501 Züm Queen Explained

Operator:Brampton Transit
Number:501
System:Züm
Vehicle:New Flyer Xcelsior
Communities:Brampton and Vaughan
Start:Downtown Brampton Terminal
Via:Bramalea Terminal
End:Vaughan Metropolitan Centre station
Stops:26
Otherroutes:Viva Orange
Length:14.9miles
Frequency:7.5 minutes or better
Next Line:502

501 Züm Queen is a bus rapid transit route in Brampton, Ontario that is part of the Züm network. The route first began service on September 20, 2010, and runs between the Downtown Brampton Terminal in the west to the Toronto Transit Commission's Vaughan Metropolitan Centre station in Vaughan in the east. It runs along Queen Street in Brampton and continues along Highway 7 in Vaughan.

501 Züm Queen shares routing with York Region Transit's Viva Orange bus rapid transit route between Martin Grove Road and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, and has been fare integrated with it since its creation. Both Brampton Transit and York Region Transit proofs of payment (Presto-marked transfers for riders paying cash) are accepted for the entire length of both bus routes.

Route history

Originally, the route continued to York University (which also had a subway connection when the line's extension to Vaughan opened on December 17, 2017).[1] There were also two branch routes: 501A and 501C, which followed an express routing through Vaughan along Highways 427 and 407, with 501A running the full distance between the Downtown Brampton Terminal and York University, and 501C terminating at the Bramalea Terminal. These two branches were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic,[2] with the 501C being reinstated on September 6, 2022, and the 501 being cut back to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre station.[3] On June 24, 2024, the 501C branch was cancelled permanently, leaving only the base route operating.[4] Brampton Transit cited high operating costs due to Highway 407 tolls and the recently introduced fare integration program (enabling free transfers from the TTC subway) as reasons for the change.

Stops

501 Queen [5]
NameOpening DateMunicipalityLocal parallel routesConnections
Downtown Brampton TerminalSeptember 20, 2010Brampton1/1A Queen
Centre
Kennedy
Rutherford
West Drive / Laurelcrest
Dixie8 Centre
Bramalea Terminal1/1A Queen / MiWay
Bramalea
Finchgate/Glenvale
Torbram
Gateway/Chrysler
Airport Road
Goreway1 Queen
McVean
Gore Road31 McVean
Highway 50 Brampton, Vaughan
Roybridge Gate / Vaughan ValleyVaughan77 Highway 7 (YRT)
Highway 27
Martin Grove
Kipling
Islington
Helen/WigwossNovember 24, 2019[6] [7]
Pine ValleySeptember 20, 2010
Ansley Grove / Whitmore
Weston
CommerceNovember 24, 2019
Vaughan Metropolitan Centre stationDecember 17, 2017
Smart VMC Bus TerminalAugust 31, 2020[8]

Notes

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: After delays, cost overruns, and tragedy, a subway to Vaughan is complete. The Toronto Star. December 16, 2017. Beattie. Samantha. Spurr. Ben. December 17, 2017. December 17, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171217065307/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/transportation/2017/12/16/after-delays-cost-overruns-and-tragedy-a-subway-to-vaughan-is-complete.html. live.
  2. Web site: 501C York University Service . City of Brampton (Brampton Transit) . October 13, 2022 . October 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221013040747/https://www.brampton.ca/EN/residents/transit/plan-your-trip/Documents/501C_UpdateNotice.pdf . live .
  3. Web site: Schedules and Maps . City of Brampton (Brampton Transit) . September 8, 2020 . September 15, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200915084836/https://www.brampton.ca//EN/residents/transit/plan-your-trip/Pages/Schedules-Maps-Covid.aspx . live .
  4. Web site: 501 Züm Queen FAQs: Why is Brampton Transit making this change? . City of Brampton . June 25, 2024.
  5. Web site: Legend - BRT Network . Brampton . Brampton Transit . 2014.
  6. Web site: Highway 7 West Factsheet. VivaNext. November 18, 2017.
  7. Web site: Highway 7 West Rapidway Now Open From Commerce To Wigwoss/Helen . www.yrt.ca . November 24, 2019 . November 24, 2019 .
  8. Web site: COVID-19 Updates - 501 Züm Queen Stop Change at YRT SmartVMC Bus Terminal . www.brampton.ca . January 12, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201001235300/https://www.brampton.ca/EN/residents/transit/service-alerts/Pages/Transit-Updates.aspx#497 . October 1, 2020 . dead.