Gravenhurst Regional Transit route 1 'Main Street'



Route 1, also known as Main Street, is a full frequent service route operated by Gravenhurst Regional Transit, serving Main Street between London Line and Dundas Terminal, in Archemedes, Gravenhurst. The route has 3 branches, 1 Main Street, 1A Main - Reid, and 1N Main Street (Blue Nite).

History
Route 1 was among one of the first pioneer routes that started along with the creation of Gravenhurst Regional Transit. Route 1 was originally stretching from Gravenhurst Terminal through Archemedes Terminal and ends at Lincoln M. Alexander Expressway. However, with more new subdivisions growing north and south of the route's served area, the route was later extended. It eventually took over Route 0, which was a historical route connecting Archemedes and Dundas.

With more ridership due to the extension, the frequency increased drastically from 20 minutes to 5 minutes in non-peak hours, and from 10 minutes to 3 minutes in peak hours in Winter 2006.

Higher density apartments were later built in 2007 resulted a new branch of this route, namely Route 1A, extending down towards Crowfoot GO Station.

Route 1A was later discontinued as Parkthorn Heights become inhabited, and the portion of the route was replaced by Route 92.

Also in 2007, with the completion of the new subway line, ridership slightly decreased by 3 %. However, GRT did not plan to reduce service frequency. The ridership later increased slightly back again in Summer 2008.

Fleet Used

 * GRT New Ages Hybrid Electric 40' Double Decker (2005)
 * Kneeling Bus - Wheelchair Ramp equipped

Future Developments
Future riderships may decrease due to the extension of the Main Subway Line. GRT may review the service frequency. GRT may be planning to reduce service frequency in Summer 2009, and may be planned to shrink the vehicle size to a single decker to lower operating cost.

GRT also revealed an alternate plan of start up Route 1A again and Route 1A will replace Route 58 in Spring 2009.

Free transfers to TheLinx Subway may be implemented in Winter 2010.

Major Stops
ZONE CHANGE (Zone 1 to Zone 2)
 * South Archemedes Terminal (Platform 1)
 * London Line & Main Street South
 * Denison Subway Station (Drop-off)
 * Museum Subway Station (Drop-off)
 * Lincoln Subway Station (Drop-off)
 * Archemedes Terminal (Platform 1)
 * Archemedes City Hall (Downtown Avenue & Main Street North)
 * Castlemore Subway Station (Drop-off)
 * Gravenhurst Subway Station (Drop-off)
 * North Archemedes Terminal (Platform 2)
 * Moraine Heights Boulevard & Gravenhurst Street
 * Reid Street South & Lake Dundas By-Pass
 * Dundas Terminal (Platform 2)

Destination Signs

 * 1 Main Street / TO DUNDAS TERMINAL / VIA ARCHEMEDES TERM.
 * 1 Main Street / TO S. ARCHEMEDES TERM. / VIA ARCHEMEDES TERM.
 * 1N Main Street / BLUE NITE SERVICE / TO S. ARCHEMEDES TERM.
 * 1N Main Street / BLUE NITE SERVICE / TO DUNDAS TERM.

Route Notes
This route operates every 3 minutes during rush hours (6 - 9 AM; 3 - 7 PM), and 5 - 10 minutes during non-rush hours. After midnight, the Blue Nite Program will start on this route until the next morning 6 AM, and the frequency will be reduced to 30 minutes. This route traverses through zones 1 and 2. For passengers travelling from Archemedes to Dundas, there is an extra fare applied. The same goes for passengers from Dundas to Archemedes. The route was known as the busiest route in the GRT system since the beginning to Spring 2008. In summer 2008, Route 3 replaced Route 1 as the busiest GRT route.