Compiled by James Bow

See Also

• 3 SCARBOROUGH RT
• 21 BRIMLEY
• 131 NUGGET

Background

When the SCARBOROUGH RT first opened in 1985, ridership was rapidly increasing over the course of the first 15 years. Because of overcrowding, and to accommodate all of the customers who would prefer to ride the SCARBOROUGH RT but who are now using bus services in the area as an alternative, an express bus service was introduced on September 3, 2000 during the peak periods from Monday to Friday between Kennedy Station and Scarborough Centre Station via Eglinton and Brimley, thus the 131E NUGGET EXPRESS was born. During these periods, the 131E operated every seven-to-eight minutes. In 2003, the stop on Brimley and Lawrence was added.

As this route remained unchanged for the last 18 years, although the future of LINE 3 SCARBOROUGH remains uncertain pending its replacement by the LINE 2 BLOOR-DANFORTH extension into Scarborough Centre, the route was renumbered and renamed to the 903 KENNEDY-SCARBOROUGH CENTRE EXPRESS in fall 2018 as part of the TTC’s express rebranding.

903 Kennedy-Scarborough Centre Express

November 19, 2018

As part of the TTC’s expansion and rebranding of its Express services, service begins on an express route that replaces and re-numbers the 131E NUGGET EXPRESS bus operating between Scarborough Centre station and Kennedy station during weekday rush hours. Southbound buses operate from Scarborough Centre station via west on Triton Road, south on Brimley Road, and west on Eglinton Avenue East to Kennedy Station. Northbound buses operate from Kennedy Station via east on Eglinton Avenue East, north on Brimley Road, and east on Triton Road to Scarborough Centre Station. Buses stop only at Kennedy station, Scarborough Centre station and in both directions at the Brimley/Lawrence intersection.

Service is operated out of Malvern Garage operating with Orion VII low-floor buses. This route continues to be interlined with the 131 NUGGET buses at Scarborough Centre station.

Due to lack of programming exposures on its destination signs, buses on the 903 KENNEDY-SCARBOROUGH CENTRE EXPRESS carry the exposures of the former 131E NUGGET EXPRESS on an interim basis:

December 5, 2018

The destination sign exposures for this route are fully implemented and revised.

March 23, 2020

In response to the worldwide novel coronavirus pandemic, the TTC continues to maintain service on the 903 KENNEDY-SCARBOROUGH CENTRE EXPRESS.

May 8, 2020

Last day of full operation before the temporary shut down of this route. The following Monday, service on Eglinton and Brimley is still provided by the 21 A BRIMLEY local buses between Kennedy station and Scarborough Centre station.

Customers who seek to find alternatives must board the 43B KENNEDY buses or take the LINE 3 SCARBOROUGH trains.

September 3, 2023

Following the permanent closure of the SCARBOROUGH RT on August 24, 2023 after one of its trains were derailed in July, service on the 903 KENNEDY-SCARBOROUGH CENTRE EXPRESS is reinstated after a three year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This route replaces all shuttle bus service on LINE 3 SCARBOROUGH, which began immediately after the derailment.

Buses on the 903 operate in reserved lanes between Scarborough Centre and Kennedy Stations via Progress as opposed to Ellesmere, southbound via Midland and northbound via Kennedy with stops at Ellesmere and Lawrence. The routing has been in operation since Saturday, August 26. The restored 903 service is removed from Eglinton and Brimley and no longer interlined with the 131 NUGGET during peak hours.

Service operates all day whenever the subway is open. No changes to destination signs. This route is assigned to unscheduled, run-as-directed (RAD) trips operating out of Malvern and McNicoll Garages. New Eglinton (Comstock) Garage also provides runs on the 903 as they were intended to operate on the 513 QUEEN EAST streetcar shuttle bus due to Metrolinx work but was delayed to September 22.

October 8, 2023

Buses on the 903 KENNEDY-SCARBOROUGH CENTRE EXPRESS are now fully implemented on schedule and now shared with Malvern and McNicoll Garages with buses on this route are shifted from Bay 11 at Kennedy Station’s Platform A into the new Platform B bus terminal in the old south parking lot.

November 18, 2023

Last day of operation under this route name.

903 Kennedy Station-Scarborough Express

November 19, 2023

Exactly five years after the launch of the 903 KENNEDY-SCARBOROUGH CENTRE EXPRESS, service is reorganized and renamed into the 903 KENNEDY STATION-SCARBOROUGH EXPRESS as part of the Line 3 Bus Replacement Plan. This route is also extended from Scarborough Centre Station to Centennial College, replacing the 134C PROGRESS and the 913 PROGRESS EXPRESS routes.

Buses follow the same routing as above but from Scarborough Centre Station, but is routed via east on Triton, south on McCowan, east and north on Bushby/Grangeway, east on Corporate, east on Progress to Centennial College; westbound buses follows the reverse route. This branch is designated 903A, operating 7 days a week, except late evenings. The original routing, is designated 903B and operates early morning periods weekdays and late evenings on weekends and holidays.

Service is removed Monday-Friday during the late evening period and frequencies reduced in all time periods.

All buses on this route now operate out of McNicoll Garage with 60 foot Nova LFS Articulated buses.

903 Kennedy-Scarborough Centre Express Image Archive

	An official TTC map of the 903 KENNEDY-SCARBOROUGH CENTRE EXPRESS operations, effective November 19, 2018.
	Despite using the "131E NUGGET EXPRESS" exposures, TTC Orion VII NG Hybrid bus #1539 slithers up northbound on Brimley Road bypassing Wetherby Drive approaching the Lawrence Avenue East stop on the 903 KENNEDY-SCARBOROUGH CENTRE EXPRESS. This photo was taken by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos on November 29, 2018.

903 Kennedy Station-Scarborough Express Image Archive

An official map of the TTC's 903 KENNEDY STATION-SCARBOROUGH EXPRESS, effective November 19, 2023, five years after the original route was launched.

TTC New Flyer X-DE-60 articulated hybrid bus #9408 is seen driving down the temporary busway southbound on Midland Avenue on route 903A KENNEDY STATION-SCARBOROUGH EXPRESS as part of the LINE 3 SCARBOROUGH replacement bus network. The TTC has taken an order of 68 X-DE-60 models in 2023 and 15 of these vehicles are based out of McNicoll Garage around this time. This photo was taken by Jelo Gutierrez Cantos on April 16, 2024.