Yesterday, the TTC posted its “Service Improvements for 2008” report on its website. The report outlines how the TTC proposes to change its routes and services this year.
The document also reviews proposals for new services that the TTC staff have not approved and reports on “Post-Implementation Reviews of New Services” — examining service changes that the TTC has made since 2003 and deciding whether to make the changes permanent.
The Toronto Transit Commission will review the report at its next meeting on Wednesday, April 23. You can read the whole report here. If the Commission approves the report, the TTC will consult with members of City Council and other transit agencies for 10 weeks before beginning any of the new services, except for a new seasonal service that will start on Saturday, June 28.
If the Commission approves the “Service Improvements for 2008” report, the TTC will introduce a new seasonal service; cancel a branch of a current route; extend three current routes; revise three more current routes; increase the service hours of two current routes; and increase the service hours of a seasonal route.
If the Commission approves the report, the TTC will change these routes in 2008: 7A Bathurst; 39 Finch East; 63 Ossington; 66 Prince Edward; 71 Runnymede; 96 Wilson; 101 Parc Downsview Park; 316 Ossington (overnight); Brick Works Shuttle.
Introduce a new seasonal route
Brick Works Shuttle:
On Saturdays and during the summer only, a shuttle service will operate between Davisville Station and the Don Valley Brickworks Park.
Cancel a branch of a current route
7A Bathurst:
The TTC will cancel the branch of the route that operates during Monday-to-Friday rush hours only between Wilson and St. Clair West Stations. It will use the resources from the branch — drivers and vehicles — to add service to the main route between Steeles Avenue West and Bathurst Station.
Extend current routes
39 Finch East:
63 Ossington:The TTC will extend the route during Monday-to-Friday rush hours so that every second 39E Finch East Express bus travels east of Neilson Road along Finch Avenue East, Morningside Avenue and Old Finch Avenue to Valley Centre Drive.
The TTC will extend the route all day and evening, seven days a week to serve the growing Liberty Village community, south of King Street West. It will also revise the route so that buses no longer operate along Douro Street.
The TTC will revise the current 66D branch that so that buses loop along Marine Parade in the Humber Bay Shores community. It will also increase the service hours of this branch of the route.
Revise current routes
63 Ossington (daytime): 316 Ossington (overnight):
The TTC will revise the route so that buses would no longer operate along Douro Street.
96 Wilson:Buses on the 71B branch to Industry Street would operate to Mount Dennis Garage and the northern part of Todd Bayliss Boulevard. Buses will no longer operate on Todd Bayliss south of Industry.
The TTC will also increase the service hours of this branch of the route.
The TTC will revise its current 96D branch to Clayson Road so that buses will begin to serve the growing residential area along Torbarrie Road. During Monday-to-Friday morning rush hours, buses would serve the industrial area along Clayson and Bartor Roads, then the residential area along Torbarrie. During Monday-to-Friday afternoon rush hours, the buses would reverse the route. Buses will no longer operate along Huxley Road or Bartor Road south of Clayson.
Increase the service hours of current routes
66 Prince Edward:
71 Runnymede:The TTC will revise the route of the 66D branch to Lake Shore Boulevard, but also start operating buses along the branch seven days a week at all times of the day.
The TTC will revise the route of the 71B branch to Industry Street, but also start operating buses along the branch seven days a week at all times of the day.
Increase the service hours of formerly seasonal routes:
101 Parc Downsview Park:
The route will operate all day and early evenings seven days a week and also operate at all times of the year.
Proposals for new services that TTC staff did not approve:
For people who are fans of transit, the proposals that did not meet standards and that staff did not approve are sometimes the most interesting.
This year’s report describes 22 of these proposals:
- 42 Cummer: Revising the route so that buses serve St. John’s Convalescence Hospital.
- 15 Evans: Revising the route so that buses operate in both directions along Grand Avenue. (Replacing the current on-street looping of the 76B Royal York South branch to the Queensway.)
- 139 Finch-Don Mills: Revising the southbound route so that buses operate along Don Mills Road instead of Highway 404.
- 36 Finch West: Extending the route to Woodbine Racetrack.
- 100 Flemingdon Park: Revising the route so that all buses operate along Wynford Heights Crescent.
- 43 Kennedy: Extending the route north to an off-street loop at Kennedy Road and Steeles Avenue East.
- 45 Kipling: Revising the 45A branch along Belfield Road so that buses also operate along Ronson Drive.
- 30 Lambton: Operating the route into High Park from May to Sepember, instead of just June to August.
- Lake Shore Boulevard West: Introducing a new extra-fare express route to Downtown Toronto.
- 102 Markham Road: Revising service to Steeles Avenue East.
- 133 Neilson: Introducing express service and extending the route to Steeles Avenue East.
- Orton Park Road: Revising the 54 Lawrence East route to serve Scarborough Centenary Hospital, or introducing a new route between the Hospital and Scarborough Centre Station.
- 67 Pharmacy and 167 Pharmacy North: Combining the two routes so that buses operate between Steeles Avenue East and Victoria Park Station. (Buses on a branch of the 67 Pharmacy route operated between these two points before 2002, when the TTC opened the 4 Sheppard Subway.)
- Port Union Road: Revising the 95 York Mills route to introduce service on Port Union between Kingston and Lawson Road. (Buses on the 95 York Mills route formerly operated between these two points from February 1995 until July 1997.)
- Rylander Boulevard: Revising the 95 York Mills route to introduce service on Rylander. (Buses on the 95 York Mills route formerly operated between these two points from February 1995 until July 1997.)
- 90 Vaughan: Extending every second Monday-to-Friday rush-hour bus to Bathurst Station instead of St. Clair West Station. (Alternate rush-hour buses on the 90 Vaughan route operated to Bathurst Station from 1978 until 1996. All buses on the 90 Vaughan route operated to Bathurst Station from 1966 until 1978.)
- 89 Weston and 165 Weston Road North: Extending the 89 Weston route to Steeles Avenue West and into York Region; shortening the 165 Weston Road North (probably with a new name) so that buses operate between York Mills Station and Weston and Albion Roads only.
- 94 Wellesley: Revising the route so that buses serve Queen’s Park Station.
- 96 Wilson: Revising the route so that buses serve Westmore Drive; and extending the route to Humberwood Loop.
- 98 Willowdale-Senlac: Revising the route so that buses serve St. John’s Convalescence Hospital.
During the “post-implementation review” process, TTC staff analyze and review the ridership of routes that the TTC has recently extended or revised, usually after six months.
In this report, TTC staff are recommending that the Commission approve all of these services, which the TTC had changed between 2003 and 2007, as regular or permanent parts of the TTC network.
- 20 Cliffside: early Sunday and holiday evening service.
- 143 Downtown / Beach Express: revised route.
- 36 Finch West: revised routing at Milvan Drive.
- 191 Highway 27 Rocket: revised routing at Humber College; Sunday and holiday service.
- 38 Highland Creek: Sunday and holiday service.
- 37A Islington: Service to Woodbine Racetrack.
- 133 Neilson: Monday-to-Friday midday and Saturday, Sunday and holiday service to Morningside Heights.
- 131 Nugget: Saturday, Sunday and holiday late-evening service.
- 101 Parc Downsview Park: Seasonal service during the Monday-to-Friday midday and daytime on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Starting on May 11, the TTC will begin to operate buses along the route during the Monday-to-Friday rush hours and early evenings seven days a week. Starting in September, buses will operate along the route at all times of the year.
- 134 Progress: Saturday service to Centennial College.
- 190 Scarborough Centre Rocket: Monday-to-Friday early-evening and Saturday, Sunday and holiday service.
- 79 Scarlett Road: Revised route along St. Clair Avenue West.
- 53 Steeles East: Sunday and holiday service to Markham Road.
- 88 South Leaside: Revised route along Vanderhoof Avenue.
- 112 West Mall: Revised route north of Eglinton Avenue West and along Rangoon Road.
- 92 Woodbine South: Revised route south of Queen Street East and Monday-to-Friday late-evening service.
TTC staff have regularly developed service improvements report (or, in earlier years, “service standards reports”) for many years, but have not formally produced such a document since 2005. Since operating and capital funding has been short since 2005, the TTC has not had enough vehicles, operators or other financial resource to introduce new services, so have not produced the report.
You can review earlier service improvements reports from the Transit Toronto archives here.
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