YRT marks 25 years with contests, events and record-setting ridership
By David Yin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
York Regional Transit (YRT) has launched celebrations for its 25th anniversary with a variety of events, contests, and other activities that will continue into next year.
One of the key initiatives is the Transit Memories Contest, which encourages people to share their best transit memories through writing or video, with an option to include a photo. Participants can win one of nine prize packs, which may include a YRT anniversary jersey, a $25 Presto card, or a Presto card holder.
YRT began celebrations by holding anniversary-themed Customer Appreciation events at several bus terminals last month, including Markham’s own Cornell Bus Terminal. About 1,000 people in total came over to learn about other anniversary events, get free merchandise, and share their thoughts via a survey.
Richard Montoya, transit director at York Region, said that YRT is planning for more on-street events to begin next year, as well as an anniversary-themed bus wrap to inform residents about upcoming events.
“It’s an opportunity to celebrate, pause, and recognize what’s behind us, but then to also continue with our good work and look ahead to what’s in front of us,” he said.
Montoya said that two of his proudest achievements since joining YRT seven years ago were joining Ontario’s One Fare program and helping the agency recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
YRT began participating in the One Fare program in early 2024. This allowed riders to pay only once within a 2-hour period, even when transferring between different transit agencies within the GTA.
By the end of 2024, YRT’s cross-boundary trips increased by 27.6 per cent compared to the start of the program.
Montoya said that One Fare provided consistent funding and helped YRT increase its ridership, allowing the transit agency to recover from the pandemic.
In fact, YRT’s ridership increased by 12 per cent to 23.7 million riders in 2024, which he said was a historic all-time high.
Montoya said he predicts 2025 will be YRT’s second consecutive year of record ridership, with Markham outpacing York Region’s average for ridership growth.
“I think our annual consultation processes, reaching out to local municipalities to understand their needs, and growing responsibly have allowed us to rise to the challenge and recover as best as we can,” he said.
Eligible entries for the Transit Memories Contest may be featured on social media. Montoya said that the contest will likely run until next summer.
For more information, head to www.yrt.ca/en/news/celebrate-yrt-s-25th-anniversary-with-us.aspx.