The city says better service will soon be a reality on more than 60 bus and streetcar routes throughout the city.
Mayor John Tory made the announcement at a news conference at a Scarborough bus stop Sunday with TTC Chair Josh Colle and TTC CEO Andy Byford.
Starting in September, additional off-peak service periods will be introduced on 43 daytime bus routes, Tory said. Most of the increased service amounts to a restoration of services that were cut by the previous administration in 2011, but expanded service on five routes will be completely new.
The move would mean that the TTC will operate ‘all-day, every day service’ on 133 of its 144 regular routes, meaning that service is provided from approximately 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., from Monday to Saturday, and from approximately 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sundays.
In addition, the TTC will expand overnight bus service on the city’s ‘Blue Night Network,” introducing seven new routes and making changes or extensions to 11 existing routes. In all, the new overnight network will have a total of 31 routes running every 30 minutes or better.
“These service improvements are the type of sensible and caring investments expected by Toronto residents.” Tory said. “We need a reliable transit system so people can get to work on time and get home faster to spend more time with their families.”
Tory said that the changes respond to the growing ridership in off-peak hours, recognizing that many people now work hours that are differ from the traditional morning and afternoon peak periods.
He pointed out that the fastest growing demand for service is in off-peak periods and that ridership on the city’s overnight routes has grown by about 68 per cent over the last decade to 4.7 million annual trips.
He also said the improvements go hand-in-hand with city’s poverty reduction strategy, pointing out that half of those who use the overnight service don’t have a driver’s license.
The improvements are funded under a previously announced $90 million transit investment approved in the 2015 city budget. They will be recommended to the TTC Board for final approval when it meets May 27.
In addition to the route improvements, Tory said the TTC is also working on a number of other initiatives, including an expedited rollout of the delayed Presto Card payment system and exploring the possibility of earlier subway service on Sundays.
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