Compiled by Pete Coulman with assistance by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos and Mike Vainchtein
Map by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos

See also:

• 131E NUGGET EXPRESS
• 903 KENNEDY-SCARBOROUGH CENTRE EXPRESS

May 11, 1968

With the extension of the BLOOR-DANFORTH SUBWAY to Warden, service begins on the new 21 BRIMLEY bus route, replacing a branch of the now defunct 21 DANFORTH route.

Buses operate from Warden station via east on St. Clair Avenue East, northeast on Danforth Road and north on Brimley, looping at Ellesmere via west on Ellesmere, north on Midland and east on Progress to Brimley, returning via the reverse route. During evenings and weekends, service operates along a short turn branch (21A) looping at Ellesmere via east on Bernadine, north on Packard and west on Ellesmere to Brimley, returning via the reverse route. Service on this route operated by Birchmount Garage.

September 9, 1968

Service at the north end revised so that 21A buses operate over the normal route to Golden Gate Court (just north of Ellesmere Avenue) and then looping counterclockwise at the cul-de-sac at the western end of Golden Gate Court, returning east to Brimley Road and south over the reverse route. No change in destination signs.

June 24, 1973

In conjunction with the opening of the Scarborough Town Centre, service on Midland and Progress discontinued. All buses now operate on the 21A branch, which is revised to loop in the Centre at all times.

During early Sunday mornings, when the subway is still closed, buses are extended south from the St. Clair/Danforth Road intersection via Danforth Road and Danforth Avenue to Main Street station, connecting with 10 BLOOR-DANFORTH night buses.

January 4, 1976

To enhance service to the Scarborough Town Centre, buses operate over the normal route to the Centre, and then run east on Borough Drive and north on McCowan to Finch (replacing a segment of the 16 McCOWAN route), looping via west and south on Sandhurst Circle to Finch and then east to McCowan, returning via the reverse route. Early Sunday morning service to Main Street station is discontinued on or before this day.

January 28, 1978 or earlier

Service begins on a rush-hour branch provided along the regular route to McCowan and Milner, and from there via east on Milner to an off-street loop near Neilson Road.

A 21 BRIMLEY transfer from the late 1980s.

November 22, 1980

Coincident with the extension of the BLOOR-DANFORTH SUBWAY to Kennedy station, the southern portion of this route is revised to operate out of Kennedy station. Buses run from Kennedy via east on Eglinton, north on Brimley, east through the Scarborough Town Centre and north on McCowan to the existing loop via Sandhurst Circle and Finch.

Service south of Eglinton Avenue provided by the 16 McCOWAN bus.

September 8, 1981

Service begins on an express branch operating every 20 minutes during rush hours between Kennedy station and Finch. Buses pick up and unload at all stops between Finch & McCowan and Brimley & Ellesmere. South of Ellesmere, buses run express in both directions, stopping at Lawrence and Eglinton only.

April 16, 1984

Service begins on a rush hour extension from McCowan and Finch to Alton Towers Circle (just south of Steeles). Buses on the 21D branch run from Kennedy station over the regular route to Finch and McCowan and then north on McCowan, looping counterclockwise via east, north and west on Alton Towers Circle, returning south on McCowan via the reverse route. Buses operate every 15 minutes during rush hours. Buses leaving Kennedy provide 6 minute, 30 second service, with every third bus departing for Neilson and Milner.

Maps after this date indicate that the former 21A branch on Milner has been redesignated 21B, although we know of no explanation for this change.

March 23, 1985

Coincident with the opening of the SCARBOROUGH RT, service at the northern end cut off at Scarborough Centre station. Buses on Milner replaced by the 132 MILNER route. Buses to McCowan and Alton Towers replaced by the 129 McCOWAN NORTH route. Service on the 21C Express discontinued.

January 4, 1993

With the closure of Davenport Garage, service on this route was reassigned from Birchmount Garage to Malvern Garage.

February 18, 1996

As part of a series of system-wide service cuts resulting from the elimination of provincial subsidies for public transit, service after 10 p.m. on Sundays eliminated. Monday to Saturday evening, Saturday and Sunday midday service also reduced to 30 minute headways.

July 28, 1996

Accessible service established using Orion V lift equipped buses on all runs.

July 24, 1999

Service merged with the 128 BRIMLEY NORTH route. 21 BRIMLEY buses operate from Kennedy station over the regular route to Scarborough Centre station, and then operate via west on Triton and north on Brimley to an off-street loop on the east side of Brimley Road, just north of Steeles Avenue, returning via the reverse route operating midday and early evenings 7 days a week. Service is split into two branches, with 21A buses operating between Kennedy station and Scarborough Centre station only during rush hours and late evenings 7 days a week, and 21B buses operating rush hours only between Scarborough Centre station and Steeles. This arrangement allows the TTC to operate more service on the northern section during rush hours when demand is high (and ferried off by the Scarborough RT) and through-route operations at other times when demand between the two sections is more consistent.

March 31, 2002

Route switched from Malvern Garage to the newly-opened New Eglinton Garage on Comstock Road

August 31, 2003

Accessible service established using low floor Orion VII buses on all runs.

June 25, 2007

Late evening service, Monday to Saturday, established on the portion of the 21 BRIMLEY route between Scarborough Centre station and Steeles Avenue.

November 23, 2008

As part of the TTC’s Ridership Growth Strategy, new Sunday late-evening service established. 21 BRIMLEY buses operate between Kennedy station and Steeles Avenue at intervals of 30 minutes or better, whenever the subway is open. At the same time, the route’s operations are transferred back to Malvern Garage and bike rack service is established.

September 2, 2012

Operations switched from Malvern Garage back to Birchmount Garage, putting the route in full-circle.

October 7, 2012

Service revised. During the midday, Mondays through Fridays, service operates as two separate branches (21A, Kennedy Station-Scarborough Center and 21B, Scarborough Center-Steeles), just as it was during rush hours. During the evening hours, and during weekends, service operates as one branch (21, Kennedy Station-Steeles).

June 21, 2015

As part of the TTC’s reorganization of route branch designations, buses operating between Kennedy station to Steeles via the Scarborough Town Centre are designated 21C instead of just 21 atboth directions.

September 2, 2018

Service on this route is transferred from Birchmount Garage to Malvern Garage.

November 21, 2021

Bus operations on this route temporarily reassigned from Malvern Garage to McNicoll Garage. The changes were a result of the system-wide operator shortage due to the vaccine mandates set by the Commission amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto affecting the TTC.

January 2, 2022

All base service on this route running from Malvern Garage is fully restored. Temporary service operating from McNicoll Garage ends.

March 26, 2023

In preparation for the closure of LINE 3 SCARBOROUGH, the terminal at Scarborough Centre station is significantly altered to accommodate construction and modifications of the existing terminal. As a result, buses on the 21A and 21B branches are consolidated into the through-routed 21C during construction. This change will be expected permanent after Line 3 is decommissioned.

Headways on the 21C are slightly less frequent than for the separate routes in most cases.

Coinciding with this change, all buses on this route are transferred from Malvern Garage to Birchmount Garage.

July 30, 2023

Service transferred from Birchmount Garage to Malvern Garage due to overcapacity and construction at Birchmount.

November 19, 2023

Service transferred from Malvern Garage to Birchmount Garage.

21 Brimley Image Archive

	TTC GM New Look bus #7342 has turned from Brimley onto Danforth Road in this shot looking north, circa 1970. Photo by Leonard Jacks.
	The outside of an official TTC timetable detailing the operation of 21 BRIMLEY, effective January 5, 1975.
	The inside of an official TTC timetable describing 21 BRIMLEY operations, effective January 5, 1975.
	A TTC newspaper advertisement in the Toronto Star on January 2, 1976 announcing service changes to 16 McCOWAN, 21 BRIMLEY, 85 SHEPPARD EAST and 100 FLEMINGDON PARK.
	The outside of an official TTC timetable describing 21 BRIMLEY operations effective June 27, 1977.
	The inside of an official TTC timetable describing 21 BRIMLEY operations effective June 27, 1977.
	TTC GM "New Look" bus #7774 pulls out of Warden station on a run for the 21 BRIMLEY route in this January 1980 shot by Richard Glaze.
	TTC GM New Look #8552 pauses at Kennedy station in service on 21 BRIMLEY in this 1983 shot taken by Ted Wickson.
	TTC GM New Look bus #8945 pulls out of the Scarborough Town Centre in service on 21 BRIMLEY while the Scarborough RT station is under construction in this June 1983 shot. Patrick Semple took the photograph, which comes to us courtesy Pete Coulman.
	In June of 1985, from the photo of Bob Hussey, TTC GM New Look bus #3901, in the new livery, picks up passengers at Kennedy station doing the 21 BRIMLEY line. This photo was taken just three months after the LRT line opened. Note the rollsign exposure of the "21A Town Centre-Kennedy Stn" as the "21 Scarborough Centre-Kennedy Stn" exposures have not yet issued.
	TTC Flyer D-40-87 bus #6315 picks up passengers at Scarborough Centre station in 1986. The photographer is unknown and the image is donated by Pete Coulman.
	The outside of a TTC timetable describing 21 BRIMLEY operations effective September 5, 1989
	The inside of an official TTC timetable describing 21 BRIMLEY services effective September 5, 1989.
	TTC Orion VII Hybrid #1738 heads east on Eglinton Avenue towards Brimley, in service on 21 BRIMLEY in the summer of 2010. Photo by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos.
	TTC Orion V bus #7118 takes passengers at Scarborough Centre station before making a run to Steeles in service on 21 BRIMLEY. This photo was taken on May 4, 2011 by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos.
	An official map of 21 BRIMLEY operations, effective June 2011.
	TTC Orion V bus #1102 heads towards Kennedy Station on Eglinton Avenue East in 21 BRIMLEY service. This photo was taken by Roman Fomin on May 10, 2012.
	TTC Orion VII bus #7752 picks up passengers at the Scarborough Centre bus terminal in service on 21 BRIMLEY on the evening of Friday, August 29, 2014. Photo by James Bow.
	TTC Orion VII "Next Gen" hybrid bus #1396 shows off its new paint scheme at Scarborough Town Centre in service on the 21 BRIMLEY route. This photo was taken around noon on March 14, 2019, by James Bow.
	TTC Orion VII "Next Gen" bus #1663 lays over at Brimley/Steeles loop at the northern end of the 21 BRIMLEY route on July 3, 2021. This photo was taken by James Bow.
	The TTC advertisement on the Toronto Star shown on the Thursday, November 20, 1980 edition shows major changes related to the Kennedy station opening affecting the routes 9 BELLAMY, 20 CLIFFSIDE, 21 BRIMLEY, 34 EGLINTON EAST, 43 KENNEDY, 57 MIDLAND, 69 WARDEN SOUTH, 86 SCARBORO, 102 MARKHAM ROAD, 113 DANFORTH, and 114 KINGSTON ROAD EAST.