The TTC is increasing and revising its service schedule next month as ridership nears levels not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The service said in a news release Tuesday that starting Sept. 1, customers on 16 bus routes will benefit from either more room on board or shorter wait times, while 23 routes will see improved service reliability.
Additionally, six new and revised routes will improve customer wayfinding, and better connect key employment, education, and retail areas in northeast Scarborough, east Scarborough, and south Etobicoke.
“When fully implemented this fall, the bus network, which has seen sustained and increasing ridership levels, will have more service hours than were in place pre-pandemic,” the TTC said.
“Across the system, service hours will increase to 97 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, with ridership at approximately 80-85 per cent compared to 2019.”
Subway service to increase
As the new school year kicks off on Sept. 3, the TTC said it will restore more than 100 extra scheduled bus trips and make route adjustments to facilitate students boarding near schools. The TTC is also launching a year-long pilot program for free transit for Grade 7-12 student field trips, in partnership with the Toronto public, Catholic, and French school boards.
Meanwhile, subway service on Line 1 Yonge-University will be increased to address crowding and shorten waits at the busiest times.
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. The new schedules will shorten wait times by up to approximately one minute, it said.
Extra trains will add more demand-responsive service on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth, with further scheduled increases planned to start in October.
The TTC is also expanding overnight streetcar service with more frequent trips on the 312 St Clair and 306 Carlton routes, as well as introducing a new 303 Kingston Road overnight service, providing more transit options for customers between 1:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. daily.
New adjustments impacting Scarborough, Etobicoke
The TTC said it’s strengthening connections in Scarborough by improving service on Lawrence Avenue East, with the 54B Lawrence East buses extending service to Kingston Road and Morningside Avenue, bringing 10-minute network service to the intersection.
A new 154 Curran Hall route will provide an additional direct connection between Kennedy Station and the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus, improve service on Lawrence Avenue East and in the Curran Hall neighborhood, while offering a new connection to Ellesmere Road.
Meanwhile, adjustments to the 85 Sheppard East will improve service between Don Mills Station and Rouge Hill GO Station, with additional connections for customers transferring between the TTC and Lakeshore East GO trains, the TTC said.
It added it’s creating a new 185 Sheppard Central route between Sheppard-Yonge and Don Mills station, and a 904 Sheppard-Kennedy Express route for customers travelling between Kennedy and Don Mills stations as part of the Line 3 Scarborough Bus Replacement Plan.
In Etobicoke, a new 80B branch will replace 176 Mimico GO, operating weekdays during the morning and afternoon peaks.
“Service will be improved on The Queensway west of Royal York Road, better serving key employment areas and new developments,” the TTC said.
“80 Queensway service will be adjusted across the day, every day, to improve reliability.”