The public works committee has voted in favour of a study that will compare the use of buses and streetcars along Queen Street despite TTC CEO Andy Byford’s contention that buses are an “inherently inefficient” form of transportation for the busy route.
Buses have temporarily replaced streetcars along Queen Street this summer due to construction work and on Thursday the committee voted 3-2 in favour of a motion that proposed keeping buses along Queen Street for an extra two weeks so a study can be conducted on which vehicle makes the most sense.
The motion was tabled by Coun. Stephen Holyday on behalf of Coun. Michael Ford, who is not a member of the committee.
Speaking with CP24 on Friday, Ford said he has heard “from people across the city,” including some first responders that Queen Street is moving “a lot better” since the streetcars were replaced with buses.
He said that the study he is proposing would take a “macro look” at the issue and determine once and for all which form of public transit makes the most sense along Queen Street.
“I think it is prudent that our city government look at the facts. Why shy away from the facts?” he said.
The motion approved by the public works committee asks that data be collected comparing buses with streetcars in 10 categories, including schedule reliability, delays to other users on the road and ridership satisfaction.
While Ford conceded that he doesn’t personally support the use of streetcars along Queen Street, he said he is willing to listen to reason. Ford, however, rejected a suggestion that streetcars are a part of Toronto’s cultural fabric and should be preserved.
“Put them in a museum,” he quipped.
Streetcars scheduled to return to route in September
Buses have been running in place of streetcars on Queen Street since May 7 and are expected to continue shuttling riders along the busy street until September 3.
Asked about the idea of making the switch permanent at an unrelated press conference at Lawrence West Station on Thursday, TTC CEO Andy Byford said that the TTC would need three times as many buses as streetcars to carry the same number of passengers. The cost of running buses along the route instead of streetcars would also cost the TTC an extra $1 million per month.
“It’s inherently inefficient,” Byford said.
The TTC is spending $1.2 billion on replacing its entire streetcar fleet, so it might seem unlikely that buses will permanently grace Queen Street.
Though some, including Ford, have suggested that buses could operate more efficiently along Queen Street because they would not be restricted to a single lane, TTC Spokesperson Brad Ross told CP24 on Friday that “anecdotally” that does not appear to be the case.
“What we do know is that there are more buses and therefor there is greater frequency perhaps but anecdotally we are not seeing any difference between buses and streetcars in terms of getting you where you need to go more quickly,” he said.
It should be noted that Ford’s motion would have to be approved by city council as a whole before proceeding any further.
An estimated 43,000 commuters ride the Queen streetcar every day, making it one of the TTC’s busiest surface routes.
