Search Transit Toronto

Free rides on PCC cars -- along St. Clair -- this Saturday



Two iconic Presidents Conference Committee (PCC) streetcars offer TTC passengers free rides along St. Clair Avenue West this Saturday, December 19.

The two PCCs, painted in the TTC’s classic maroon-and-creme colour scheme, roll along the newly finished tracks between Bathurst Street and Earlscourt Loop — at Lansdowne Avenue — from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. The free service previews regular service along the line, which starts the next day, on Sunday, December 20.

The Hillcrest Village Choir will perform for much of the day on one of the two cars, while Toronto Sun historian columnist Mike Filey will talk about local history on the other.

The streetcars use the loop inside St. Clair West Station to turn around, but PCC passengers won’t be able to ride east of Bathurst Street on Saturday or transfer to the subway. You’ll also have to pay full fare if you want to transfer to other TTC routes.

Buses continue to offer paying passengers regular transit service between St. Clair West Station and Gunn’s Loop (west of Keele Street) on Saturday.


In 1938, TTC passengers on St. Clair Avenue were the first paying customers to use PCC cars in Toronto and the cars continued to loyally serve Torontonians until 1996. You can read James Bow’s history of the PCC from the Transit Toronto archives here.

A PCC zips along St. Clair Avenue West sometime in the 1950s.
(Thanks to Curt Frey for donating the photo to Transit Toronto.)

Support us on Patreon Button

Welcome to Transit Toronto! This is an information site dedicated to public transportation in Toronto, maintained by transit enthusiasts for transit enthuasiasts. This is NOT the official website of the Toronto Transit Commission, Metrolinx or any other transit provider or government agency. To access the official websites of these agencies, consult this page here.