Room: Mississauga AB
Sponsor(s)
 
Session Description
How Putting the Bus Centre Stage Transforms Urban Mobility
Stream: Operations Stream
Moderator: Marisa Espinosa, AECOM
1. Bus Rapid Transit by Design: Scalable Solutions for Communities of All Sizes
Speaker:
Jessica Deslippe – Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)
Marc Tan – Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)
Bus Rapid Transit implementation is happening across the country with small, medium and large complex organizations at various stages of maturity in their BRT journey. Pulling together lessons learned from different phases of the BRT journey, we welcome you to hear from our panel how they have managed some of their key learnings to truly make BRT “quick wins” a reality. You’ll hear from the TTC/City of Toronto on their “centre stage” with all eyes on BRT to support moving thousands of passengers for the FIFA World Cup.
2. Region of WaterlooÂ’s Secret Weapon for a Sustainable Future: The Bus
Speaker:
Jeremy Cohen – Arcadis
Adam Fraser – Grand River Transit
Grand River Transit (GRT) is developing their Conventional Bus and Train Business Plan, which provides a roadmap for the next 10 years of fixed-route transit service and supporting investments. Preparing to grow to 1 million by 2050, and part of Canada’s leading technology cluster supported by three post-secondary institutions, the Region is getting mobility ready  with immense opportunities for transit.
Speaker(s) / Presenter(s)
Jeremy Cohen – Sr. Transit Planner, Arcadis
Bio:
Jeremy is a transit planner at Arcadis, who has worked on North American transit projects spanning from rural buses to high-speed rail. He specializes in service planning and business case development, and has recently worked with numerous Ontario transit agencies, including Grand River Transit, Milton Transit, and Halton Hills ActiVan.
Adam Fraser – Principal Planner, Transit Development, Transportation Services Department, Region of Waterloo – Grand River Transit
Bio:
Adam is a Registered Professional Planner with over 8 years of experience in land-use and transportation planning. Adam is actively involved in urban and rural service planning and GRT’s Electric Bus Pilot.
Jessica Deslippe – Project Manager, Bus Rapid Transit, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)
Bio:
Jessica Deslippe, P.Eng, is the Project Manager for the RapidTO: Surface Transit Network Plan portfolio at the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). In partnership with the City of Toronto, Jessica is dedicated to delivering fast, frequent, and reliable bus and streetcar services to neighbourhoods citywide. Her work aims to enhance urban mobility, support broader carbon reduction goals, and foster stronger community connections, transforming how residents navigate and experience their city.
Marc Tan – Senior Manager, Transit Programs, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)
Bio:
Marc is the Senior Manager, Transit Programs at TTC, leading a team of Transportation Planners, Engineers, and Technicians to help TorontoÂ’s streetcars and buses move faster and more reliably. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario with over 14 years of experience with skills in traffic operations, TSP systems design, Transit Priority Measures, transit and traffic management plans and traffic modeling software. Throughout his career Marc has worked closely with municipal and transit agencies and delivered several public transit P3 projects in the GTA. He is passionate about the planning and design of public transit systems through data driven approaches.
Moderator(s)
Marisa Espinosa – Director Bus Rapid Transit, AECOM