York Region Transit route 51 'Keswick Local'

51 Keswick Local is a local route operated by YRT in Georgina, ON.

Basic
Route 51 serves mainly Metro Rd., Woodbine Ave., Biscayne Blvd., The Queensway and Ravenshoe Rd.

This route has 1 branch:
 * 51 Ferncroft - Lake Dr S. (Monday to Saturday)

This route serves the Keswick community. It also serves Georgina Ice Palace, Georgina Public Library, Yorkwood Village Centre, Keswick Marketplace, Glenwoods Park and Ride, Keswick High School, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic College School, and Glenwoods Plaza. Some trips are expanded to serve Keswick Gardens, the GEM Theatre, and Georgina Learning Centre.

Route 51 does not connect to Viva.

History
Service to Keswick started in 2004 when YRT decided to expand service to larger communities in the countryside that were not served prior to amalgamation. Keswick, being the biggest at the time was the first such community to receive service with a pair of routes: 50 Queensway and 51 Keswick Local. Route 50 operated along The Queensway and Metro Rd. from Glenwoods to Ferncroft. Route 51 operated from Ravenshoe to a large on-street loop via The Queensway, Church, Woodbine and Biscayne. Limited route 51 trips expanded the southern looping via Lake and Walter Drs., which has since become standard.

In 2007, service was majorly changed. A connection was made available to Newmarket and the rest of the YRT system through a fare agreement on GO's route 69, which ran through the middle of Keswick. There was also a plan to extend route 50 down to 404 Town Centre, but the existing GO option was chosen. With GO taking over operations on the Queensway, route 50 was cancelled and changes were made to route 51, including extending it over route 50's old looping via Ferncroft, providing 2-way service along Church, Woodbine and Biscayne, and expanding the southern looping along Lake and Walter Drs.

April 2008 saw service to the new senior's village, Keswick Gardens on a limited-service basis. On September 5, 2010, a diversion to the Keswick Marketplace at Glenwoods/Woodbine began, with access to the Glenwoods Park and Ride facility. On September 4, 2011, midday weekday routing was adjusted to include a stop at the Georgina Learning Centre south of the Glenwoods Park and Ride facility.

Route 51 was declared fully accessible in December 2012.

The 2013 Annual Service Plan had route 51 restructured to run between Queensway/Ravenshoe and Metro/Simcoe via Woodbine Ave. Service was discontinued on Joe Dales Dr, Thornlodge Dr., Dovedale Dr., Lowndes Ave., Biscayne Blvd., Ferncroft Dr., Highcastle Ave., Old Homestead Rd., and portions of The Queensway and Metro Rd. Service to Keswick High School was provided by limited service diversions on Biscayne Blvd. Midday frequency was improved to every 40 minutes. This service change was implemented on April 21, 2013, however objections from passengers caused YRT to reverse its change only a week later.

The 2014 Annual Service Plan initially had midday, evening, and Saturday service replaced by Dial-a-Ride, but this was cancelled due to increased passenger demand.

Vehicles
Route 51 is primarily a 30ft route, and uses E-Z Rider II/BRT/MAX.

Major Stops

 * Metro/Ferncroft: Northern terminus. Connection to route 50.
 * Queensway/Simcoe
 * Keswick Gardens: Served by southbound trips during the daytime.
 * Woodbine/Wexford
 * GEM Theatre: Served during evenings.
 * Yorkwood Village Centre
 * Keswick Marketplace: Connections to route 50.
 * Keswick High School
 * Queensway/Biscayne: Connection to route 50.
 * Glenwoods Plaza: Connection to route 50.
 * Queensway/Waller: Connection to route 50.
 * Queensway/Joe Dales: Connection to route 50.
 * Ravenshoe/Lake: Southern terminus.