York Region Transit route 129A 'McCowan North'
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129A McCowan North
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| Number of Branches | 1 | |
| Types of buses used | Nova Bus LFS  , Nova Bus LFS Artic
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| Division | TTC (McNicoll) | |
| Related routes | None | |
129A McCowan North is a local bus route operated by the Toronto Transit Commission under contract to York Region Transit in Markham, Ontario, Canada.
For detailed information about service south of Steeles, see the TTC route history for 129 McCowan North.
Route Details
Route 129A serves McCowan Road between Steeles Avenue East and Major Mackenzie Drive.
This route serves the Milliken, South Unionville, and Berczy communities. It also serves Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy, Markville Mall, Centennial Community Centre, Centennial GO Station, and Markville Secondary School.
Route 129A connects to Viva Green during peak periods and Viva Purple at Highway 7.
Branches
This route has 1 branch:
- 129A Scarborough Centre Station - Major Mackenzie
History
Service was contracted out to the Toronto Transit Commission by Markham Transit. This involved TTC operating the buses and collecting the fares but Markham Transit paying for any losses in running the service. A TTC fare was required for passengers travelling south of Steeles Avenue East, but only a Markham fare was required if the entire trip was north of Steeles Avenue. When Markham Transit was acquired by York Region Transit, the contract was picked up as well with similar conditions.
Service north of Steeles Avenue East first operated in 1987 to 16th Avenue. During that time, 16th Avenue was at the edge of the City of Markham. An off-street loop was available for use (and also being used by route 43C), but buses instead looped via 16th Avenue, Cairns Drive, and Raymerville Drive. Service started operating 6 days a week including late evening service — a rarity.
With additional development occurring further north on McCowan Road, buses were extended north on McCowan Road to Major Mackenzie Drive. Buses looped via Major Mackenzie Drive, Ridgecrest Road, Castlemore Avenue, and The Bridle Walk. This extension happened on October 14, 2001. Operations have been mostly stable since. Service hours of route 129A were expanded on May 12, 2002 to operate all-day on Saturdays, and the introduction of new daytime and early evening service on Sundays.
Route 129A was declared fully accessible in February 2012.
Starting in mid-2014, articulated buses began operating on route 129A during rush hours and when extra vehicles are available.
Vehicles
Routes 129A is a mixed-40ft and 60ft route from TTC McNicoll Division and uses Nova Bus LFS 
and Nova Bus LFS Artic buses.
Route Maps
2015 - Present
October 2001 - 2015
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Summary
Major Stops
| Major Stop | Branches | Connections | Notes |
| 129A | |||
| Scarborough Centre Station | 129A |   
|
Southern terminus |
| McCowan Rd. @ Steeles Ave. East | 129A | YRT fare zone | |
| McCowan Rd. @ 14th Ave. | 129A | ||
| McCowan Rd. @ Highway 7 | 129A | ||
| McCowan Rd. @ Bullock Dr. | 129A |
|
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| McCowan Rd. @ 16th Ave. | 129A | ||
| McCowan Rd. @ Major Mackenzie Dr. East | 129A | ||
| The Bridle Walk @ Major Mackenzie Dr. East | 129A | Northern terminus |
Service Summary
| Branch | Weekdays | Saturday | Sunday | ||||||||||||
| Morning Peak | Midday | Afternoon Peak | Early Evening | Late Evening | Early Morning | Morning | Afternoon | Early Evening | Late Evening | Early Morning | Morning | Afternoon | Early Evening | Late Evening | |
| 129A | 22:30 | 30 | 19:30 | 32 | 33 | 24 | 26 | 30 | 40 | Not operated. | 50 | 45 | 40 | Not operated. | |
