Questions
Where is it?
When will it open?
What transit services will use it?
What amenities does it have?
Who does the SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal serve?
How does the new terminal affect commuters on YRT?
Why did it take so long to open the new bus terminal?
Is there an area for picking up and dropping off people at the bus terminal?
Cycling
Parking
Routes And Fares
Which bus routes will service the terminal?
How does fare pricing work when transferring between YRT and TTC?
Can I pay my YRT fare without PRESTO? Can I use cash to buy a ticket at SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal?
How do I use PRESTO for my fare? And will I be able to reload my PRESTO card at the new bus terminal?
Why don’t local YRT routes use the rapidway on Highway 7?
Vaughan Metropolitan Centre
Rapidway Construction in Vaughan
Contacts
Answers
Where is it?
The terminal is located in Vaughan Metropolitan Centre at the corner of Millway Avenue and Apple Mill Road, just north of the TTC subway station and Viva rapidway station on Highway 7.
When will it open?
The terminal opens at 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, November 3, 2019.
What transit services will use it?
York Region Transit [YRT] buses and transit customers will use the terminal. Viva and Brampton Züm will continue to use the rapidway on Highway 7.
What amenities does it have?
SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal has nine bus bays, seating areas with tables and chairs, washrooms, area for future retail space and a welcoming community park outside at the centre of the transit hub. The bus terminal connects directly to the TTC Line 1 Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station and Viva bus rapidway on Highway 7 via a fully accessible, two-minute walk through an aboveground park or an underground pedestrian pathway.
Who does the SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal serve?
SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal serves those who live and work in Vaughan and beyond. The new terminal connects the Viva bus rapidway on Highway 7, the TTC Line 1 subway and York Region Transit’s neighbourhood transit services all within short walking distance – above and below ground. This means a brand-new, fully accessible pedestrian tunnel or an attractive aboveground park, known as Transit Square.
Under development adjacent to the terminal are the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Library and YMCA – both scheduled to open in 2020. More information is available on the Vaughan Public Library website and the YMCA website.
The terminal is designed to be accessible from every direction to pedestrians, cyclists and transit customers. Those who plan to drive can carpool to the passenger pick-up and drop-off area on Millway Avenue. More information on how the VMC transit hub connects can be found in this video.
How does the new terminal affect commuters on YRT?
It provides customers with greater comfort, convenience and accessibility compared to the current curb-side temporary stops. Customers will be able to find their way to their bus by means of clearly posted, real-time route signs throughout the terminal.
Why did it take so long to open the new bus terminal?
The project was delayed in 2018 due to unforeseen circumstances. Work resumed earlier this year and can now open for service. Some additional work will take place in the spring, but the terminal can remain open during that work.
Is there an area for picking up and dropping off people at the bus terminal?
Passenger pickup and drop-off is located on southbound Millway Avenue, beside the bus terminal.
Cycling
How are cyclists accommodated at the new terminal? Can they ride to it and is there a place to lock your bike?
The terminal can be accessed by bike lanes – raised and at street level – on Millway Avenue and on Apple Mill Road. Plus, cyclists travelling from the west on Highway 7 can use the centre-lane multi-use path from Famous Avenue, and then the bike lane eastbound from Applewood Crescent to Millway Avenue. Coming from the east on Highway 7, there are bike lanes for cyclists from Bowes Road. Bike racks are conveniently located along the east side of the bus terminal and additional racks will be added to the west side upon completion of the Library, YMCA and condo construction that is currently underway.
Parking
Is there parking at the terminal?
There is a commercial parking lot across from the terminal on the north-east and south-east corner of Millway and Apple Mill, but no public parking lots. The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre was designed as a new urban downtown that prioritizes streetscape, sidewalks for pedestrians, bike lanes for cyclists, new businesses and condos, and transit connections – local bus service, subway and bus rapid transit – to service them all.
Commuter parking facilities are available at the two subways stations to the south of VMC: Highway 407 Station and Pioneer Village Station. Weekday parking is paid, and weekend parking is free at these facilities.
- Highway 407 Station has 583 new parking spots plus 25 accessible parking spots, as well as a YRT and GO bus terminal.
- Pioneer Village Station has 1,881 new parking spots, as well as a YRT bus terminal.
Routes And Fares
Which bus routes will service the terminal?
Routes 10, 20, 26 and Mobility On-Request. To get to Vaughan Mills Mall, customers can take Routes 20 or 26 right from the terminal.
How does fare pricing work when transferring between YRT and TTC?
Learn more about fare pricing at York Region Transit and the One Fare Program when transferring between YRT and TTC.
Can I pay my YRT fare without PRESTO? Can I use cash to buy a ticket at SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal?
Yes, you may use debit, credit or exact change at a OneRide fare machine located on station platforms when riding Viva. Alternatively, you can also pay your fare using the YRT Pay app. Here is more information about payment options, fares and passes.
How do I use PRESTO for my fare? And will I be able to reload my PRESTO card at the new bus terminal?
PRESTO is the smart card fare option for York Region Transit [YRT] as well as TTC. To use it for your fare, tap your PRESTO card on a PRESTO fare machine and your fare is deducted from your account. There are PRESTO fare machines for reloading your cards at the concourse level of TTC’s Vaughan Metropolitan Centre subway station.
Presto cards can be purchased at select Shoppers Drug Mart locations throughout the Greater Toronto Area [GTA].
Here is more information about PRESTO for YRT and Viva routes. And here is general information about paying with PRESTO: prestocard.ca.
Vaughan Metropolitan Centre
What is the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre [VMC] and what transit connections does it offer?
The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre is a key urban centre with a focus on connected transit networks and new growth and development, via York Region’s Centres and Corridors Program – a visionary planning framework that is channeling new jobs, housing and shopping to the newly urbanized downtowns in Vaughan, as well as Markham, Newmarket, and Richmond Hill.
The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre has within it an ultra-connected transit hub. The Viva rapidway on Highway 7, the TTC Line 1 subway and now SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal are all connected to get you where you want to go.
Rapidway Construction in Vaughan
When will the rapidway along Highway 7 West and the Bathurst and Centre area in Vaughan be completed?
Both of these rapidway segments are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, 2019, with the eastern segment’s service opening potentially in early 2020. The rapidway will extend west from Vaughan Metropolitan Centre [VMC], over Highway 400, to west to Bruce Street. It is also being expanded east along the existing Centre Street and Bathurst Street Viva route. The segment along Highway 7 from Bathurst Street to Yonge Street and the Richmond Hill Centre Terminal opened for service in September 2019. Overall, this project will add 12.6 kilometres of dedicated bus lanes plus 10 new Vivastations in Vaughan.
Central to the York Region Centres and Corridors Strategy is the vivaNext rapid transit system, which will make it easy for employees and residents to travel conveniently and make transit connections across York Region and the GTHA. Employers need to attract workers, and one of the things that employees need is access to transit and other mobility options such as cycling to provide options for the daily commute.
Contacts
Who can I call if I have a question about the rapidway construction projects in Vaughan?
Keeping the public informed and engaged with our rapidway projects is important to us. Our Community Liaisons work with property owners, tenants, local businesses and residents.
For more information on VivaNext Construction, please contact our Community Liaison.
Who can I call if I have questions about YRT bus service?
YRT Information Line:
Local: 905 762 2100
Toll free: 1 866 MOVE YRT [668 3978]
Monday to Friday: 7am–7pm
Saturday, Sunday and Holidays: 8:30am–4:30pm