Toronto Transit Commission route 53 'Steeles East'
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53 Steeles East
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| Number of Branches | 2 | ||
| Distance | 21.61km (Finch Station - Staines) 17.72km (Finch Station - Morningside) | ||
| Blue Night | 353 Steeles 
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| Types of vehicles used | Nova Bus LFS
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| Division | McNicoll | ||
| Ridership (2018) | 25,000 | ||
53 Steeles East is a bus route operated by the Toronto Transit Commission in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Route Details
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This route services Steeles Avenue East between Yonge Street and Staines Road and the community of Morningside Heights. There is one western terminal, which is Finch Station. Eastern terminals include Staines Road for 53A and Morningside Avenue for 53B. Branch 53A operates at all times except during rush hours on weekdays. Branch 53B operates at all times during the week.
Branches
This route has 2 branches:
- 53A Finch Station - Staines
- 53B Finch Station - Morningside
History
- September 3, 2000 - Ikarus articulated bus service ends, with service replaced by conventional 40 foot vehicles.
- May 14, 2002 - Branch 53B service is expanded to operate weekday early evenings and daytime on Saturdays.
- September 5, 2004 - New Sunday and Holiday daytime service is introduced east of Middlefield Road on branch 53B to Markham Road.
- June 25, 2007 - New peak-period express branch 53F to Staines is introduced providing service to a new residential community along Staines Road. Buses loop counterclockwise via Quietbrook Crescent.
- November 23, 2008 - Branch 53A to Middlefield is extended to Staines Road and operates at all times except during rush hours. Branch 53B to Markham Road is revised to operate only during the midday and early evenings every day.
- January 2, 2011 - Local branch 53A and express branch 53F to Staines Road are extended to serve the Morningside Heights neighbourhood. Buses loop via Morningside Avenue, Oasis Boulevard, and Seasons Drive. Service is removed from Quietbrook Crescent.
- July 29, 2012 - New express stop added at Yonge Street/Steeles Avenue. The stop is served by all 53E/F buses in the morning peak-period and by eastbound 53E/F buses only in the afternoon peak-period.
- September 1, 2013 - Peak-period short turn branch 53 to Pharmacy is eliminated. The east-end looping of local branch 53B and express branch 53E is revised. Service will loop via Tapscott Drive, Passmore Drive, and Markham Road instead of via Elson Avenue. Express service is extended east to McCowan Road on branches 53E and 53F.
- October 15, 2013 - The east-end looping of branches 53B and 53E during the afternoon rush hour on weekdays is revised to reduce delays from congestion on Steeles Avenue East. Buses loop via south on Markham Road, east on Passmore Avenue, north on Tapscott Road, and west on Select Avenue to Markham Road. There is no change to the routing at other times of the week.
- October 11, 2015 - Route is added to the Ten Minute Network. Combined service west of Markham Road will operate at intervals of ten minutes or better whenever the subway is open.
- January 7, 2019 - As part of the TTC's initiative to reorganizing the route names of surface express bus routes, express branches 53E and 53F are formed into the new 953 Steeles East Express
route. Branch 53E is renamed to 953B and branch 53F is renamed to 953A.
- January 11, 2021 - Branch 53B is extended to serve the Amazon Fulfillment Centre on Passmore Avenue. Service along Select Avenue is discontinued. To provide service to and from the facility between 4 AM and 6 AM before the start of regular route 53B service, looping service is provided along Passmore Avenue, Markham Road and Tapscott Road to connect to route 353.
- March 28, 2021 - This route was transferred to the brand new McNicoll Division.
- October 10, 2021 - With the introduction of new periods of service on route 953 Steeles East Express, service on branch 53A during the midday and early evening periods on weekdays, and during the morning and afternoon on the weekdays are eliminated. Local service between Finch Station and McCowan Road is provided by branch 53B.
- September 4, 2022 - Branch 53B eastern terminus routing is adjusted to serve Tapscott Road, Passmore Avenue, and Morningside Avenue to better serve the employment area. Service on Markham Road and Select Avenue is discontinued.
- January 7, 2024 - The eastern terminus of branch 53B will now be designated as Morningside Avenue instead of Markham Road.
Overnight Service
Overnight service is provided by 353 Steeles along Steeles Avenue East and Staines Road.
Express Service
Express service is provided by 953 Steeles East Express for both branches.
Vehicles
Buses that can appear on 53 Steeles East include the Nova Bus LFS .
Previous route maps
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Other Maps
Early morning 53B loop map (January 2021-September 2022).
Summary
Major Stops
| Major Stop | Branches | Connections | Notes | |
Finch Station 
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53A | 53B | Finch GO Bus Terminal  
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| Yonge St. @ Cummer Ave./Drewry Ave. | 53A | 53B | ||
| Yonge St. @ Steeles Ave. East | 53A | 53B |
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Wheel-Trans Access Hub
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| Steeles Ave. East @ Willowdale Ave. | 53A | 53B | ||
| Steeles Ave. East @ Bayview Ave. | 53A | 53B |
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| Steeles Ave. East @ Leslie St. | 53A | 53B | ||
| Steeles Ave. East @ Don Mills Rd. | 53A | 53B |
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| Steeles Ave. East @ Victoria Park Ave. | 53A | 53B |
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| Steeles Ave. East @ Pharmacy Ave. | 53A | 53B |
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| Steeles Ave. East @ Warden Ave. | 53A | 53B | ||
| Steeles Ave. East @ Birchmount Rd. | 53A | 53B | ||
| Steeles Ave. East @ Kennedy Rd. | 53A | 53B |
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| Steeles Ave. East @ Milliken GO Station | 53A | 53B |
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| Steeles Ave. East @ Midland Ave. | 53A | 53B | ||
| Steeles Ave. East @ Brimley Rd. | 53A | 53B | ||
| Steeles Ave. East @ McCowan Rd. | 53A | 53B |
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| Steeles Ave. East @ Middlefield Rd. | 53A | 53B | ||
| Steeles Ave. East @ Markham Rd. | 53A | 53B |
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| Steeles Ave. East @ Tapscott Rd. | 53A | 53B | ||
| Passmore Ave. @ Morningside Ave. | 53B | |||
| Steeles Ave. East @ Staines Rd. | 53A | |||
| Staines Rd. @ Morningside Ave. | 53A | |||
| Morningside Ave. @ McNicoll Ave./Oasis Blvd. | 53A | |||
Service Summary
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Frequency | Vehicles Used | Notes |
| Weekday AM Peak | 6:30 | 20 | 53B branch only. |
| Weekday Midday | 6:30 | 19 | All branches combined. Every 3rd 53B operates as a 53A. |
| Weekday PM Peak | 6:30 | 22 | 53B branch only. |
| Weekday Early Evening | 5:30 | 21 | All branches combined. Every 4th 53B operates as a 53A. |
| Weekday Late Evening | 12 | 9 | All branches combined. |
| Saturday Early Morning | 10 | 11 | All branches combined. |
| Saturday Morning | 10 | 13 | All branches combined. |
| Saturday Afternoon | 7:30 | 17 | All branches combined. Every 4th 53B operates as a 53A. |
| Saturday Early Evening | 10 | 12 | All branches combined. |
| Saturday Late Evening | 10:30 | 10 | All branches combined. |
| Sunday Early Morning | 9:30 | 11 | All branches combined. Every 3rd 53B operates as a 53A. |
| Sunday Morning | 9:30 | 12 | All branches combined. Every 3rd 53B operates as a 53A. |
| Sunday Afternoon | 8:30 | 14 | All branches combined. Every 3rd 53B operates as a 53A. |
| Sunday Early Evening | 10:30 | 11 | All branches combined. |
| Sunday Late Evening | 11 | 9 | All branches combined. |
| Last updated: September 3, 2023 | |||
