122 GRAYDON HALL transfer Circa 1990

Compiled by Pete Coulman
Additional information by Mike Vainchtein and Jeffrey Kay

Operations Overview

• Type: Local
• Established: September 1, 1985
• Distance: 9.38km
• Blue Night Service: 395 YORK MILLS NIGHT
• Types of vehicles used: Orion VII NG, Orion VII
• Bus Length: 40’ standard low-floor
• Division: Wilson
• Ridership: 3,387 (2016)

This route operates with 1 branch:

• 122 York Mills Station - Roywood via Lesmill

Background

In July 1983, the City of North York requested that a bus service be established into the Graydon Hall area northeast of the York Mills/Don Mills intersection. The proposed service would have operated as a branch of 95 YORK MILLS running from York Mills station via York Mills, Lesmill, Valleybrook, Graydon Hall Drive, Felelon Drive and Underpass Gate to a counterclockwise on-street loop via Lynedock Crescent and Roywood Drive. Service would be provided at twenty-minute intervals during rush hours and thirty-minute intervals during the day, weekdays only. Three buses would be required to operate the service.

The TTC responded to the proposal with the following:

“A review of the test routing using a standard 40-foot bus, has determined that a number of turns are difficult and hazardous for buses due to tight corner radii and narrow roadway widths. These problems are further compounded by the presence of parked cars on Roywood Drive and Lynedock Cres. Therefore it is recommended that a new GRAYDON HALL/FENSIDE branch of the YORK MILLS bus route be implemented subject to the Council of North York proving corner roundings, EB right turn on Graydon Hall at George Henry Secondary School and westbound right turn on Graydon Hall in the vicintity of the tennis court, some 100 metres west from the above location. In addition adopt a traffic-bylaw to prohibit parking on the north side of Roywood Drive and the south side of Lynedock Crescent, wherever such parking regulations presently do not exist” (DON MILLS 25A “Lesmill” rush hour service would remain).

North York City Council and area residents were against the idea of removing parking on Roywood Drive and Lynedock Crescent, and so the bus route proposal was dropped.

North York City Council revisited this proposal in September 1984. By this time, the TTC was operating service on Lesmill through the Duncan Mill Industrial Park during rush hours via the 25A “Lesmill” branch of 25 DON MILLS. To prevent a duplication of service, the proposal called for this branch to be shortened to a loop around the Donway (at Lawrence Avenue) with a new branch of the 95 YORK MILLS bus operating from York Mills station, along the originally proposed route to Fenelon Drive. As parking issues were still not resolved in the Roywood area, it was suggested that the route would end at a new off-street loop to be built at Fenelon Drive.

The TTC agreed that this route should be built, and arrangements were made to build the loop and make other improvements to the line. Once completed, service on the new route began on September 1, 1985 — not as a branch of 95 YORK MILLS, as originally envisioned, but as a new route in its own right: 122 GRAYDON HALL.

September 1, 1985

Service begins on 122 GRAYDON HALL operating from York Mills station via east on York Mills, north on Lesmill, east on Duncanmill, east on Graydon Hall to an off-street loop on the east side of Fenelon Drive. Service provided weekdays only, during rush hours and during the midday, with buses operating every 12 minutes during rush hours and every 20 minutes during the midday. The last bus of the day would leave Fenelon Drive at 6:17 p.m. and York Mills station at 6:41 p.m. Buses operated out of Eglinton Garage.

March 1, 1986

After the six-month trial service was complete, the TTC reported the following:

“Based on recent ridership counts, the new GRAYDON HALL (122) bus route is serving a total of approximately 2,800 daily passenger trips on weekdays. When this substantial cost route proposal was first analyzed the applicable ridership forecast indicated that the combined service change package would attract an additional 600 daily passenger-trips on weekdays. The ridership count taken after six months of operation indicated that this service attracted an additional 800 passenger-trips on weekdays. Because the observed ridership increase had exceeded 85 per cent of the projected “mature state” level, it is recommended that the GRAYDON HALL (122) bus route be confirmed as permanent.”

December 31, 1986

122 GRAYDON HALL was ranked 100 out of the 138 surface routes on the TTC system, with 2787 average daily riders, 544 miles of scheduled revenue service, at a scheduled average speed of 12.89 mph, 42.2 scheduled daily hours of operation, 62.62% revenue/cost ratio, and a subsidy per boarding of $0.26.

December 31, 1987

122 GRAYDON HALL was ranked 88 out of the 137 surface routes on the TTC system, with 3022 average daily riders, 562 miles of scheduled revenue service, a scheduled average speed of 13.18 mph, 42.17 scheduled daily hours of operation, 66.61% revenue/cost ratio, and a subsidy per boarding of $0.20.

November 27, 1988

Weekday evening service established.

January 7, 1989

On this date, Saturday service also added, operating every 22 minutes and 30 seconds until 12:30 a.m., Sunday morning.

December 31, 1989

122 GRAYDON HALL was ranked 96 out of the 138 surface routes on the TTC system, with 3744 average daily rides, 765 miles of scheduled revenue service, a scheduled average speed of 13.02 mph, 58.73 scheduled daily hours of operation, 58.15% revenue/cost ratio, and a subsidy per boarding of $0.34.

January 21, 1991

Due to falling ridership, all weekday evening and all-day Saturday service discontinued, replaced by 166 SILVER HILLS-GRAYDON HALL. The evening and Saturday service would end on May 9, 1992, leaving service on the GRAYDON HALL operating Monday to Friday during rush hours and midday only.

January 4, 1993

Coinciding with the closing of Davenport Garage, operation of this route is transferred from Eglinton Garage to Wilson Garage.

December 31, 1994

Service cuts and a general downturn in the TTC’s ridership have reduced 122 GRAYDON HALL’s average daily riders to 2700. Four vehicles are required to operate in the morning peak. The service has a revenue/cost ratio of 55% and a subsidy per boarding of $0.51.

November 25, 2002

Operation of this route is transferred from Wilson Garage to the new Eglinton Garage on Comstock.

September 7, 2004

Route extended east from Fenelon loop via Fenelon, Underhill Gate, Roywood Drive, Fenside Drive, Lynedock Crescent and Roywood Drive, returning via the reverse route. This takes the route to the extent envisioned when the service was first proposed back in 1983. Buses operate every 12 minutes during the morning rush hour, every 13 minutes during the afternoon rush hour, and every 17 minutes during the midday. Route continues to operate out of Eglinton. (See this TTC PDF announcing the service extension)

June 20, 2005

Route made accessible using low-floor buses.

October 16, 2005

A new walking transfer is permitted between the 95 YORK MILLS route at York Mills Road and Fenside Drive, and the 122 GRAYDON HALL route at Fenside Drive and Lynedock Crescent.

January 11, 2006

The first two buses, at approximately 6:15 and 6:27 a.m., now begin service eastbound on Roywood Drive at Underpass Gate, instead of a few blocks farther east at Roywood Drive and Fenside Road. There are no other changes to routings, trip times, or service levels.

November 23, 2008

As part of the TTC’s Ridership Growth Strategy, new service established during weekday evenings and all day Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The service now operates daily, at intervals of 30 minutes or better, whenever the subway is open. During weekday evenings and all day on weekends and holidays, the service is interlined through York Mills station with 115 SILVER HILLS.

Also on this date, bike rack service installed, and operation of this route is transferred from Eglinton Garage to Wilson Garage.

May 8, 2011

With late evening service eliminated on 115 SILVER HILLS, service on 122 GRAYDON HALL has to be adjusted to accommodate the fact that the two lines used to be interlined during these times. No change to service levels.

April 1, 2019

Due to service reliability changes improving headways on 115 SILVER HILLS during the early evenings, the interlining between 122 GRAYDON HALL and 115 SILVER HILLS during the early evenings is discontinued. No change in service levels.

March 28, 2021

Operations of this route is transferred from Wilson Garage to the newly-opened McNicoll Garage.

Sunday, May 9, 2021

Due to construction taking place at York Mills Centre, the TTC bus terminal serving York Mills station is closed for a period of three months, starting on this day. 122 GRAYDON HALL buses are routed to a temporary terminal set up in the parking lot on the northwest corner of Wilson and Yonge. No change to scheduled departure times or destination signs.

Riding Counts

YEAR   RIDERS
1986   2787
1987   3022
1988   2915
1989   3744
1994   2700
1995   3200
1996   3200
1997   3100
1998   3100
2000   2800
2001   3200
2002   3000
2005   3000
2006   3700
2016   3387

Summary

Last Updated: September 1, 2019

122 Graydon Hall Image Archive

	TTC Orion VII "Next Gen" hybrid bus #1315 lays over at York Mills station in service on 122 GRAYDON HALL on the afternoon of February 8, 2019. Photo by James Bow.
	In August 2011, the Google Streetview van caught TTC Orion VII "Next Gen" bus #1810 at Fenside Drive and Versend, in service on 122 GRAYDON HALL.
	In August 2011, the Google Streetview van caught TTC Orion VII "Next Gen" #1819 in service on 122 GRAYDON HALL at the corner of Duncan Mill and Lesmill.
	TTC GMC "Classic" bus #6212 pauses at the 'temporary' York Mills station bus terminal at the northwest corner of Yonge and York Mills, in service in June 1987 on 122 GRAYDON HALL. Photo donated by Pete Coulman.
	While on a charter, TTC Orion V bus #7039 pays a visit to Fenelon Loop, which used to be eastern terminus of the 122 GRAYDON HALL route before it was extended to Roywood Drive. This photo was taken by James Bow on Saturday, August 30, 2014.
	A official TTC map of 122 GRAYDON HALL operations, effective June 20, 2011.
	A scan of an actual TTC rollsign bearing the 122 GRAYDON HALL exposure, circa 1987. Image is courtesy Joseph Chemerys at the Rollsign Gallery.