Compiled by Jeffrey Kay
Originally appeared in Transfer Points, Vol. XXVI, No. 10, December 2000 and
Alan Gryfe’s TTC Route History Page.

March 30th, 1974

Concurrent with the opening of the Yonge subway extension to Finch, a new route operates north and east from Finch station, serving the area in north North York between Steeles Avenue and Finch. Service operates from Finch station via north on Yonge Street, east on Cummer Avenue and McNicoll Avenue to Pharmacy Avenue, looping clockwise via south on Pharmacy, west on Finch Avenue and north on Victoria Park Avenue. Service operates seven days a week, 18 hours a day. This route operates from Eglinton Garage.

Cummer Avenue is named after Jacob Cummer, one of the first settlers in Willowdale after immigrating to Canada from the United States in 1797.

November 22nd, 1980

Route extended beyond Pharmacy via east on McNicoll and south on Birchmount Avenue to an existing off-street loop located on the Hydro right-of-way. Additional rush hour buses continue to turn at Pharmacy.

July 26th, 1981

Service on this route is transferred from Eglinton garage to Birchmount garage.

February 8th, 1982

Coincident with the extension of the 67 PHARMACY bus to Steeles Avenue, rush hour 42 CUMMER buses now loop counterclockwise via north on Victoria Park, west and south on Gordon Baker Road, and southeast on Harold Evans Drive. Service on Birchmount branch unchanged.

July 24th, 1983

Service transferred from Birchmount Garage to the newly opened Malvern Garage.

November 20th, 1988

With the opening of Arrow Road garage, operations of this route transferred from Malvern Garage to Wilson Garage.

January 21st, 1991

During rush hours, service extended east on McNicoll beyond Birchmount to a new off-street loop northeast of the corner of McNicoll and Silver Springs Boulevard (one block west of Kennedy Road). Off-peak service continues to turn back at Birchmount. Additional rush hour service continues to turn back at Victoria Park.

July 21st, 1991

Off-peak service extended from Birchmount to Kennedy.

February 15th, 1998

Rush hour service extended east of Kennedy to Middlefield Road, looping counterclockwise via north on Maybrook Drive, west on Passmore Avenue and south on Middlefield.

March 21st, 1999

42 CUMMER designated as an accessible route, and equipped with Compressed Natural Gas-powered, lift-equipped Orion V buses.

March 31st, 2002

Service transferred from Wilson Garage to the newly opened Eglinton (Comstock) Garage.

June 18, 2006

Service currently operates seven days a week on the 42B Kennedy branch, with additional service provided to Middlefield on 42A and Victoria Park on 42. Service operates at 30 minute intervals on Sundays, and combined service is as frequent as every six minutes during the morning rush hour.

January 31, 2007

At its meeting on this day, TTC Commissioners receive a report recommending that buses serving the 42B “Kennedy” branch and the 17C BIRCHMOUNT “McNicoll” branch be extended from the old “Silver Springs” loop located on the north side of McNicoll 400 metres west of Kennedy to a new loop, called “McNicoll/Kennedy” loop located 375 metres east of Kennedy, on property the TTC acquired for the future McNicoll garage. This change could improve connections between these routes and 43 KENNEDY buses without an increase in operating costs. The change was made soon thereafter, and was on the November 2007 Ride Guide. No change in destination signs.

November 23, 2008

As part of a systemwide increase in service resulting from the Ridership Growth Strategy, service on the 42A “Middlefield” branch is increased from rush hours to whenever the subway is open. Additional rush hour, weekday midday and Saturday midday service provided to Kennedy on the 42B branch. Service on the Victoria Park branch (42) operates during rush hours only. With the opening of Mount Dennis Garage, service on this route is transferred from Eglinton (Comstock) Garage to Wilson Garage.

May 8, 2011

As part of a general reallocation of resources, service east of Kennedy Road (provided by the 42A “Middlefield” branch) eliminated after 10 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays. Service provided by the 42B “Kennedy” branch instead.

June 22, 2014

As part of a system-wide reorganization of route branch designation, eastbound buses operating to Victoria Park are redesignated 42C. All buses to Finch station maintain the 42 CUMMER designation.

September 6, 2015

Service to Middlefield (42A branch) is restored on weekday late evenings, daytime and early evening Saturdays and daytime Sundays and holidays. Late evening Saturday and evening Sunday and holiday service remains cut back to Kennedy (42B branch).

January 3, 2016

Service on the Middlefield (42A) branch is rerouted to provide access to the expanded Tapscott Employment District. Buses operate over the regular route past Middlefield Road to Maybrook Avenue and then loop via north on Maybrook, east (instead of west) on Passmore, and south on Dynamic Drive (one block west of Markham Road) to McNicoll Avenue, returning westbound to Finch station.

June 18, 2017

The off-street loop on McNicoll Avenue east of Kennedy Road is placed out of service due to construction at the site of McNicoll Garage. As a result of this, all buses on the 42B “Finch Stn to Kennedy” branch are extended to Middlefield Road, effectively replacing the 42B branch with the 42A branch. One bus is added to keep the headways the same, except for during the early morning and on late evenings Sundays and holidays.

Late March 2020

Due to ridership reductions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, service is cut, with the 42C rush hour branch at Victoria Park temporarily cancelled. All buses operate to Middlefield.

March 28, 2021

With construction of McNicoll Garage complete, the garage opens for revenue service and buses on this route were transferred from Wilson.

Also on this day, construction on Cummer Avenue affecting westbound lanes between Bayview Avenue and Leslie Street closed approximately eight months. Buses on the 42 CUMMER had to be diverted westbound direction via Leslie Street, Finch Avenue and Bayview Avenue. Westbound bus service between Bayview Avenue and Leslie Street have been temporarily removed and operate as an express through the diversion, stopping only at Leslie Street and Cummer Avenue, and at Cummer Avenue and Bayview Avenue. Eastbound services are not affected.

Monday, February 14, 2022

Service is increased during peak periods, restoring the 42C “Finch Station-Victoria Park) branch. Construction work continues, diverting westbound buses via Leslie Street, Finch Avenue East, and Bayview Avenue.

42 Cummer Image Archive

	An issue of TTC's "Headlights", describing changes to bus services coincident with the extension of the YONGE SUBWAY to Finch on March 30, 1974.
	The Google Streetview van captured Orion VII "Next Gen" bus laying over at Kennedy Loop at the east end of the 42 CUMMER route, circa July 2015. The loop would soon be abandoned to give space to the construction of McNicoll Garage.
	A map showing the new route alignments through the Tapscott Employment District for 42 CUMMER and 102 MARKHAM ROAD, effective January 3, 2016. Photo courtesy the TTC.
	The current map of the TTC's 42 CUMMER operations, effective Sunday, January 3, 2016.
	TTC New Flyer D-40-87 bus #6310 idles at Finch station running on route 42B CUMMER on December 20, 1997. Photo by Felix Tse.
	Traffic on Yonge Street is no challenge to TTC Orion VII #7926 as it pulls out of Finch station, serving the 42A Cummer route to Middlefield Road. Photo taken on August 30, 2009 by Andrew Barton.
	TTC Orion VII "Next Gen" bus #8219 heads westbound on Cummer, approaching Leslie in 42 CUMMER service on May 25, 2015. Photo by Flame Cube.
	TTC Orion VII "Next Generation" bus heads away from Finch subway station on route 42A, running to Middlefield Rd. Not only does this photograph demonstrates three major routes north of Finch station (42 CUMMER, 53 STEELES EAST and 60 STEELES WEST), it also shows three principal bus models of the current TTC bus fleet - Orion V (#7054), Orion VII (#7937) and Orion VII "Next Gen" (#8345). This picture was snapped by Roman Fomin on February 26, 2013.
	TorontoTransportGuy shot this view of TTC Orion VII EPA10 8362 at Finch Station, preparing to start its run to Kennedy Road along the 42 CUMMER route.
	TTC Orion V CNG bus #9384 wrapped in the Levi's ad, seen on route 42 CUMMER at Finch Station on September 27, 2001. Photo taken by Felix Tse.