MiWay

Public transit in Mississauga was first operated by Charterways Limited as Mississauga Transit Systems with four buses in 1969. It 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 Commission'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 semi-rural provincial highways before the construction of present freeways such as Highways 401, 403, and 410.
• Malton was served by the TTC's contracted 58 Malton bus until 2014, when the route was replaced by the TTC's 52 Lawrence West route. Local services in Malton were provided since 1969 and expanded after 1973.

In the late 1990s, due to a growing number of Mississauga Transit buses using Burnhamthorpe Road in Toronto to reach Islington subway station, which created congestion while not serving local Toronto residents along the route, this led to a resident blockade in an incident known as “the Battle of the Buses”. During the political dispute between Toronto and Mississauga city councils, the TTC commissioners responded by blocking Mississauga Transit buses from using Islington station’s transit terminal from 1998 to 2001 when a compromise was reached.[2][3]

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.[4]

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.[5]

On April 29, 2019, 24-hour service was introduced on four bus routes.[6]

Operations are funded by the city's municipal government, which allocates tax revenues to the transit operator. In 2022, the city allocated almost $90 million for Miway's budget.[8]

MiWay operates low-floor, wheelchair-accessible buses. The last high-floor bus was retired on 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,[14] with information specific to each bus stop.

As of May 2023, MiWay's cash fare is $4.00 for riders aged 13 to 64 and $1.00 for riders aged 65 and older with valid senior photo identification. Customers can also pay their MiWay bus fare by credit card and the current adult cash fare price is deducted.[15] Presto cards have been accepted throughout the entire MiWay system since May 30, 2011.[16] 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). Credit and debit cards including those loaded on mobile wallets are accepted on the Presto reader as of August 11, 2022. A fare of $4.00 is deducted (regardless of age).[17] Children ages 0 to 12 can ride all MiWay bus routes fare-free by travelling with a fare-paying customer. Children travelling alone, even though they can ride fare-free, must tap on with their "child" Presto card on the Presto fare device when boarding.

Cash-paying customers can ask the bus driver for a printed paper transfer after depositing a cash fare into the fare box. For customers paying a single-ride fare by Presto card or credit or debit card, an electronic transfer is automatically stored on their card after their initial tap-on.

Transfers are valid for two hours in any direction, including transfers to and from Brampton Transit, Oakville Transit, Milton Transit and York Regional Transit from the time of issue.[18]

Presto card fares:

Other fares and fees:

MiWay drivers are represented by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1572.[25]

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.[26]

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