Jane Street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project FAQ

YRRTC is a Municipal Services Corporation of its sole shareholder, the Regional Municipality of York.

YRRTC advocates for investments in York Region’s rapid transit, and plans, designs and delivers rapid transit infrastructure on behalf of its Shareholder, York Region.

YRRTC is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of 11 members of York Regional Council.

YRRTC is following the Transit and Rail Project Assessment Process (TRPAP) for the Jane Street BRT project. This is a streamlined EA process to evaluate the potential environmental and community impacts of new or modified transit projects. It ensures that projects are planned responsibly by requiring public consultation, environmental studies, and clear mitigation measures before construction can begin.

Rapid transit along Jane Street has been identified in York Region’s Transportation Master Plan since 2009 and Ontario’s transit plans since 2018.

York Region consulted with the public for the 2022 update to the Region’s Transportation Master Plan in July and October 2021, and April 2022.

York Regional Council approved funding for BRT planning and preliminary design work, including the EA, in 2022 and prioritized two BRT segments for planning work, including Jane Street, in 2023.

Jane Street BRT has been identified in York Region’s Transportation Master Plan (TMP) since 2009 and Ontario’s transit plans since 2018.

York Region’s TMP uses travel demand analysis and forecasting models to assess future transportation needs and the impacts of growth.

Projects in these plans are prioritized for further planning work based on transit ridership, rapid transit network connectivity, trip time savings, adjacent land use and future development, project readiness, and cost.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a transit system that includes the following features:

• Dedicated lanes for buses that are separated from regular traffic, resulting in shorter travel times and more reliable transit service
• Frequent and consistent service, with buses running regularly during peak hours, minimizing wait times
• Transit signal priority measures to give priority to these buses, reducing delays
• Stations designed for quick boarding and alighting, with off-board fare collection and enclosed stations for added customer comfort

The Jane Street BRT corridor, highlighted in Ontario and Regional transportation plans, benefits York Region by aligning with the 2051 Regional Transportation Master Plan's goals of promoting economic viability through strong connections, seamless travel, and sustainable, healthy communities.

Jane Street BRT will complete integral components of the existing region-wide transportation system that will support housing and job growth and connect people to jobs and destinations.

• Even short corridors can alleviate pressure on existing transit systems and improve overall mobility through the area.
• Current active development applications on Jane Street: over 73, 000 units.
• BRT on Jane Street strengthens inter-regional transit connectivity by linking to the TTC’s Line 1 subway, four bus terminals, and major key destinations – Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, Canada’s Wonderland and Vaughan Mills Mall.

Jane Street is one of the highest transit ridership corridors in York Region. To help service the current transit demand, express buses run approximately every 15 minutes, seven days a week, on Jane Street from Highway 407 Terminal to Major Mackenzie West Terminal. The express bus makes several stops between the Highway 407 Terminal and Major Mackenzie West Terminal, at:

• SmartVMC Bus Terminal
• Vaughan Mills Terminal
• Jane Street at Norwood Avenue (Canada’s Wonderland)

As both transit ridership and general traffic volumes continue to grow in the area, traffic congestion is expected to intensify.

The evaluation of ridership, population growth, traffic volumes, connectivity to higher-order transit, and costs has determined BRT as the most suitable technology for the Jane Street corridor.

As part of the Environmental Assessment, transit technology options were evaluated based on ridership, population growth, traffic volumes, connectivity to higher-order transit, and costs to determine the most appropriate rapid transit technology for the corridor.

BRT was determined to be the most suitable technology for the Jane Street corridor as it:

• Improves transit travel times with dedicated transit lanes
• Adequately accommodates future population growth while aligning with provincial, regional, and municipal planning objectives
• Connects to higher-order transit (i.e. BRT and subway) in the network, while having faster implementation timelines and lower capital, operating, and maintenance costs
• Builds future ridership without precluding future transit investments

Viva Orange operates along Highway 7, Bathurst Street, and Centre Street between Richmond Hill Centre Terminal and Martin Grove Road. Viva Orange ridership continues to grow rapidly since the opening of the Line 1 Subway extension into Vaughan in December 2017. Annual ridership increased from approximately 630,000 boardings in 2018 to 1.3 million in 2025, representing a 110.4% increase. This growth is attributed to connections with the TTC subway, development along the BRT corridors, and the operation of the BRT corridors themselves, which provide transit riders with a more efficient means of travelling through congested areas. Further ridership growth is anticipated with the implementation of the Yonge North Subway Extension.

The Environmental Assessment (EA) and 30% preliminary design phase began in January 2025. The EA is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, while the preliminary engineering is expected to be completed by Q2 2027. The EA, along with the 30% preliminary design, will satisfy requirements necessary to achieve construction readiness and eligibility for senior levels of government funding.

The detailed design and construction phases for the project are not yet funded.

York Region and YRRTC continue to advocate to senior levels of government for capital construction funding.

Once this funding is secured, construction timing will be confirmed.

York Region is funding the Environmental Assessment and 30% preliminary design for the Jane Street BRT to ensure the project is construction-ready to help secure capital construction funding from senior levels of government.

Since January 2025, YRRTC project staff have been out in the public talking with residents and building awareness about the Jane Street BRT project.

The project has featured a series of community open houses to invite feedback and foster meaningful engagement, held on Thursday, May 22, 2025; Tuesday, November 25 and Thursday, November 27, 2025; as well as Monday, June 15 and Tuesday, June 23, 2026. These sessions were designed to provide residents and stakeholders with multiple opportunities to connect directly with the project team, share their perspectives, and stay informed as the design continues to evolve.

The Jane Street BRT project has hosted a series of public open houses to share project information, answer questions, and gather feedback from residents, businesses, and stakeholders on proposed design options. Presentation materials from all three open houses are available to view at: https://yrrtc.ca/jane_brt_openhouse

These materials demonstrate how community and stakeholder input have helped shape and refine the project as it continues to progress.

Throughout 2025 and 2026, the project team hosted community pop-up events and three public open houses to share project updates, present key design elements, and actively engage the public in shaping the design of the Jane Street BRT project. You can submit comments through our project website at yrrtc@york.ca.

After the final open house in June 2026, the project team will review all feedback and update the draft Environmental Project Report (EPR) to reflect what we heard, along with the latest technical findings and required mitigation measures. The EPR will be posted on YRRTC’s website for a 30-day public and agency review. Once the review period ends, the project team will consider any remaining comments and submit the final EPR to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for final consideration. The Minister has 35 days to make a decision, and then a Statement of Completion can be issued.