TTC Service Changes

[Xtrazsteve]

The 2021 Annual Service Plan has some interesting changes... https://www.ttcannualplan.ca/2021-asp
Go give them so feedback before October 9, 2020.

Changes to the express network 

Changes:
New 938 Highland Creek Express
New 943 Kennedy Express
New 968 Warden Express
Elimination of 903 Kennedy-Scarborough Centre Express (underused)

New service periods for:
929 Dufferin Express – weekend daytime
941 Keele Express – weekday midday
953 Steeles East Express – weekday midday and early evening, weekend daytime
960 Steeles West Express – weekday midday and early evening, weekend daytime

Changes to the 121 Fort York-Esplanade
Remove service west of Union
New service through Regent Park

New peak period service to Stanley Greene

 

Of course everyone's favourite, the Scarborough East study with a high resolution map

The 86D looping to be replaced with the 178A 
New 178A/B on Brimorton 
54B will reach Morningside
116A service on Conlins would be replaced with a 905 extension
116 will consolidate with one branch, the current 116C.
95A extension to Kingston Rd.
938 to UTSC

 

They are also considering changing or eliminating the 107 St Regis route completely. Low usage service periods of the 107 is already stated for elimination. 

[Kobayashi]

October service changes:
https://stevemunro.ca/2020/09/25/ttc-service-changes-effective-october-11-2020/

Other than the introduction of the RapidTO on Eglinton and the resumption of 905/986, there’s more:

• 38 weekday late evening
• 42 AM peak and weekday late evening
• 51 AM and PM peak
• 56B to Brentcliffe AM and PM peak service removed with partly offsetting improvements to 56A to Eglinton Station.
• 121 moves to a 30 minute headway all day on weekdays.
• 122 AM peak
• All off peak service will operate as 134D to Finch via Centennial College, and articulated buses assigned to some runs on this route will be replaced with standard sized buses. This ends the 134A branch.
• 900 early and late weekday evening
• 927 weekday midday
• 505S Shuttle from Lansdowne to Ossington

In November, 902, 929, 935, 941, 945, 952, 954, and 996 will be relaunched. The rest including the 141, 142, 903, 939 and 985 will resume in a later date by early 2021.

On 9/26/2020 at 3:36 AM, Xtrazsteve said:

The 2021 Annual Service Plan has some interesting changes... https://www.ttcannualplan.ca/2021-asp
Go give them so feedback before October 9, 2020.

Changes to the express network 

Changes:
New 938 Highland Creek Express
New 943 Kennedy Express
New 968 Warden Express
Elimination of 903 Kennedy-Scarborough Centre Express (underused)

New service periods for:
929 Dufferin Express – weekend daytime
941 Keele Express – weekday midday
953 Steeles East Express – weekday midday and early evening, weekend daytime
960 Steeles West Express – weekday midday and early evening, weekend daytime

Changes to the 121 Fort York-Esplanade
Remove service west of Union
New service through Regent Park

New peak period service to Stanley Greene

 

Of course everyone's favourite, the Scarborough East study with a high resolution map

The 86D looping to be replaced with the 178A 
New 178A/B on Brimorton 
54B will reach Morningside
116A service on Conlins would be replaced with a 905 extension
116 will consolidate with one branch, the current 116C.
95A extension to Kingston Rd.
938 to UTSC

 

They are also considering changing or eliminating the 107 St Regis route completely. Low usage service periods of the 107 is already stated for elimination. 

So the loss of service on Scarborough Golf Club Rd doesn't mean anything. Can’t they consider introducing a route running from Kennedy or Warden to Centenary Hospital loop via SCG Rd to prevent a service loss?

Unless I spoken out, why not reinstate the old 34 to Kingston Rd branch which was replaced by the 116B back in 2014?

Keep the 107 ST REGIS as is but eliminate the route after 10pm M-F and 7pm weekends. Consolidate the Chesswood routing with the 107 just like in 2016 except run it to Petrolia.
 

Why not extend the 104 FAYWOOD to Finch West as the 104A, but reintroduce service on Overbrook as a two way service as the 104B. Reinstate the pre-2009 105 DUFFERIN NORTH routing running from Wilson Heights to Steeles, same with the 117 as well except extend it to Pioneer Village Stn.

I think the Stanley Greene route should operate as the “96C WILSON to Keele via Stanley Greene”. 
 

The 121 Routing can stay but the Regent park service can run daily. Service west of Union should be cut back to 10pm weekdays and weekends.

 

[Mike]

19 minutes ago, Express Network said:

Why not extend the 104 FAYWOOD to Finch West as the 104A, but reintroduce service on Overbrook as a two way service as the 104B. Reinstate the pre-2009 105 DUFFERIN NORTH routing running from Wilson Heights to Steeles, same with the 117 as well except extend it to Pioneer Village.

Are you suggesting to change 104A to run from Wilson Station via Faywood, Wilmington and Finch to Finch West and the 104B branch from Wilson Station to Finch/Dufferin via Overbrook?  My guess would be that major draws along the current route are the many schools and there is nothing for those students to go to at Finch West.  They are better served by connections to buses that go east on Finch, north on Dufferin or subway at Wilson/Sheppard West.

117 is for serving the industrial areas between Dufferin and GO tracks no need for it to go via Wilson Heights - there maybe some use to go Pioneer Village but that exposes the route to traffic on Steeles.  Currently there are very few traffic areas along the route.

105 along Wilson Heights would be useful for high school students but the walk to Sheppard West is pretty short and not needing to make all the stops on Wilson Heights probably saves time for students heading to Steeles.  However, having 104 and 105 on Wilson Heights would double the service to Finch from one stop.

[Mar_AC_23]

This is what the 178 should do so that service is maintained on Scarborough Golf Club Rd:

Before 3pm: 178 operates eastbound via Orton Park Rd and operates westbound via Scarborough Golf Club Rd

After 3pm: 178 operates eastbound via Scarborough Golf Club Rd and operates westbound via Orton Park Rd

[MK78]

Is there a list (or maybe even graphical map) of which stops are going to be removed on the Eglinton/Kingston/Morningside bus priority routes?

[wil9402]

6 hours ago, MK78 said:

Is there a list (or maybe even graphical map) of which stops are going to be removed on the Eglinton/Kingston/Morningside bus priority routes?

TTC.ca/RapidTO, under the Construction Notices tab there is this map. Similar stops to the proposed Eglinton East LRT for the most part. Quick check on Google Maps shows that the new stop spacing seems to be roughly 500-600m apart. All stops being removed are within a 3 minute walk of stops remaining.

[MK78]

Thanks. I'm just curious why it's not more prominently pasted on TTC's website. Not everyone is taking the TTC regularly now, and while they have signage on the bus stops being removed, if someone isn't taking it often, they may miss it.

Anyway bigger issue I think is if they can finish marking the lanes red in time.

[Mar_AC_23]

Service changes for the October board:

http://www.ttc.ca/Service_Advisories/Service_changes/Service_Improvements_changes.jsp

- Start of RapidTO on the Eglinton East corridor

- Return of the 905 and 986 express services

- 905 has two new express stops, one at Guildwood Parkway and one at West Hill Collegiate

- 121D and 175 seasonal services to end after Thanksgiving

- 38 will see reduced service in the evenings from every 15 minutes to every 18 minutes

- 42 will see reduced service with the 42C being suspended, with alternate service being provided on the 39C

- 51 will see reduced service Monday to Friday during morning peak from every 24 minutes to every 26 minutes, and from every 25 minutes to every 30 minutes during afternoon peak

- 53 will see reduced service in the late evenings from every 10 minutes to every 12 minutes

- 53A service will be scheduled during peak hours until the return of the 953A and will run every 18 minutes

- 56 will see reduced service with the 56B being suspended

- 86 will have evening service to the Zoo for Terra Lumina

- 121A will see reduced service Monday to Friday every 30 minutes

- 122 will see reduced service during the morning peak from every 11 minutes to every 13 minutes

- 134 will see reduced service and the 134D will operate during all off-peak hours

- 900 will see reduced service in the early evenings Monday to Friday from every 10 minutes to every 13 minutes and in the late evenings from every 10 minutes to every 20 minutes

- 927 will see reduced service Monday to Friday during midday from every 7 minutes to every 8-9 minutes

- 512 will see increased service as part of the pandemic recovery plan. Service will be scheduled to operate every 5 minutes in the daytime, from Monday to Friday, and every 7 to 10 minutes in the evenings. On Saturdays, service will be scheduled to operate every 5 minutes in the daytime and every 8 to 10 minutes in the evenings. On Sundays, service will be scheduled to operate every 6 to 7 minutes in the daytime and every 8 to 10 minutes in the evenings

[MK78]

Hmm, has the TTC renegged on removing some of these stops along the Rapid TO Eglinton routes? I was on two separate buses and they were stopping at several stops that were supposed to be removed, Cedar, Torrance, and another one I forgot... The announcements were also coming on for them.

[wil9402]

11 minutes ago, MK78 said:

Hmm, has the TTC renegged on removing some of these stops along the Rapid TO Eglinton routes? I was on two separate buses and they were stopping at several stops that were supposed to be removed, Cedar, Torrance, and another one I forgot... The announcements were also coming on for them.

From TTC.ca/RapidTO:

Quote

The stops on the Eglinton East Priority Bus Lanes have been revised to temporarily maintain the Torrance Road, Beachell Street and Cedar Drive stop locations. Ridership at these stops will be monitored and reviewed in the future.

 

[MK78]

Ah, thanks.

[Xtrazsteve]

Apparently the Oct 11 service summary is posted (I don't know when): http://ttc.ca/PDF/Transit_Planning/Service Summary_2020-10-11.pdf

[smallspy]

4 hours ago, Xtrazsteve said:

(I don't know when):

It wasn't there on Tuesday afternoon when I went looking for it.

 

Dan

[Ed T.]

Lots of work going on at the site of Lansdowne carhouse.

Has the site finally been cleared for redevelopment?

[bus_7246]

3 minutes ago, Ed T. said:

Lots of work going on at the site of Lansdowne carhouse.

Has the site finally been cleared for redevelopment?

It’s been cleared for some time now. At least a few years

[Ed T.]

5 minutes ago, bus_7246 said:

It’s been cleared for some time now. At least a few years

Apologies, I thought I put this in the Misc TTC questions.

I know it's been cleared for years. But I drove by today, and there's plenty of equipment out and driving around, looks like digging up stuff. I didn't get a good look unfortunately. That all is different from the years when.....nothing happened on the site.

[smallspy]

14 minutes ago, Ed T. said:

I know it's been cleared for years. But I drove by today, and there's plenty of equipment out and driving around, looks like digging up stuff. I didn't get a good look unfortunately. That all is different from the years when.....nothing happened on the site.

Metrolinx's proponent to build the Davenport Grade Separation has been given access to about half of the site for their use during the construction of the project.

 

Dan

[Young]

does anyone know when all the express routes will be returning?

[Mar_AC_23]

7 hours ago, Young said:

does anyone know when all the express routes will be returning?

All the express routes should return by early 2021 but I feel like the downtown express routes shouldn't come back at all. The 902, 929, 935, 941, 945, 952, 954, and, 996 are coming back for the November board.

[Kobayashi]

On 11/16/2020 at 8:37 AM, Shemar said:

All the express routes should return by early 2021 but I feel like the downtown express routes shouldn't come back at all. The 902, 929, 935, 941, 945, 952, 954, and, 996 are coming back for the November board.

Add more than that. Board changes from November 22 to New Years 2021:
https://stevemunro.ca/2020/11/18/ttc-service-changes-effective-sunday-november-22-2020/#comments

Key highlights:

- New 43C KENNEDY branch running from Kennedy Stn. to Village Green Square (Highway 401). This branch will run during rush hours only every 30 minutes.

- Trippers on 16, 17, 24, 25, 32, 34, 39, 43, 47, 68, 85, 89, 95, 100, 129 will be used to reduce crowding.

- 600 RAD buses for schools will now be a regular thing starting next Monday. 

- Construction on Dundas/College and Bathurst will end in January.

- Construction at Keele Stn. ends and 41/941, 80 and 89/989 will resume normal service at the terminal. 941 and 989 were suspended in March before the construction began.

- 38 HIGHLAND CREEK will revert to its normal bus bay at Scarborough Centre.

- Lines 1 and 2 will have Stand-By crews for added resiliency.

- Route 600 RADs will be used for subway shuttles especially with the closure of Finch to Sheppard-Yonge Stns. from December 4 to 14 for asbestos removal. Shuttles will extend to Eglinton in the late evenings.

- Line 2 Closure between Broadview and Woodbine is announced but no date is set.

- With the Metrolinx construction winding down at Eglinton West Stn., the 163 OAKWOOD route will come to an end and service reverts to its previous configuration prior to March 2020. 32D will cut back to Eglinton West Stn. to allow 51 and 56 return to its bus bays.

- SRT refurbishment ends as well.

- Same Holiday schedules as 2019 but due to the worsening conditions of the pandemic, no pre-Christmas or extended late evening service for this year. It’s unclear if the TTC will be free for New Years Eve given no events are organized.
 

 

 

[Mar_AC_23]

The 925 Don Mills Express, 937 Islington Express, 939 Finch Express, 953 Steeles East Express, 985 Sheppard East Express, and 995 York Mills Express will return for the January board.

[MK78]

On 12/25/2020 at 4:06 PM, Shemar said:

The 925 Don Mills Express, 937 Islington Express, 939 Finch Express, 953 Steeles East Express, 985 Sheppard East Express, and 995 York Mills Express will return for the January board.

Interesting, as Toronto enters its 2nd month of tighter lockdown they decided to bring back more express buses?

[Articulated]

4 minutes ago, MK78 said:

Interesting, as Toronto enters its 2nd month of tighter lockdown they decided to bring back more express buses?

Schedules are usually prepared a few months in advance of the board period; this is why it took the TTC until May to implement all the reductions in service that resulted from the first lockdown beginning in late March.

Regardless, there is data that shows that mobility is significantly higher during the second lockdown than it was during the first. Ridership on the surface network still seems to be relatively  stable over the past few months, while Toronto has entered increasingly stricter restrictions. So the additional service is necessary to support continued ridership. Plus, the additional service added to the local routes is being taken away, so the net increase in buses is not actually as high.

[Xtrazsteve]

If ridership falls. They can just rip them out like they did before. No biggie

[MK78]

17 hours ago, Articulated said:

Schedules are usually prepared a few months in advance of the board period; this is why it took the TTC until May to implement all the reductions in service that resulted from the first lockdown beginning in late March.

Regardless, there is data that shows that mobility is significantly higher during the second lockdown than it was during the first. Ridership on the surface network still seems to be relatively  stable over the past few months, while Toronto has entered increasingly stricter restrictions. So the additional service is necessary to support continued ridership. Plus, the additional service added to the local routes is being taken away, so the net increase in buses is not actually as high.

True, more people are riding the system now, but that also has to do with schools. Even more kids are freeloading now, because of masks and the drivers dont really argue. And on streetcars they just pile on.

I wonder if the TTC will end the "kids under 12 ride free" program, with the loss of revenue. Or maybe change it to "kids under 12 ride free with at least one fare-paying adult".