Compiled by Jeffrey Kay

See also:

• 21 BRIMLEY
• 903 KENNEDY-SCARBOROUGH CENTRE EXPRESS

Operations Overview

• Type: Local
• Established: March 23, 1985
• Distance: 10.10km
• Blue Night Service: 302 DANFORTH RD-MCCOWAN, 334 EGLINTON EAST
• Types of vehicles used: Orion VII NG Hybrid, NovaBUS LFS Articulated
• Bus Length: 40’ standard low-floor, 60’ articulated low-floor
• Division: Malvern
• Ridership: 6,600 (2012)

This route operates with 1 branch:

• 131 Kennedy Station - Old Finch/Morningview

March 23, 1985

Coincident with the opening of the SCARBOROUGH RT, service begins on a new route serving Nugget Avenue in the Malvern neighbourhood. Buses operate from Scarborough Centre Station via east on Triton, north on McCowan, east on Nugget and east on McLevin, crossing Morningside, and east on Casebridge, looping in the cul-de-sac at east end of the road. Buses return west over the reverse routing. Service is operated from Malvern Garage.

April 20, 1987

Service east of Neilson is replaced by a revision of the 133 NEILSON route. Buses operate to Neilson only then loop via east on McLevin, east on Tapscott, north on Neilson and west on McLevin.

January 3, 1989

Monday to Friday evening service is introduced.

April 1, 1990

Service is rerouted in the east end replacing a portion of the 133 NEILSON route. Buses now run over the existing route from Scarborough Centre to McLevin and Tapscott, then operate east on Tapscott, east and north on Sewells, east on McLevin, and east on Casebridge to the cul-de-sac. At this time, service is added all day on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays.

May 13, 1990

Late evening Sunday service is removed. The last Sunday trip now leaves Scarborough Centre at 11:20 p.m.

July 23, 1990

Service begins on a rush hour extension into a new residential area east of Morningside. Buses run over the regular route from Scarborough Centre to McLevin and Morningside, then north on Morningside, east on Sewells, north on Littles, and east on Finch to a new off street loop on the north side of the street at Valley Centre Drive.

October 13, 1991

More Sunday evening service is discontinued. The last bus now leaves Scarborough Centre at 8:08 p.m.

January 5, 1992

Weekday midday and evening service to Finch is introduced, replacing service on the 131A branch to Morningside and Casebridge.

May 10, 1992

Weekday late evening and Saturday daytime service is added to Old Finch (which had been renamed from Finch Avenue East by this time). Buses operate to Morningside and Casebridge on Saturday evenings and on Sundays and holidays only.

January 3, 1993

Destination signs are revised to be more descriptive of the outer terminal of the route and show the new name for Finch Avenue in this neighbourhood.

February 18, 1996

A part of a series of system-wide service cuts resulting from the elimination of provincial subsidies for public transit, Saturday evening and Sunday service is eliminated on this route, effectively ending the 131A branch.

February 14, 1999

Sunday daytime service is restored, and extended to Old Finch.

February 13, 2000

Service is revised east of Morningside to serve more of the residential area around Old Finch. Before 3 p.m. each day, buses run over the regular route to Morningside and then north on Morningside, east and north on Morningview, west on Old Finch, south on Littles Road and west on Morningview. After 3 p.m., the reverse looping is followed. The loop on Old Finch east of Morningview is no longer used. No change to destination signs.

September 3, 2000

Due to overcrowding on the SCARBOROUGH RT, service is extended during peak periods southwest from Scarborough Centre to Kennedy Station. Buses operate non-stop on this extension via Brimley and Eglinton.

January 13, 2001

Saturday early evening service is added to the main branch.

May 12, 2002

Sunday early evening service is added to the main branch.

September 2, 2003

An additional stop is added on the express portion of this route that parallels the Scarborough RT. Buses now stop at Lawrence and Brimley in both directions.

Septmeber 5, 2004

Weekend and holiday late-evening service is added to the main branch.

August 31, 2008

Service rendered accessible using Orion V Lift Equipped buses. These buses are also equipped with bike racks.

November 22, 2009

Orion VII Low Floor buses take over the route, replacing Orion V Lift Equipped buses.

February 13, 2011

Due to shortage of Low Floor buses at Malvern Garage, the route is once again served by Lift Equipped Orion V buses.

June 22, 2014

As part of TTC’s system-wide mandate for route branches, all eastbound buses are now designated 131A.

September 6, 2016

To provide additional supplemental service to the SCARBOROUGH RT, service begins on a new 131F express branch, with buses operating between Kennedy Station and Scarborough Centre Station only, serving the same stops as the 131E branch.

March 24, 2017

Last day of operation of the 131F “Kennedy Station Express to Scarborough Centre Station” branch. Service is eliminated due to low ridership.

November 19, 2018

Service on the 131E NUGGET EXPRESS branch is replaced by the 903 KENNEDY-SCARBOROUGH CENTRE EXPRESS operating between Kennedy station and Scarborough Centre station. This route interlines with the 903 between Kennedy station and Old Finch and Morngingview as it was during rush hours. Service on the 131A off-peak branch is re-designated 131.

November 19, 2023

Following the closure of the LINE 3 SCARBOROUGH RT in July after a derailment, buses on the 131 NUGGET are extended from Scarborough Centre Station to Kennedy Station along the priority route southbound on Midland Avenue and northbound on Kennedy Road. Stops on Midland/Ellesmere, Midland/Lawrence (southbound) and Kennedy/Lawrence (northbound) are added. Buses on this route board Bay 13 on Platform B in the new terminal at Kennedy Station.

Service frequencies are adjusted by one to two minutes on Saturdays in the morning, afternoon and early evening periods, and on Sundays in the afternoon and early evening periods to match scheduled capacity to demand.

131 Nugget Image Archive

	An official map of the TTC's 131 NUGGET operations, showing additional express service between Kennedy Station and Scarborough Centre.
	An official map of the TTC's 131 NUGGET operations, effective December 1, 2013.
	TTC Orion VII bus #1113 picks up a passenger at Old Finch Avenue and Morningview Trail at the northern end of the 131 NUGGET route on March 22, 2016. This photograph was taken by James Bow.
	TTC Orion VII Next Gen bus #1272, in a fresh Flexity livery, pauses at Scarborough Centre in service on the 131E NUGGET EXPRESS. This photo was taken by Marcello Tomas on April 5, 2017.
	On October 19, 2016, TTC bus #1391 (Orion VII Next-Gen Hybrid) was seen in service on the short turn 131F NUGGET EXPRESS service between Kennedy station and Scarborough Centre station to relief its passengers during the Scarborough RT refurbishment. This photo was taken that day by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos.
	In August 2011, the Google Street View car happened to be at the corner of Old Finch at Morningview in time to catch TTC Next Gen Orion VII bus 1776 in service in 131 NUGGET. On the edge of the Rouge Valley, it feels like the city is at its end.
	TTC Orion VII "Next Gen" bus #1788 lays over at Scarborough Centre station, in service on the 131E NUGGET EXPRESS to Kennedy Station. This photograph was taken by James Bow on the afternoon of November 14, 2018, just days before its change to the 903 KENNEDY-SCARBOROUGH EXPRESS.
	TTC Orion V bus #7049 prepares to make a run to Kennedy from Scarborough Centre on the 131E NUGGET EXPRESS. Photo taken on May 4, 2011 by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos.
	TTC Orion V #7083 is seen operating on Eglinton Avenue East in service on the Express branch of 131 NUGGET on May 1, 2012. Photo by Jelo Gutierrez-Cantos.
	Orion V #7102 leaves its bus bay at Scarborough Centre Station to head towards Old Finch Avenue and Morningview along the 131E NUGGET express route. Photo: TorontoTransportGuy.
	One of the remaining lift-equipped Orion Vs built in 1996 as of this photo, TTC Orion V bus #7127 seen on a layover on the 131E NUGGET EXPRESS. This photo was taken by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos on the afternoon of December 9, 2014.
	TTC GM New Look bus #8876 seen in service laying over at Kennedy Station preparing its next run on the 131E NUGGET EXPRESS during the afternoon rush hour on January 3, 2002. This photo was taken by Stephen Lam, from the Felix Tse collection.
	During the cold chilly morning of November 18, 2014, Jelo Gutierrez Cantos snapped a rare photograph of TTC NovaBUS LFS Articulated #9057 in service on the 131E NUGGET EXPRESS about to turn left towards Brimley Road going to Scarborough Town Centre LRT line. As articulated buses became a rare sight since the introduction of the branch in 2000, it is not common to see this type of bus on the route dated back to the Orion III days.
	TTC Orion V Ex-CNG 9445, on duty for 131 NUGGET route passengers, lays over at Scarborough Center Station before heading to Old Finch and Morningview. Photo by TorontoTransportGuy.