No. H079/11
For release - September 01, 2011
WATERLOO REGION, ONTARIO — Grand River Transit (GRT) will benefit from funding for technological improvements announced today by the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
"Applying innovative technologies to the Region of Waterloo's transit service will greatly improve the efficiency, safety and quality of the transit service GRT delivers to residents," said Minister Lebel.
GRT, a transit service provider in the Region of Waterloo, will adopt a driver management system with links to on-board computer systems that help dispatch, track and locate fleet vehicles. This system will improve driver management and increase public safety.
"This is an exciting partnership opportunity with Transport Canada to innovate and have a first-of-its-kind transit technology to better manage our buses," said Regional Chair Ken Seiling.
The Government of Canada will provide up to $150,000 to the project. This funding is part of the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP) that works to deploy and integrate intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in Canada. The total cost is estimated at $300,000.
GRT travels over 10 million kilometres per year throughout the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo on a fixed route schedule. GRT has a fleet of over 220 vehicles consisting of both conventional and "iXpress" buses, as well as a specialized transit service for persons with disabilities, known as MobilityPLUS.
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