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MiWay (pronounced "my way"; stylized miWAY), also known as Mississauga Transit and originally as Mississauga Transit Systems, is the municipal
public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
agency serving
Mississauga, Ontario Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...
, 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 bus Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications ...
es between major destinations. MiWay is the primary operator along the
Mississauga Transitway The Mississauga Transitway is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It comprises a series of purpose-constructed bus-only roadways, as well as reserved lanes on existing city streets and portions of Highway 403, that ...
, a dedicated east–west bus-only roadway. MiWay's routes connect with
GO Transit GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven millio ...
along with
Brampton Transit Brampton Transit (BT) is a public transport bus operator for the City of Brampton in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Ontario, Canada. Brampton Transit began operations in 1974. In , the system had a ...
to the north,
Oakville Transit Oakville Transit is the public transportation provider in Oakville, Ontario, Canada since 1972. It is a department of the town and a member of the Canadian Urban Transit Association. It offers the typical conventional bus A bus (contracted ...
to the southwest,
Milton Transit Milton Transit is the public transit system in the town of Milton, Ontario, Canada. Milton is in Halton Regional Municipality, part of the Greater Toronto Area. Milton Transit began its present service on August 16, 2004 and expanded from 3 f ...
to the northwest and the
Toronto Transit Commission The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and largest ...
(TTC) to the east. MiWay is a member of the
Canadian Urban Transit Association The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) is a national association for urban mobility and both the public and private transit industries in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories exten ...
. 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 Port Credit is a neighbourhood in the south-central part of the City of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, located at the mouth of the Credit River on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Its main intersection is Hurontario Street and Lakeshore Road ...
and
Streetsville Streetsville (pop. 47,327) is a neighbourhood located in the northwestern corner of the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on the Credit River. Although Streetsville occupies the west and east banks of the river, the majority is located on th ...
. Services began on November 1, 1973. It later acquired routes formerly operated by others, such as; * The Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) 74 Port Credit bus, in February 1976, that had operated on
Lakeshore Road Lakeshore Road (originally Lake Shore Road) is a historic roadway in the Canadian province of Ontario, running through the city of Burlington and the town of Oakville in Halton Region, as well as the city of Mississauga in Peel Region. As its n ...
from Long Branch since 1935. This succeeded a former interurban railway, dating back to 1892 as the
Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company The Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company was incorporated in 1890, and operated the Mimico radial line in the Toronto area. The line started operation in 1892 as a short suburban line that later was extended to Port Credit. In 190 ...
. *
Gray Coach Lines Gray Coach was a Canadian inter-city bus line based in Toronto, Ontario, from 1927 to 1992. It was founded and initially owned by the Toronto Transportation Commission, until sold to Stagecoach in 1990. In 1992 the business was sold to Greyhou ...
, and later GO Transit, also served intercity routes on
Dundas Street Dundas Street is a major historic arterial road in Ontario, Canada. The road connects the city of Toronto with its western suburbs and several cities in southwestern Ontario. Three provincial highways— 2, 5, and 99—followed long sectio ...
, and
Hurontario Street Hurontario Street is a roadway running in Ontario, Canada between Lake Ontario at Mississauga and Lake Huron's Georgian Bay at Collingwood. Within Peel Region, it is a major urban thoroughfare within the cities of Mississauga and Brampton, ...
, both being semi-rural provincial highways before the construction of present freeways such as Highways 401, 403, and 410. * Malton was served by the TTC's contracted 58 Malton bus until 2014, when the route was replaced by the TTC's 52 Lawrence West route. Local services in Malton were provided since 1969, and expanded after 1973. Mississauga Transit was rebranded MiWay on October 4, 2010. New MiWay-branded
hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
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 A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (p ...
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


Major


Transitway stations

For more information on the transitway, see the
Bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
section. All MiWay routes are wheelchair-accessible.


Terminals and junctions

All MiWay routes are wheelchair-accessible. * : ''September to April only''


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 The Presto card (stylized as PRESTO) is a contactless smart card automated fare collection system used on participating public transit systems in the province of Ontario, Canada, specifically in Greater Toronto, Hamilton, and Ottawa. Presto car ...
, cash, or in some cases, a MiWay special purpose ticket, and transfers to connecting MiWay buses are included. A TTC youth, senior or student ticket or token, 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
Toronto Pearson International Airport Lester B. Pearson International Airport , commonly known as Toronto Pearson International Airport, is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surro ...
set as the boundary. From 2002 to 2010, another route 32B Eglinton West, operated to Explorer Drive in the similar arrangement.


Rapid transit


Bus rapid transit

The Mississauga Transitway is a mostly grade-separated twelve-stop
bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
(BRT) line running alongside or on
Highway 403 The following highways are numbered 403: Canada * Manitoba Provincial Road 403 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 403 * Highway 403 (Ontario) Costa Rica * National Route 403 Croatia * D403 road Hungary * Main road 403 (Hungary) Japan * Jap ...
and
Eglinton Avenue Eglinton Avenue is a major east–west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga in the Canadian province of Ontario. The street begins at Highway 407 (but does not interchange with the tollway) at the western limits of Mississauga, as a ...
, and passes through the City Centre. The line also connects to buses to Pearson Airport at
Renforth station Renforth, referred to during planning as Renforth Gateway, is a bus station on the border of the cities of Mississauga and Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. Located at Eglinton Avenue and Renforth Drive (although the station entrance is on Commerce B ...
.


Future routes


Light rail transit

Mississauga will be served by a 19 km light rail transit (LRT) route on
Hurontario Street Hurontario Street is a roadway running in Ontario, Canada between Lake Ontario at Mississauga and Lake Huron's Georgian Bay at Collingwood. Within Peel Region, it is a major urban thoroughfare within the cities of Mississauga and Brampton, ...
, running north from
Port Credit GO Station Port Credit GO Station is a GO Transit train and bus station in Mississauga, Ontario Canada. Located in the Port Credit neighbourhood, it is a stop on the Lakeshore West line train service. Port Credit GO has been identified by Metrolinx as a tran ...
, and extending beyond the city limits into Brampton to terminate at
Steeles Avenue Steeles Avenue is an east–west street that forms the northern city limit of Toronto and the southern limit of Regional Municipality of York, York Region in Ontario, Canada. It stretches across the western and central Greater Toronto Area from ...
. The line will link Port Credit, the
City Centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
, and the south end of Brampton in response to increasing congestion and anticipated high growth in the corridor. Construction began in 2020 and the line is projected to enter service in the fourth quarter of 2024. It will replace MiExpress route 103 Hurontario Express. The LRT will connect to two GO Transit rail lines (
Milton line The Milton line is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Union Station in Toronto to Milton, by way of Mississauga. History The Canadian Pacific Railway strongly ...
at
Cooksville GO Station Cooksville GO Station is a GO Transit train and bus station the Milton line in the community of Cooksville in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 3210 Hurontario Street, near Dundas and Hurontario Streets. The future Hurontario LRT wil ...
and
Lakeshore West line Lakeshore West is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Union Station in Toronto to Hamilton, with occasional trips extending to St. Catharines and Niagara Falls. Hi ...
at Port Credit GO Station), and other rapid transit lines including Züm Steeles, Züm Main, and the Mississauga Transitway).


Toronto Subway

In addition to the Hurontario LRT, Toronto's
Line 5 Eglinton Line 5 Eglinton (also known as the Eglinton Crosstown or the Crosstown) is a light rail line that is under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Metrolinx and operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the line will be part ...
is being extended to meet the Mississauga Transitway's Renforth station, bringing the
Toronto Subway The Toronto subway is a rapid transit system serving Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It is a multimodal transport, multimodal rail network consisting of three Pa ...
into Mississauga. It is expected to be completed by 2030 or 2031. A later phase will extend the line further to Pearson Airport and a future Airport transit hub.


Dundas Street BRT

An additional BRT Line is proposed to be built along
Dundas Street Dundas Street is a major historic arterial road in Ontario, Canada. The road connects the city of Toronto with its western suburbs and several cities in southwestern Ontario. Three provincial highways— 2, 5, and 99—followed long sectio ...
. The
Dundas Street bus rapid transit Dundas Street bus rapid transit is a proposed bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor proposed by Metrolinx for the western part of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is part of the regional transportation plan ''The ...
line is an on-street route that is tentatively proposed to run along the Dundas Street corridor between
Kipling Subway Station Kipling is the western terminus station of Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway system. The station is served by buses and subway trains operated by the Toronto Transit Commission and is adjacent to the Kipling GO Station on the Milton ...
in Toronto, and Ridgeway Drive in west Mississauga and continue west to
Waterdown Waterdown was a hardcore punk and post-hardcore band from Osnabrück, Germany. The band emerged onto the scene in 1999 under the formation of: Axel Pralat (guitar), Marcel Bischoff (vocals), Jörg Schwoeppe (drums), Christian Kruse (bass), Holger ...
via Oakville and
Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...
.


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 Region of Peel Accessible Transportation Services is a family of paratransit services in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Regional Municipality of Peel. Services Caledon Community Services Transportation Caledon Community Services Transportation ...
, is operated by the
Peel Regional Municipality The Regional Municipality of Peel (informally Peel Region or Region of Peel, also formerly Peel County) is a regional municipality in the Greater Toronto Area, Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of three municipalities to the west and northwes ...
.


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 and credit card fare is $4.00 for all passengers.
Presto card The Presto card (stylized as PRESTO) is a contactless smart card automated fare collection system used on participating public transit systems in the province of Ontario, Canada, specifically in Greater Toronto, Hamilton, and Ottawa. Presto car ...
s 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 The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and largest ...
fares on TTC-operated bus routes 52B and 52D Lawrence West operating between Mississauga (Westwood Mall or McNaughton) and Toronto (Lawrence Station). Credit cards and mobile wallets like Google Pay,
Apple Pay Apple Pay is a mobile payment service by Apple Inc. that allows users to make payments in person, in iOS apps, and on the web. It is supported on these Apple devices: iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac. It digitizes and can replace a credit ...
and
Samsung Pay Samsung Pay (stylized as SΛMSUNG Pay) is a mobile payment and digital wallet service by Samsung Electronics that lets users make payments using compatible phones and other Samsung-produced devices. The service supports contactless payments usin ...
are accepted on Presto reader as of August 11, 2022 and cash fare is deducted. 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, as well as those paying with a credit card or mobile wallet can 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 Brampton Transit (BT) is a public transport bus operator for the City of Brampton in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Ontario, Canada. Brampton Transit began operations in 1974. In , the system had a ...
and
Oakville Transit Oakville Transit is the public transportation provider in Oakville, Ontario, Canada since 1972. It is a department of the town and a member of the Canadian Urban Transit Association. It offers the typical conventional bus A bus (contracted ...
, from the time of issue.
Presto card The Presto card (stylized as PRESTO) is a contactless smart card automated fare collection system used on participating public transit systems in the province of Ontario, Canada, specifically in Greater Toronto, Hamilton, and Ottawa. Presto car ...
fares: 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: * GO Transit co-fare: Since March 14, 2022, Presto card holders who transfer from GO Transit onto connecting MiWay buses get free admission so long as the customer swipes a Presto card onto the connecting MiWay within the 3 hour transfer window. Passengers transferring from MiWay to GO Transit services will also be reimbursed the difference between the MiWay fare and the co-fare upon disembarking from GO Transit. Customers without Presto cards have to pay the regular MiWay fare when connecting to or from GO trains and buses, as do children aged 6 to 12 regardless of if they have a Presto card or not. Additionally, customers who have a MiWay monthly bus pass stored on their Presto card also have to pay regular GO Transit fares when transferring between MiWay and GO Transit. * Loyalty program: When Presto cardholders have paid for 12 regular MiWay fares in a calendar week, they are able to ride for free for the rest of the week. GO Transit co-fares and fares paid on other systems are not covered by this program. The weekly ride count resets to zero on Mondays.


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.


Fleet/garages


Transit enforcement and staff

MiWay drivers are represented by
Amalgamated Transit Union The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) is a labor organization in the United States and Canada that represents employees in the public transit industry. Established in 1892 as the Amalgamated Association of Street Railway Employees of America, the un ...
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.


References


Works cited

* ''Mississauga – An Illustrated History'', Roger E. Riendeau Windsor Publications Limited 1985. * ''Mississauga Transit – 25 Years With You On Board 1974–1999'', David Onodera, Canadian Transit Heritage Foundation 1999. --contains roster of buses used to 1999. * ''Aging bus fleet to be replaced, GTA: Mississauga'',
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
, August 24, 2006, R5


External links

*
Peter McLaughlin's Mississauga Bus Drawings



Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1572
{{Mississauga Government agencies established in 1973