Brampton Transit (BT) is a public transportbus operator for the City of Brampton in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Ontario, Canada. Brampton Transit began operations in 1974. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 49,200,800, or about 226,500 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
Most major north-south conventional routes connect to MiWay, primarily beginning or ending their route at or near Derry Road in Mississauga. As with some routes on the Züm network, a few conventional routes also overlap further south into Mississauga providing additional or integrated service alongside MiWay from the same street coming from Brampton. Examples include the 7/7A Kennedy looping via Courtneypark Drive, 30 Airport Rd and 14 Torbram terminating at Westwood Square, and 18 Dixie looping via Courtneypark Drive, Tomken Road, and Meyerside Drive.
Steeles Avenue is a major thoroughfare across the south end of the city. Route 11 Steeles formerly ran from west of Brampton Gateway at Hurontario Street, and eastward into Toronto to Humber College Bus Terminal at Humber College's North Campus. There is a transfer at the college with Route 50/50A Gore Road, that serves developments in The Gore Road area near the former Highway 50 and Albion Road. In September 2007, the western part of the route was cut back to Brampton Gateway and replaced with Route 51 Hereford. It connects with Miway at Mississauga Road and Meadowvale Boulevard. The 511 Züm Steeles route serves the entire length of Steeles through the city, from Humber College Bus Terminal to Lisgar GO station in Mississauga. It is the only Brampton Transit route to have both its endpoints outside Brampton.
Four routes run north into Caledon to provide service to urbanized areas bordering Brampton as well as the community of Bolton in the otherwise rural municipality.[3][4]
Brampton Transit carries riders to and from the three Kitchener line commuter rail stations operated by GO Transit in the city; Bramalea, Brampton, and Mount Pleasant, where connections to GO buses can be made. GO buses also make an on-street connections at Brampton Gateway Terminal, and serves shopping centres such as Bramalea City Centre and Trinity Common. GO is an interregional agency that provides higher-order transit links Brampton to Toronto and other cities in the Golden Horseshoe.
Fares
2008 Children/Student 10 ticket
Fares are as of May 10, 2023.[5] The cash fare is $4.50.
Customers paying their bus fares with cash (and in some cases, special purpose paper tickets) may request a paper transfer from the bus driver; for customers using Presto cards, the transfer is applied automatically from initial tap on. Both are valid for two hours from the time of first boarding, which allows customers to transfer freely between Brampton Transit buses in any direction, as well as transferring to neighbouring Milton Transit, MiWay, and York Region Transit services. On February 26, 2024, free transfers between Brampton Transit and the TTC (separate fares were charged prior to that date) have also been available for riders paying with Presto, credit, or debit cards under a new GTA-wide fare integration policy between the TTC and all other GTA transit services. However, the double fare still applies for cash payments.[6]
Since August 11, 2022, customers also have the option to pay the equivalent of the Brampton Transit adult cash fare by contactless credit card or mobile wallet by tapping it on a Presto fare reader.
Similar to the Presto card, the 2-hour transfer is applied automatically onto a customer's contactless credit or debit card or mobile wallet after the initial fare is paid.
Preschoolers, blind people and senior residents – who resides in the City of Brampton for those ages 65 and older so long as they carry a valid Brampton Transit Identification Card and a Presto card with a free annual pass loaded on it – can travel fare free on Brampton Transit. War veterans also travel for free by Veteran Transit Pass Program.
The new terminal, located on the northwest corner of Steeles Avenue and Main Street, opened on 26 November 2012.[7] replacing the Shoppers World Terminal
This terminal was replaced by Brampton Gateway Terminal, located on the northwest corner of Steeles Avenue and Main Street, on 26 November 2012.[7] The facility stands empty; it is to be demolished and the area to be used by Shoppers World Brampton as an additional parking lot.
Bramalea GO Station – Brampton Routes: 11/11A, 13, 15/15A, 115, 16, 40, 92, 511/511A/511C
Brampton GO Station – connection to Downtown Transit Terminal via pedestrian tunnel. Also connects with Via Rail
Mount Pleasant GO Station – Brampton Routes: 1, 4/4A, 5/5A, 9, 29/29A, 55, 60, 505, 561. Also connects with Routes 6, 23, 26, 27, and 28 at Mount Pleasant Village terminal adjacent to the GO station
All Brampton Transit and Züm routes are wheelchair-accessible (). There is also an on-demand bus service operating in the industrial area around Dixie Rd/Advance Blvd, previously served by the former route 40.
Legend
Bus Used
1
Regular Service
regular
104
Express Service
200
iRide School Service
300
Commercial Service
501
Bus rapid Transit (BRT) Service
Züm
Route
Direction and Termini
Connecting Züm Services
Availability
1
Queen
EB
To Highway 50 viaBramalea Terminal via Flower City Community Campus limited service only
New Flyer D40LF (models from 1996 retired by September 2012), (2002 and 2003 models retired by Summer 2021), (2004 models retried by March 2024). Last units, 0421 and 0427, retired in January 2023 and March 2024 respectively.
Brampton Transit Transit Enforcement Officers patrol in white hybrid vehicles (Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry) with red and blue stripes.
Depots
Brampton Transit operate depots in Clark and Sandalwood.[9]
Züm is Brampton's bus rapid transit system.[10] In order of each route initially opening, its first corridor, 501 Zum Queen was launched on September 20, 2010, and runs along Queen Street from Downtown Brampton to York University via Bramalea Terminal. It later branched out to add frequency to the route, with the 501A going along Highway 407 and the 501C beginning at Bramalea Terminal rather than Downtown Brampton, to York University (both branches were discontinued in 2024). 502 Züm Main opened in 2011 and runs North & South along Main/Hurontario Street from Sandalwood Loop to Mississauga City Centre Transit Terminal (Square One). 511 Züm Steeles opened in 2012 and goes east to west along Steeles Avenue, from Lisgar GO Station in Meadowvale, Mississauga, to Humber College Bus Terminal in Toronto via Sheridan College and Brampton Gateway Terminal. 561 Zum Queen West opened in 2016 and operates service from Downtown Brampton to Mount Pleasant GO Station via Queen Street and Mississauga Road.
505 Züm Bovaird opened in 2014 and went east to west along Bovaird Drive from Mount Pleasant GO Station to the Queen Loop at Goreway and Queen. A north-to-south extension along Airport Road to Malton GO station was opened in 2018, realigning the route while no longer servicing the Queen Loop. A branch of this route, 505A, opening in 2022, runs from Trinity Common Terminal to Viscount Station on the Pearson Airport Terminal Link Train.
A proposed Zum Route along Chinguacousy Road[11] will connect the Cassie Campbell Community Centre[12] at Sandalwood Parkway, to Bramalea GO Station via Steeles Ave. It is expected to be in operation in the fall of 2024 to coincide with the opening of the Hurontario LRT. This corridor is also said to help alleviate overcrowding on the existing 4/4A Chinguacousy and Routes 11/11A/511/511A/511C along Steeles Avenue. The routes are currently the 2nd busiest and 5th busiest, respectively.
Accidents
On November 16, 2011, a Züm bus on the 501 Queen route crashed through a noise wall after colliding with an SUV on Highway 7 in Vaughan, sending five people to the hospital.[13] In the early hours of October 9, 2024, another Züm bus, this one not in service and carrying no passengers, crashed at a sharp angle through a similar wall along Bovaird Drive after colliding with a car, demolishing fences as it plowed through several backyards, although there were no injuries.[14]
See also
Brampton Transit makes connections to other transit systems in the Greater Toronto Area:
