Compiled by Pete Coulman

The TTC's "Coach" services were premium express routes established by the Toronto Transportation Commission in 1925. The idea was to offer an express run between the downtown and Toronto's far flung suburbs. Passengers would pay higher fares for the faster service and the comfortable seats. Typically, "Gray Coach" buses were used. A number of Coach services were established by the TTC between 1925 and 1954, including the BEACH COACH, the ROSEDALE COACH, the HIGH PARK COACH and the HILL COACH.

The coach services died out in the 1950s as the TTC’s subways expanded out into the suburbs, but it is interesting to note that the experiment was repeated, almost route-for-route, in the late 1980s with a number of Premium Express services, which operate to this day.

September 8, 1941

Service begins on a new coach route operating from the corner of Dundurn Road and Dinnick Crescent, near Lawrence Avenue, via Dundurn, Dawlish, Mount Pleasant, Heath, Welland, Inglewood, St. Clair, Avenue Road, Queen's Park Circle, University Avenue, Osgoode, Albert, Bay, Temperance and Yonge to Adelaide, returning via Adelaide, Bay and Temperance and over the reverse route to Dundurn and Dinnick.

Fares are 15 cents or two TTC tickets. No transfers are offered or accepted. No southbound pickups are made south of St. Clair Avenue and no northbound pickups take place between Bloor and St. Clair. Service operates rush hours only, Monday to Saturday (in the 1940s, Saturday rush hours ran from noon to 2 p.m.).

January 2, 1942

Service hours extended to run weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

June 8, 1942

Off-peak service hours discontinued. Service rerouted to operate from Dinnick and Dundurn via Dundurn, Dawlish, Mount Pleasant, St Clair, Welland, Inglewood, MacLennan, Schofield, Highland, Glen Road, Elm, Sherbourne, Isabella, Jarvis, Shuter, Victoria, and Adelaide to Bay returning via Richmond to Victoria and also along Glen Road to Edgar to MacLennan.

December 11, 1944

Off-peak hours restored.

May 28, 1945

Service extended north on Mount Pleasant to Doncliffe loop. Service removed on Dinnick, Dundurn and Dawlish.

September 10, 1945

Service operated out of Sherbourne Garage.

December 15&22, 1945

Service operates on normal weekday hours during these Saturdays to handle Christmas traffic.

December 16, 1946

With the opening of the Adelaide Coach Terminal, southbound buses operate over regular route to Shuter and then operate via Victoria and Adelaide into the terminal, returning via the reverse route.

April 14-17, 1947

Due to road reconstruction on Sherbourne, coaches are rerouted from Bloor and Sherbourne via Bloor, Jarvis, Gerrard and Church to Shuter, and then over the regular route to the Adelaide Coach Terminal, returning via the reverse route.

April 19 to May 14, 1948

Due to the closure of Sherbourne bridge for repairs, service is rerouted to operate via South Drive, Glen Road, Park, Church and Isabella to Jarvis, in both directions.

April 24 to May 18, 1950

Due to the closure of Sherbourne bridge for further repairs, service is again rerouted to operate via South Drive, Glen Road, Park, Church and Isabella to Jarvis, in both directions.

May 18, 1950

Coincident with the extension of Mount Pleasant Road from St. Clair to Bloor, buses now operate both ways via Jarvis and Mount Pleasant, with service removed from St Clair, Welland, Inglewood, MacLennan, Schofield, Highland, Glen Road, Elm, Sherbourne and Isabella.

October 23, 1950

Some coaches are routed via Heath, Welland and Inglewood both ways instead of operating through on Mount Pleasant.

December 17, 1951

The Lombard Coach Terminal opens, replacing the Adelaide Coach Terminal. MOUNT PLESANT COACH buses now loop downtown via south on Jarvis, west on Richmond, through the new terminal east of Victoria Street, then east on Lombard and north on Jarvis.

September 10, 1954

Last day of operation. Ridership had been dwindling since the opening of the YONGE SUBWAY and the arrival of the regular fare 61 NORTOWN trolley bus. However, downtown express service to Mount Pleasant would return on April 2, 1990 with the arrival of the 141 DOWNTOWN-MOUNT PLEASANT EXPRESS.

Mount Pleasant Coach Image Archive

	A typed advertisement hypes MOUNT PLEASANT COACH services in the early 1940s.
	An advertisement promotes all day service on the MOUNT PLEASANT COACH, effective January 2, 1942.
	A shot of the Adelaide Coach terminal from above, circa 1950.
	TTC-owned Gray Coaches wait at Sherbourne Garage on March 9, 1951. These coaches were used for intercity service (see TALBOTVILLE) and also for the TTC's premium fare city coach services (especially MOUNT PLEASANT COACH and HIGH PARK COACH). Photo courtesy the TTC, donated by Pete Coulman.