Situated immediately north of Toronto, Canada, the Regional Municipality of York has a population of one million and is rapidly growing. The Viva Rapid Transit Network was designed to link the four expanding centers and provide connections to neighboring regions in the Greater Toronto Area. The goal is to increase York Region’s transit use to 17% over a 25-year period, reducing congestion, improving air quality and enabling more efficient land use.
To quick start delivery of the Viva system and address current congestion problems, the municipality entered into a Public-Private Partnership (P3) agreement, the first of its kind in Canada. With Delcan being a key member of the P3, the company, with its partners, developed a 20-year three-phase plan and delivered the first phase of the Viva Network in September 2005.
Record Results
Since its launch, Viva service has increased annual boardings by more than 55%. Not only did Viva break ridership records, it accomplished its launch on time and on budget – in about half the time it would normally take to implement a similar project in North America.
The Viva Network Now
- 4 Viva corridors along 90 km (56 mil) of arterial roadway
- 7 terminals, 52 stations and 99 stops
- 85 state-of-the-art rapid transit vehicles using “clean diesel” engines
- 8 “smart shelter” designs with electronic ticket machines
- Off-board fare collection equipment and management systems
- Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) including transit control center components, in-vehicle communications, traffic signal control and public information displays.
Viva Wins International Recognition
Phase One of the Viva network has already won numerous awards, including the 2006 American Public Transportation Association Innovation Award and the Tri-Committee of Ontario’s IT Project of the Year Award.
Bringing Innovation To Groundbreaking Initiatives
Leveraging existing web-based communications systems:
- Application of Bus Rapid Transit Technologies: The first bus rapid transit system of its kind in the Greater Toronto Area, Viva is attracting interest from transit experts around the world who are studying the success of the Viva model.
- Operations and Maintenance: In partnership with Veolia Transportation, Delcan’s operations and maintenance contractor, Delcan supported the Region’s vision of sustainable urban communities.
- Public-Private Partnership (P3): Delcan’s P3 responsibilities included staffing and procurement support, assuming budgetary and scheduling risks, and assisting York Region in its financing requirements.
- Marketing Initiatives: Delcan participated in the marketing of Viva with the rollout of a multi-level communications campaign that positioned Viva as not just a service, but as a brand.