With the opening of the new rapidway on Highway 7 from Bayview Avenue to Highway 404, vivaNext has not only created placemaking structures but has transformed the way public transit is viewed. The shelters are sleek and beautiful; the roadways are open and faster but most impressive are the buses that travel along these routes.
Nova Bus, based in Quebec, custom made and delivered twenty seven new vehicles in 2013 bringing the viva fleet to 123 vehicles; 40 foot vehicles and 63 foot vehicles.
York Region Rapid Transit (YRRTC) first procured viva vehicles in 2004 through an international request for proposals. At that time the North American market did not manufacture any new, environmentally, comfortable buses and the contract was awarded to VanHool in Belgium. In 2009 YRRTC once again put out a request for proposal for new vehicles and we were thrilled to have competitive submissions from North American companies. After a rigorous process the contract was awarded to Nova Bus to manufacture the new vehicles maintaining the existing look and feel of the viva feet and all the comforts and benefits its customers have come to love.
The new Nova vehicles seat 56 passengers, plus the driver and have 2 mobility device stations, plus standing room. Large platforms are located at both the front and back door for quick and convenient boarding. A 32 inch wide electric ramp and a “kneeling/lift” floor system provides roll-on, roll-off access for those in mobility devices or pushing strollers. This feature combined with the new near level boarding stations makes viva a full accessible transit system. The new Nova has the accessibility ramp located at the front of the bus so that the driver can quickly activate and assist anyone requiring this feature.
All of the viva fleet comes with green light sensor systems which allow the GPS system to track their movements and allow central dispatch to update arrival times on the variable message boards at each station along the route. This “smart technology” also has the ability to hold green lights or advance red lights at intersections if the vehicle is running behind schedule.
One of the great features of the viva rapid transit services is the soft, smooth ride which is provided by the state of the art-ride suspension on the vehicles. The rear mounted engine allows for a quieter ride and helps keeps bumps to a minimum.
Canadians should be proud that our country is able to design, manufacture and deliver such quality transit vehicles and our customers are certainly appreciative of all the comforts they provide to their commute!