MiWay
MiWay (pronounced "my way"; stylized miWAY), also known as Mississauga Transit and originally as Mississauga Transit Systems, is the municipal public transport agency serving Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and is responsible to the city's Transportation and Works Department. MiWay services consists of two types of bus routes: MiLocal, local buses that make frequent stops, and MiExpress, express buses between major destinations. MiWay is the primary operator along the Mississauga Transitway, a dedicated east–west bus-only roadway. MiWay's routes connect with GO Transit along with Brampton Transit to the north, Oakville Transit to the west, and the Toronto  Transit Commission (TTC) to the east. MiWay is a member of the Canadian Urban Transit Association. In 2013, MiWay's annual ridership was 35.8million passengers, with more than 50.9million boardings. History. Public transit in Mississauga was first operated by Charterways Limited as Mississauga Transit Systems with four buses in 1969 and was acquired by the city's newly formed Mississauga Transit in 1974, incorporating the former towns of Mississauga, Port Credit and Streetsville. Services began on November 1, 1973. It later acquired routes formerly operated by others, such as; Mississauga Transit was rebranded MiWay on October 4, 2010. New MiWay -branded hybrid buses entered service, with orange MiLocal buses on local routes and blue MiExpress buses on express routes. Advertisements were placed on buses and shelters in September 2010 to introduce users to the new branding. Older buses using the old logo would continue to be used until they are decommissioned. Service levels did not change with the rebranding. The reason for the company's new name is twofold: "Mi" could be interpreted as standing for Mississauga, and it is also a homophone for "My", suggesting possession. As of December 1, 2011, MiWay's bus fleet is fully low-floor  and accessible. As of October 22, 2012, bus stop pads have been put at all MiWay bus stops. This allowed the entire system, to become fully accessible. On April 29, 2019, 24-hour service was introduced on four bus routes. Facilities. Transitway stations. All MiWay routes are wheelchair-accessible. Terminals and junctions. All MiWay routes are wheelchair-accessible. GO Transit stations. All MiWay routes are wheelchair-accessible. Operations. Operations are funded by the municipal government of the city, which allocates tax revenues to the transit operator. In 2022, the city allocated almost $90 million for Miway's budget. Services . Routes. All routes are wheelchair-accessible. Routes 1 Dundas, 2 & 17 Hurontario, 3 Bloor, and 7 Airport operate 24 hours. TTC-contracted route. Only one Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) route, 52B/52D Lawrence West, is operated by the TTC by contract on behalf of the City of Mississauga. Fare payment method is the same as for regular MiWay buses; via a Presto card, cash, or in some cases, a MiWay special purpose ticket, and there are free transfer privileges with Miway. A TTC youth, senior or student ticket or token with cash supplement, depending on the category that the passenger falls  onto, can also be used, but TTC-only Presto tickets cannot be used to pay the MiWay fare(s). A regular TTC fare is charged if continuing into, and the Miway fare is charged for passengers riding from, Toronto, with Pearson Airport set as the boundary. From 2002 to 2010, another route 32B Eglinton West, operated to Explorer Drive in the similar arrangement. Bus rapid transit. In 2007, Mississauga received federal funding for a bus rapid transit (BRT) line, the Mississauga Transitway. The line is built alongside Highway 403, which passes through the City Centre. The line also connects to  Toronto Pearson International Airport at Renforth Drive. Light rail transit. The cities of Mississauga and Brampton will be served by a light rail transit (LRT) route on Hurontario Street between Lakeshore Road and Steeles Avenue in Brampton. This route would link Port Credit, Mississauga City Centre, and Brampton in response to increasing congestion and anticipated high growth in the corridor. This light rail service will replace MiExpress route 103 Hurontario Express. The LRT will connect to two GO Transit rail lines (Milton line at Cooksville GO Station and Lakeshore West line at Port Credit GO Station), and other rapid transit  lines including Züm Steeles, Züm Main, and the Mississauga Transitway). Accessibility. MiWay operates low-floor, wheelchair-accessible buses. The last high-floor bus was retired December 1, 2011. A separate transit service for the disabled, called Transhelp, is operated by the Peel Regional Municipality. Schedules. Mississauga Transit's paper "Ride Schedules" were discontinued in 2004. From 2005 onward, all timetables were only available from the system's website. MiWay provides up-to-date bus schedules via their CityLink telephone service. In November 2005 MiWay inaugurated a schedule finder on their website, called Click 'n Ride, with information specific to each  bus stop. Fares. MiWay's cash fare is $4.00 for all passengers. Presto cards have been accepted throughout the entire MiWay system since May 30, 2011. Since July 29, 2019, riders can also use their Presto cards to pay both their MiWay and Toronto Transit Commission fares on TTC-operated bus routes 52B and 52D Lawrence West operating between Mississauga (Westwood Mall or McNaughton) and Toronto (Lawrence Station). Customers aged 5 and under can ride all MiWay bus routes fare-free. Seniors aged 65 and older pay only $1.00 with valid senior photo identification. Cash-paying customers can  ask the bus driver for a paper transfer after depositing a cash fare into the fare box; while Presto-paying customers tap their card on the Presto fare reader(s) when boarding and a transfer is automatically stored on their card. Transfers are valid for two hours in any direction, including transfers to and from Brampton Transit and Oakville Transit, from the time of issue. Presto card fares: TTC-contracted routes: Other fares and fees: Presto programs. In 2007, MiWay was the first test site for the new Presto card; Presto was adopted across the entire MiWay system in May 2011 . Since launching the Presto card in Mississauga, MiWay has issued more than 9,000 cards; as of 2012, they were being used for more than 2.4million trips within the system. MiWay offers two programs exclusively for Presto cardholders: Smart Commute discount program. MiWay also offers discounted adult transit passes to employees of the members of Smart Commute Mississauga and Smart Commute Pearson Airport Area. Transit passes are automatically paid by payroll deduction. Transit enforcement and staff. MiWay drivers are represented by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1572. Mississauga Transit enforcement officers patrol in white Dodge Chargers bearing a single black stripe and  the wording "Transit Enforcement" in black. Mississauga Transit enforcement officers are part of the City of Mississauga Corporate Services team. Transit enforcement officers are designated as municipal law enforcement officers, and enforce the Mississauga Transit Bylaw 425-03. --contains roster of buses used to 1999.