MiWay

Public transit in Mississauga was first operated by Charterways Limited as Mississauga Transit Systems with four buses in 1969 and was acquired by the city's newly formed Mississauga Transit in 1974, incorporating the former towns of Mississauga, Port Credit and Streetsville. Services began on November 1, 1973.

It later acquired routes formerly operated by others, such as;

• The Toronto Transit Commision's (TTC) 74 Port Credit bus, in February 1976, that had operated on Lakeshore Road from Long Branch since 1935. This succeeded a former interurban railway, dating back to 1892 as the Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company.
• Gray Coach Lines, and later GO Transit, also served intercity routes on Dundas Street, and Hurontario Street, both being provincial highways before the construction of present freeways such as Highways 401, 403, 410, and 427.
• Malton is still served by TTC's 52 Lawrence West bus, which has replaced 58 Malton. Local services in Malton were provided since 1969, and expanded after 1973.

Mississauga Transit was rebranded MiWay on October 4, 2010. New MiWay-branded hybrid buses entered service, with orange MiLocal buses on local routes and blue MiExpress buses on express routes. Advertisements were placed on buses and shelters in September 2010 to introduce users to the new branding. Older buses using the old logo would continue to be used until they are decommissioned. Service levels did not change with the rebranding.[2]

The reason for the company's new name is twofold: "Mi" could be interpreted as standing for Mississauga, and it is also a homophone for "My", suggesting possession.

As of December 1, 2011, MiWay's bus fleet is fully low-floor and accessible. As of October 22, 2012, bus stop pads have been put at all MiWay bus stops. This allowed the entire system, to become fully accessible.[3]

On April 29, 2019, 24-hour service was introduced on four bus routes.[4]

In 2007, Mississauga received federal funding for a bus rapid transit (BRT) line, the Mississauga Transitway. The line is built alongside Highway 403, which passes through the City Centre. The line also connects to Toronto Pearson International Airport at Renforth Drive.

The cities of Mississauga and Brampton will be served by a light rail transit (LRT) route on Hurontario Street between Lakeshore Road and Steeles Avenue in Brampton.[7] This route would link Port Credit, Mississauga City Centre, and Brampton in response to increasing congestion and anticipated high growth in the corridor.[8] This light rail service will replace MiExpress route 103 Hurontario Express.

The LRT will connect to two GO Transit rail lines (Milton line at Cooksville GO Station and Lakeshore West line at Port Credit GO Station), and other rapid transit lines including Züm Steeles, Züm Main, and the Mississauga Transitway).

MiWay operates low-floor, wheelchair-accessible buses. The last high-floor bus was retired December 1, 2011. A separate transit service for the disabled, called Transhelp, is operated by the Peel Regional Municipality.

Mississauga Transit's paper "Ride Schedules" were discontinued in 2004. From 2005 onward all timetables were only available from the system's website.

MiWay provides up-to-date bus schedules via their CityLink telephone service. In November 2005 MiWay inaugurated a schedule finder on their website, called Click 'n Ride,[9] with information specific to each bus stop.

As of January 2021, MiWay's cash fare is $4.00 for all passengers.[10] Presto cards have been accepted throughout the entire MiWay system since May 30, 2011.[11] Since July 29, 2019, riders can also use their Presto cards to pay both their MiWay and Toronto Transit Commission fares on TTC-operated bus routes 52B and 52D Lawrence West operating between Mississauga (Westwood Mall or McNaughton) and Toronto (Lawrence Station). Customers aged 5 and under can ride all MiWay bus routes fare-free. Seniors aged 65 and older pay only $1.00 with valid senior photo identification.

Cash-paying customers can ask the bus driver for a paper transfer after depositing a cash fare into the fare box; Presto-paying customers tap their card on the Presto fare reader when boarding and a transfer is automatically stored on their card.

Transfers are valid for two hours in any direction, including transfers to and from Brampton Transit and Oakville Transit, from the time of issue.[12]

Presto card fares:

TTC-contracted routes:

Other fares and fees:

MiWay operates two types of vehicles: regular 12-metre (40 ft) buses and 18-metre (60 ft) articulated buses. Both types are fully wheelchair-accessible; however, some bus stops on routes are not accessible due to the lack of bus stop pads for safe loading and unloading for passengers using wheelchairs.

MiWay drivers are represented by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1572.[18]

Mississauga Transit enforcement officers patrol in white Dodge Chargers bearing a single black stripe and the wording "Transit Enforcement" in black. Mississauga Transit enforcement officers are part of the City of Mississauga Corporate Services team. Transit enforcement officers are designated as municipal law enforcement officers, and enforce the Mississauga Transit Bylaw 425-03.[19]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MiWay.

• Official website
• Peter McLaughlin's Mississauga Bus Drawings
• Drawings and photos of Mississauga Transit buses
• Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1572