TTC to boost bus, streetcar, subway service in September

The Toronto Transit Commision (TTC) is increasing the frequency and total hours of service on its buses, streetcars and subways starting next month.

The new service hours, which will take effect Sept. 1, will return service to 97 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, the transit agency said in a news release issued Tuesday. Rideridership levels, meanwhile, are expected to reach approximately 80 to 85 per cent of where they were in 2019, it said.

"Overall, the changes will increase frequency, improve reliability, and strengthen connections throughout the city," the agency said.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow encouraged residents to use transit instead of driving to help relieve traffic congestion.

"The congestion [in the city] is growing," Chow said at a news conference Tuesday.

"A key thing is to [have] less cars on the roads. How do you do that? By having more people taking transit. We're heading in the right direction."

Increased bus service, new routes

Starting Sept. 1, customers on 16 bus routes will benefit from more room on board or shorter wait times with more frequent service added, while 23 routes will see "improved service reliability," the agency said.

The TTC is also adding six new and revised routes in northeast Scarborough, east Scarborough and south Etobicoke. The new routes include 154 Curran Hall, 185 Sheppard Central and 904 Sheppard-Kennedy Express. The revised routes include 54 Lawrence East, 80 Queensway and 85 Sheppard-West.

Rongbin Gu, who lives near Lawrence and Morningside avenues, says transit in Scarborough could use the boost in service.

"Before the pandemic, this entire area used to be, like, they called it '10 minutes or better' for the service," he said. "And if you check now, it's not 10 minutes or better. You're lucky if it's 15 minutes at best."

Gu said buses are often crowded during off-peak hours too. He hopes the September changes will improve transit in the area.

The agency also plans to restore more than 100 extra scheduled bus trips and make route adjustments to accommodate students boarding at multiple locations surrounding schools, starting Sept. 3.

As the new school year kicks off, the TTC will also launch a yearlong pilot program to provide free transit for student field trips for those in grades 7 to 12. The program is in partnership with the Toronto public, Catholic and French school boards.

More Line 1 subway service to cut wait times

Additionally, subway service on Line 1 Yonge-University will be increased to address issues of crowding by shortening wait times by roughly one minute. The TTC said trains will arrive every two to three minutes during weekday morning and afternoon rush hours and every four to five minutes in the early afternoons and evenings between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

More trains will also be added to service Line 2 Bloor-Danforth, with additional service increases planned to start in October.

TTC CEO Rick Leary, who will step down from his role Friday, announced the new changes at Tuesday's news conference.

"We're going to be improving service frequency and reducing crowding and matching service to ridership demand," Leary said.

"I'm incredibly proud of the progress that we've made in rebuilding from the challenges that were posed by the pandemic, and I'm confident that ongoing service improvements and our strategic long-term plans will further elevate public transit here in Toronto."

The TTC said it will also be adding more frequent trips on the 312 St Clair and 306 Carlton routes. It will also introduce a new 303 Kingston Rd overnight service, to provide more options for transit riders daily between 1:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.

The transit agency has made several other service changes in areas like Scarborough and Etobicoke. You can find a complete list of service changes that are beginning in September on the TTC's website.