MiWay, the City of Mississauga's new brand for transit service - driven by the coming Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project service improvements - was presented at today's Council meeting.

"Starting October 4, 2010, 42 new express buses with the new identity and blue colour will serve passengers travelling on our current network of five express routes that extends across the city and connects to many popular destinations including the Islington Subway Station, Westwood Mall, Meadowvale Town Centre, City Centre Transit Terminal, Clarkson GO Station, University of Toronto Mississauga campus and the Airport Corporate Centre," said Geoff Marinoff, director of Transit. "In addition to frequent service during the morning and evening rush hours, customers can enjoy more comfortable seating, reading lights, power outlets for laptops and larger windows when they choose express service on MiWay - the new Mississauga Transit."

Customers can choose from two types of MiWay service: MiExpress for express travel on blue buses, and MiLocal for local travel on orange buses. When the BRT Project is operational in 2013, more express service is planned to help reduce passenger travel times and enhance schedule reliability, since trips on Mississauga's BRT corridor are less likely to be affected by traffic congestion, explained Marinoff.

"Mississauga's transit system is changing to better serve those who live and work in the city," said Marinoff. "Our new brand represents a customer-focused approach to grow ridership. This is the beginning of an ongoing journey to continually enhance the value we deliver to our existing customers and to earn the business of new riders."

The BRT Project is a high-efficiency transit corridor running east-west across Mississauga. The BRT Project will support all-station stop and extensive express bus service for thousands of riders per day, making it faster and easier for passengers to travel to, from and through Mississauga and the GTA. Visit www.mississauga.ca/brt for station locations and design plans.

A communication campaign to educate current and potential transit riders about the two types of MiWay service will occur in August and continue into the fall. The new brand identity is one of many recent investments in the transit system to help the organization deliver excellent customer service to those who choose MiWay, explained Marinoff.

These recent investments in transit include:

• Additional buses and service hours.
• The newly expanded Central Parkway Transit Campus with new Bus Storage and Repair Garages to support ridership growth was officially opened in June 2009.
• Automated next stop announcements are currently being tested on Route 19-Hurontario buses to help passengers of all ages and abilities.
• Mississauga is participating in the Presto fare card project. Visit www.prestocard.ca for details.
• A new website with improved functionality will launch in September 2010.

The MiExpress and MiLocal paint schemes will replace the existing design on buses over time as buses complete their planned service lifecycles. Once Mississauga's BRT is completed, both orange and blue MiWay buses will travel on the corridor to optimize route and system efficiencies as well as connections with other transit networks, explained Marinoff.

As Canada's sixth largest city, Mississauga is home to 730,000 residents and 55,000 businesses, including 61 Fortune 500 companies with Canadian head offices or major divisional head offices. A diverse, progressive and award-winning municipality located on the shores of Lake Ontario in the heart of the Greater Toronto Area, Mississauga is one of Greater Toronto's Top 90 Employers for 2010. Enhancing its citizens' quality of life by providing superior services, revitalizing its infrastructure and conserving the environment, Mississauga is committed to innovation, operational excellence and fiscal responsibility which is reflected in its motto: "Leading Today for Tomorrow."

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