Compiled by Jeffrey Kay
With additions by Pete Coulman
Map by James Bow

March 30, 1954

Route commenced operation at 1.30pm this day, replacing a portion of the BAY streetcar route. Buses loop at the south end, counter clockwise around Queen’s Park Cres., then north via Avenue Road, Lonsdale, Oriole Parkway, Chaplin, through Davisville station, and Yonge, looping south of Eglinton Garage, where service operates out of, west on Hillsdale, north on Duplex and east on Berwick.

April 26, 1954

Extended north to Eglinton, looping east on Eglinton, south on Holly and west on Soudan.

September 13, 1954

To replace the southern portion of the HILL COACH, Monday through Friday rush hour service extended south on University to Front, looping via east on Wellington, south on York and west on Front.

August 30, 1955

Short turn buses now loop at north end east on Lonsdale, south on Oriole and west on Heath. (Exact start date of service is unknown, this service may have operated during the morning rush hour only.

May 15, 1956

Due to construction of the new TTC offices, buses no longer loop through Davisville station at Chaplin & Yonge. (Transfer required during construction period to make the Subway connection.)

December 15, 1957

Now stopping inside the new Davisville station in both directions. At around this time, route is assigned number 5.

February 28, 1963

Coincident with the opening of the UNIVERSITY SUBWAY, service between Queen’s Park and Front Street is discontinued, following the completion of the morning rush hour on this day.

May 21, 1963

Short turn service now looping west on Heath, north on Forest Hill Road and east on Lonsdale.

June 23, 1968

Extended south on University replacing the University Subway after 9.45 p.m. Monday through Saturday and all day Sunday and Holidays. Buses loop east on Adelaide, south on Bay and west on Front. During hours of extended service buses loop through St.George Station in both directions; from Avenue Road west on Lowther, south on Bedford, west on Prince Arthur, serving St.George Station (Bay 2), then north on Bedford and east on Prince Arthur to Avenue Road.

October 12, 1975

5B buses now approach St.George Station west on Bloor, north on Bedford and west on Prince Arthur.

January 28, 1978

Coincident with the opening of the SPADINA SUBWAY and the resumption of late evening and Sunday service on the University line, late evening and Sunday service on 5 AVENUE ROAD south of Queen’s Park Circle is discontinued on this day

January 4, 1982

Midday service extended south on University to loop east on Elm, north on Elizabeth and west on Gerrard.

March 24, 1985

Hours of service to Gerrard improved to seven days a week, 18 hours a day, except during Monday-Friday rush hours, when buses continue to loop around Queen’s Park Circle.

April 22, 1985

Rush hour short turn service extended north from Lonsdale to Davisville station.

April 19, 1987

Evening, weekend and rush hour service to Gerrard discontinued. Base service to Queen’s Park Circle returns to seven days a week, 18 hours a day, except Monday-Friday midday.

November 26, 1989

Rerouted at north end to Eglinton Station via Oriole Parkway and Eglinton, coincident with the southerly extension of the 97‑YONGE bus. Morning short turn service discontinued.

A 5 AVENUE ROAD transfer from July 20, 1992.

January 3, 1993

Normal routing resumed at Gerrard following completion of the new wing of the Sick Children’s Hospital. A revised loop via Elm, Elizabeth and Edward lasted several years, but the exact start date unknown.

February 18, 1996

Due to reduced government subsidies system wide service cuts are introduced including the elimination of late evening service (after 10 p.m.) seven days a week.

Scheduled service for the board period beginning June 16th 1996:

(headway / vehicles required)
Mon-Fri   AM RH   midday   PM RH   early eve.   late eve.
5        9m30s/5    ---     12m/4   30m/1.5 @       ---
5C         ---     13m/4      --       ---           ---

Weekend:   Saturday                         Sunday
           AM/PM    early eve.   late eve.   AM/PM    early eve. late eve.
5          13m20s/3   30m/2         --       30m/1.5@   20m/2       ---

@ Through routed with the 56 LEASIDE route at Eglinton Station

March 19, 2000

Service reduced in the midday and afternoon peak period from Monday to Friday, from 13 minutes to 17 minutes in the midday and from 12 minutes to 16 minutes in the afternoon rush hour.

February 17, 2002

Service reduced during the daytime on Saturdays from every 13 minutes 20 seconds to every 20 minutes.

March 31, 2002

The old Eglinton Garage on Yonge Street is closed and buses on this route moved to the New Eglinton Garage on Comstock Road.

May 12, 2002

The 5:40 a.m. Monday-Friday first southbound departure from Eglinton Stn discontinued, along with the 6:00 a.m. Monday-Friday first northbound departure from Queen’s Park.

January 2, 2005

Service reduced during the midday from Monday to Friday from every 17 minutes to every 30 minutes.

November 23, 2008

As part of the TTC’s Ridership Growth Strategy, service is increased on the main branch to operate whenever the subway is open, at intervals of 30 minutes or better. Service on the 5C “Gerrard” branch remains Monday to Friday middays, replacing all service on the main branch. With the opening of Mount Dennis Garage, buses on this route were transferred from Eglinton (Comstock) Garage.

May 8, 2011

As part of a system-wide reallocation of resources resulting from municipal budget cuts, all service after 10 p.m. on weekdays and 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays is eliminated. Service on this route transferred from Mount Dennis Garage to Wilson Garage.

June 22, 2014

As part of a system-wide reorganization of route branch designations, all southbound buses operating to Queen’s Park Circle are designated 5A, and all southbound buses operating to Gerrard are redesignated 5B. All northbound buses show 5 AVENUE ROAD.

September 6, 2015

Weekday late-evening and weekend and holiday evening service is reestablished on this route from Queens Park to Eglinton station. Buses operate at intervals of 30 minutes or better whenever the subway is open.

September 3, 2016

This would have been the last day of operation. In July 2016, the TTC planned to renumber this service to 13 AVENUE ROAD, in anticipation of the EGLINTON-CROSSTOWN LRT receiving route number “5”. However, these plans were cancelled in August. The change will be implemented later.

May 7, 2017

The interline with the 56 LEASIDE route will be eliminated, seven days a week, to reduce the effects on service reliability as a result of Metrolinx Line 5 EGLINTON LRT construction. Between the two routes, one more bus will be used. Trips will no longer interline between routes.

During the late evening from Monday to Friday and the evening on Saturday the service will change from every 30 min to every 24 min. During the evening on Sunday and holidays the service will change from every 30 min to every 20 min.

April 1, 2018

All late evening service on this route is eliminated due to low ridership. This route will no longer be part of the All Day, Every Day Network. Last northbound and southbound buses depart their terminals at approximately 10:00 p.m.

June 19, 2021

Last day of operation as its route number. Effective the following day, service is renumbered 13 AVENUE ROAD in order to vacate the route number “5” for the EGLINTON-CROSSTOWN LRT.

5 Avenue Road Image Archive

	This picture from the Toronto archives shows an Avenue Road bus in Davisville station, before the construction of the TTC's headquarters. The rollsign helps date this picture as after September 1954 but before 1958.
	An unknown bus painted in Christmas colours heads northbound on Queen's Park Circle past Wellesley in service on 5 AVENUE ROAD on December 3, 1957. Photo courtesy the Toronto Archives and donated by Pete Coulman.
	An operators' guide for 5 AVENUE ROAD, dated January 1, 1958. This page contains the map of the route.
	The 5 AVENUE ROAD operators guide, information page.
	A photograph, circa 1958, of an Avenue Road bus (TTC Twin Coach 41-S #1341) on Queen's Park Circle near Wellesley. Image courtesy the Toronto Archives.
	TTC GM "New Look" bus 2926 poses with a 5B AVENUE ROAD rollsign, date unknown, but probably between 1957 and 1963. Photo courtesy the Toronto Archives.
	TTC GM "New Look" bus #3504 turns from Soudan onto southbound Yonge in 5B AVENUE ROAD service in this 1970 shot. The photographer is unknown and the image is courtesy the John Knight collection.
	TTC GM New Look bus #7150 heads southbound on University Avenue, about to cross Queen, in service on 5 AVENUE ROAD in this September 1970 shot. The photographer is unknown and the image is courtesy the John Knight collection.
	TTC GM New Look bus #7254 heads southbound on University Avenue, having crossed Dundas Street in 5B AVENUE ROAD, circa 1972. Image courtesy the Leonard Jacks collection.
	A GM New Look bus heads southbound on University Avenue, having passed Queen Street in 5B AVENUE ROAD service circa 1972. Photo courtesy the Leonard Jacks collection.
	TTC GM New Look bus #3541 in service on 34 EGLINTON EAST passes Western Flyer Rebuild #9345 in service on 97 YONGE with another GM New Look in service on 5 AVENUE ROAD in tow in this 1973 scene. The buses are heading north on Yonge Street past Canada Square, just south of Eglinton Avenue. The photographer is unknown; the photo is from the Pete Coulman collection.
	TTC GM Classic #6244 operates on 5 AVENUE ROAD outside one of Toronto's famous landmarks, Queen's Park, in the summer of 2000. Photo by Rob Hutchinson.
	Orion VII vehicle 7860 heads southbound on Yonge Street, just south of Eglinton, as part of the 5 AVENUE ROAD route circa 2010. Photo by Greg Northcott.
	A map of 5 AVENUE ROAD operations effective July 2010.
	A scan of an Orders and Notice for March 30, 1954 (the opening day of the Yonge subway), detailing route operations into the subway for AVENUE ROAD, DAVISVILLE and SOUTH LEASIDE routes.