Charles Street Transit Terminal

Charles Street Transit Terminal
Location 15 Charles Street West[1]
Kitchener, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates 43°26′58″N 80°29′32″W / 43.44944°N 80.49222°W / 43.44944; -80.49222Coordinates: 43°26′58″N 80°29′32″W / 43.44944°N 80.49222°W / 43.44944; -80.49222
Owned by Region of Waterloo
Operated by Grand River Transit
Bus stands 25
Bus operators
Construction
Structure type Ticket office, washrooms, waiting room, restaurant, covered platforms
Bicycle facilities Yes
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code GO Transit: KITB
History
Opened 1988 (City of Kitchener)

The Charles Street Transit Terminal at 15 Charles Street West[1] in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada is the main bus station and downtown hub for local Grand River Transit (GRT) bus services for Kitchener and Waterloo. This terminal is also used by a number of intercity operators, including Greyhound, GO Transit, Coach Canada and Aboutown.

It is the largest public service facility run by GRT, with the Cambridge Ainslie Street terminal being the only other staffed bus station.

History

The building was completed in 1988 by the City of Kitchener, which operated Kitchener Transit, GRT's forerunner, at the time. It replaced a facility at Duke and Scott streets, which had become overcrowded. Ownership has since transferred to the Region of Waterloo, GRT's operator.

Facilities

View bus platforms from Gaukel St.

The main terminal building contains the ticket desk, plus washrooms and administrative space on the upper level; the lower level has a licensed restaurant and walk-in cafe, plus an ATM. Access between the floors is by escalator or elevator. Access to the GRT bus platforms from the entry structure is by an enclosed, elevated walkway. Each of the two island platform groups have a 'pod' containing stairwells and an elevator, which also serve as enclosed, climate-controlled waiting space for passengers, with a total of 20 bus stop locations.[2]

The Greyhound and Megabus stops are beside the main terminal building,[2] with GO transit buses using a platform at the northwest corner of the facility effective April 8, 2017.[3] A small modular office handles Greyhound sales outdoors beside the platform during service hours. All other intercity operators are handled by the GRT service desk.

Future

The likelihood of the Charles St. Terminal becoming redundant in the near future has been confirmed by a pair of Regional plans: first, on implementation of a rapid-transit backbone which would decentralize bus routes and require fewer platforms at a single downtown location; and second, the plan to build a multi-modal hub at King and Victoria streets to handle train, bus, and rapid-transit services, which would also integrate the railway station. The Ion rapid transit service is scheduled to debut in Spring of 2018 and the multi-modal hub does not yet have a firm date for completion.

The LRT's Victoria Park station is located just across Gaukel Street from the terminal.

Bus services

Grand River Transit

Greyhound

GO Transit

Coach Canada

References

  1. 1 2 "Charles Street Transit Terminal". Terminals. GRT. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Kitchener - Charles" (PDF). Platform layouts. GRT. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 November 2015.
  3. ↑ "Service Changes Starting April 8". GO Transit. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  4. ↑ "200" (PDF). Schedules. GRT. 16 January 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2015. Conestoga Mall - Ainslie Terminal
  5. ↑ "204" (PDF). Schedules. GRT. 16 January 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 December 2015. The Boardwalk - Ottawa/Lackner
  6. ↑ Greyhound Canada QuickLink
  7. 1 2 Go Bus Schedule Route 25, Waterloo - Mississauga at the Wayback Machine (archived 8 March 2017)
  8. 1 2 GO Train and Bus Schedule - Kitchener at the Wayback Machine (archived 8 March 2017)
  9. ↑ "Agents / Stop Locations". Coach Canada. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Kitchener Transit Centre. megabus.com tickets sold here

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