service areas):

Miller Transit (905) 475-1367 Markham/ Richmond Hill
First Group (formerly Laidlaw) (905) 895-6681 Newmarket
Can-Ar Coach (905) 738-7830 Vaughan

For Viva vehicle operator opportunities only, contact Andreea Claici, Human Resources Manager at Veolia Canada, the contractor for this new service:

Veolia Canada (905) 895-5100 ext.235
Fax: 905 895-5197
E-mail: aclaici@us.connex.net

23. Does YRT/Viva have a Customer Code of Conduct?

Yes. It's posted on our Transit Enforcement page.

24. How do I find out more about Transit Enforcement, Fines and By-laws?

Visit the Transit Enforcement Section of the YRT/Viva website for more information.