Compiled by Pete Coulman
Additional contributions by Mike Vainchtein and Jelo Gutierrez Cantos
Map by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos

July 1, 1954

Coincident with the expansion of TTC transit services into the suburbs of Metropolitan Toronto, service begins on a new route replacing a similar route operated by Hollinger Bus Lines. Buses on O’CONNOR operate from the old Hollinger bus terminal, accessed Coxwell by running east on Strathmore (one block north of Danforth Avenue) and south on the access road entrance, into the terminal and then north back to Stratmore and west to Coxwell. From there, buses operate north on Coxwell, east and north on O’Connor to Victoria Park and Eglinton, looping via Dawes, Eglinton & Victoria Park. A direct transfer to DAWES and a walking transfer to PHARMACY is provided.

Service also operates on a branch, replacing the Hollinger Bus lines PARKVIEW HILLS route, running from Coxwell loop via north on Coxwell, east on O’Connor, west on Sandra and St Clair Ave East to loop via Parkview Hills, north on Elswick, east on Hackberry and south on Woodbine Heights to Parkview Hills and return.

In addition, a rush hour service is provided to the Bermondsey Industrial Area (replacing Hollinger’s INDUSTRIAL route). In the morning, buses operate over the normal route to O’Connor and Curity, and then via Curity, Hollinger and Bermondsey, wing in the Bartley/Bermondsey intersection, and then returning via south on Bermondsey to O’Connor and back to Coxwell and Danforth. In the afternoons, buses operate via O’Connor and Bermondsey to Bartley before wing and returning via Bermondsey, Hollinger and Curity to O’Connor and back south.

Buses operate within the central fare zone up to St. Clair and O’Connor, and the first suburban zone thereafter.

April 15, 1956

Assigned route number 70.

Spring 1955

Due to road construction in the Golden Mile area, northern looping via Eglinton Loop temporarily discontinued. Buses will now turn around via a large looping via north on Victoria Park, east and south on Craighton and Rannock, south on Pharmacy, turning west to O’Connor and return.

August 4, 1956

Main branch permanently extended from Victoria Park-Eglinton loop to a large looping via Victoria Park, Craighton, Rannock & Pharmacy. No change to destination signs

The 70A “Elswick” branch is replaced by a branch of the WOODBINE bus route.

August 7, 1956

Two new rush hour only branch (“70B”) is established, running from the old Hollinger terminal via Coxwell and O’Connor to Curity. The 70A branch loops via Curity, Hollinger and Bermondsey, while a 70B branch operates over the same route to Hollinger and Bermondsey, and then follows Bermondsey to wye in the Bermondsey/Bartley intersection before returning via Bermondsey to O’Connor and back via O’Connor and Coxwell to Danforth.

June 27, 1960

Rush hour “Bermondsey” service (70B) is extended via Bermondsey and Sloane to loop at Victoria Village via Sloane, Victoria Park and west on Sweeney with 10-minute headways.

January 29, 1962

A new rush hour branch (70C) is established extending the 70B “Victoria Village” (Sweeney) service from Victoria Park and Sweeney via north on Victoria Park and west on Lawrence to loop at Don Mills Road via north on Don Mills, west and south on Donway West and east on Lawrence. Buses return via east on Lawrence, south on victoria Park and west on Sweeney to Sloane to route.

September 1, 1963

Coincident with a major reorganization of suburban bus services, rush hour extension to Don Mills(70C) is replaced by all-day service on the new 54 LAWRENCE EAST route.

O’Connor-Sloane buses are rerouted for improved service to the Victoria Village North area and industrial district on Carnforth via west on Sweeney, north and east on Wyndcliff, north on Teak, northeast on Carnforth, and east on Lawrence to Victoria Park, west on Sweeney and south to Sloane to route.

February 26, 1966

Route rerouted coincident with the opening of the BLOOR-DANFORTH SUBWAY. All buses now operate out of Coxwell station.

The 70 O’CONNOR bus resumes service to the Parkview Hills district(70A), replacing a branch of the 91 WOODBINE bus.

70A buses from Coxwell station run via via north on Coxwell, east and north on O’Connor, west on Sandra & St Clair Avenue East to loop via Parkview Hills Cres, north on Aspen Ave, east on Parkview Hill Cres, south on Woodbine Hts, east on Parkview Hills Cres, St Clair Avenue East and Sandra to O’Connor and return.

May 11, 1968

Coincident with the extension of the BLOOR-DANFORTH SUBWAY to Warden, 70 O’CONNOR service is rerouted to split service between O’Connor Drive and St. Clair Avenue East.

From Coxwell station, the main branch (70) operates via north on Coxwell, east and north on O’Connor and east on St. Clair to Warden station, replacing two branches of the 91 WOODBINE route.

The “Parkview Hills” 70A service is now operated as a branch of the 91 WOODBINE bus (91A).

The “Eglinton” branch operating between Coxwell station and Rannock and Pharmacy is redesignated from 70 to 70A

NOTE: Timetables in the mid 70’s to late 80’s show the 70A destination sign as EGLINTON-COXWELL STN and not the other way around, however no photographic proof has yet to be found.

January 21, 1973

The TTC’s zone fare system is eliminated, along with the zone boundary near the St. Clair/O’Connor intersection. Travellers on 70 O’CONNOR no longer need to pay a second fare to complete their journey.

July 26, 1996

To save buses and costs, a new late-evening short turn service is set up, designated 70B. Buses follow the 70A branch to O’Connor and Victoria Park but, instead of continuing northeast on Eglinton Square, turn south on Victoria Park and then west on Sunrise, returning to O’Connor and south to Coxwell station. Late evening service on the lengthy Craighton/Pharmacy loop discontinued.

September 3, 2000

Service transferred from Danforth garage to Birchmount garage.

March 28, 2004

The last westbound/southbound 70B O’CONNOR (Coxwell station-Eglinton Square) trip departing from Victoria Park Avenue and O’Connor Drive at 2:15 a.m. will be removed, seven days a week, due to low ridership.

June 24, 2007

Effective on this day, service on this route is rendered fully accessible, using Orion VII low-floor buses.

January 3, 2010

Service transferred from Birchmount garage to Eglinton (Comstock) garage.

July 29, 2012

A new walking transfer is established with 91 WOODBINE buses at the southbound stop on O’Connor Drive and Sandra Road.

June 22, 2014

As part of a system-wide reorganization of route branch designations, buses operating from Cowell station to Warden station are redesignated 70C. All buses bound for Cowell station remain as 70.

October 11, 2015

Due to renovations to install elevators at Coxwell station, buses serving this station must temporarily vacate the bus terminal until the end of 2016. As a result, service on the 22 COXWELL route is interlined with the 70 O’CONNOR route at all times except for early Sunday mornings (when the 322 COXWELL NIGHT still operates). Buses simply change their signs as they cross Danforth Avenue. Buses also continue south and north along Coxwell Avenue, temporarily avoiding Strathmore Blvd. 70 O’CONNOR service is no longer interlined with 135 GERRARD and 16 McCOWAN.

On early Sunday mornings, before the subway opens, southbound buses on 70 O’CONNOR will be extended from Coxwell and Strathmore via south on Coxwell, west on Danforth Avenue, and north on Linsmore to loop through Greenwood station’s bus loop, returning via the reverse route.

May 7, 2017

With the completion of construction at Coxwell station, buses on 70 O’CONNOR are no longer interlined with 22 COXWELL and re-enter Coxwell station’s bus terminal. Schedules will be the same as September 2015 and will be operated by Eglinton Division. The Monday-Friday late evening interlined operation with 135 GERRARD, and the Sunday late evening interlined operation with 16 MCCOWAN, will both resume.

March 28, 2021

Service transferred from Eglinton (Comstock) garage to Birchmount garage.

October 10, 2021

Late evening service on the 70A “Eglinton” branch is restored. Service on the short turn 70B “Eglinton Square” branch is discontinued.

November 19, 2023

Service on the 70C (Warden Station via St. Clair) branch is discontinued and replaced by the extension of 8 BROADVIEW running from Broadview Station. This diversion was in place since June 18 due to the reconstruction in the Beaches-East York area, but was confirmed permanent on November 19. Buses on the 70A (Eglinton) branch are redesignated as 70.

70 O'Connor Image Archive

	An official map of 70 O'CONNOR operations, effective October 10, 2021, following the removal of the 70B branch.
	A photograph of a Danforth division side rollsign, circa 1986, showing the 70 O'CONNOR exposures. This photograph was taken by James Bow and the rollsign is courtesy the Rob Lubinski collection.
	An official map of the TTC's 70 O'CONNOR operations, effective January 1, 2013
	An Orders and Notice from Danforth Division, effective December 1, 1956, alerts drivers of a route extension for the 70 O'CONNOR bus.
	A TTC Orders and Notice effective June 27, 1960, alerts drivers to the launch of a new branch of the 70 O'CONNOR route.
	The front of the TTC's official timetable for 70 O'CONNOR operations, effective January 3, 1978.
	The inside of the TTC's official timetable for 70 O'CONNOR operations, effective January 3, 1978.
	TTC bus #1751 waits to make a run in O'CONNOR service (Elswick) at the Hollinger Terminal at Danforth and Coxwell. The date is November 9, 1954. Photo donated by Pete Coulman.
	TTC Fitzjohn Coach #1770 is seen here at the former Hollinger Bus Lines terminal near Coxwell and Danforth, in service on O'CONNOR on March 24, 1955. Photo by James Victor Salmon, courtesy the Toronto Public Library.
	TTC bus #1771 poses by a billboard at Woodbine Garage (formerly the Hollinger Bus Lines garage) on Woodbine Avenue at the southeast corner of O'Connor Drive, bearing a O'CONNOR rollsign, sometime between July 1954 and the summer of 1956. Photo donated by Pete Coulman.
	TTC GM New Look bus #3986 pauses at Coxwell station in service on the Eglinton branch of 70 O'CONNOR in this July 1970 shot. The photographer is unknown and the image is courtesy the Pete Coulman collection.
	TTC GM New Look 7598 poses at Danforth garage, signed for the 70A O'CONNOR route in 1988. Photo by D. Chalmers, donated by Pete Coulman.
	TTC Orion VII bus #7632 turns from O'Connor onto St. Clair Avenue East, bound for Warden station on 70 O'CONNOR. This photo was taken by James Bow on February 19, 2013.
	TTC Orion VII bus #7676 loads up passengers at Warden station, in service on the 70 O'CONNOR route on the evening of August 3, 2017. Photo by Marcus Danchuk.
	TTC GM New Look bus #7931 picks up passengers at Cowell station while in service on the 70 O'CONNOR route early in the 1980s. Photo by John Calnan.
	TTC New Look bus #7932 operates in 70 O'CONNOR service at Coxwell and Plains in November 1984. Photo by K. Littlewood, donated from the collection of R. Lubinski.