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TTC Service Changes


Mike

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On 9/5/2021 at 10:08 PM, blue.bird.fan said:

Is the situation of the 927 and 45/945 the shortest amount of time in TTC history between division changes? They were only at Mount Dennis and Arrow respectively for a few board periods before they were switched around.

Queensway should've taken over the 927 it definitely would've been a throwback to see those 7900s and 8400s running up and down Highway 27 again. 

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1 hour ago, Tunnelrat said:

There are 2 new routes next board at McNicoll 968 and 943. I don't know the routing yet but I hope it's just the regular route with fewer stops. 

Considering how straight-lined both the 43 and 68 are, I would be extremely surprised if they were anything other than the regular route with fewer stops...

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3 hours ago, Articulated said:

Considering how straight-lined both the 43 and 68 are, I would be extremely surprised if they were anything other than the regular route with fewer stops...

Likely just the express version of 43A and 68A. If they reduce service on the 43A, I think it would be a disaster. It'll be like the 24A/924 but worst. Those riders would just jam up the 43 southbound by Sheppard. With less frequent service, those riders at local stops south of their won't get a chance to even board.

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Complete Service Changes for October 10, 2021:
https://stevemunro.ca/2021/09/11/ttc-service-changes-october-10-2021/

 

BUS

  • 943 KENNEDY EXPRESS and 968 WARDEN EXPRESS launches. Both routes will operate out of McNicoll Division.
  • 95A YORK MILLS extended to Port Union/Ryland, removing service from the Kingston loop.
  • 953 STEELES EAST EXPRESS buses divert westbound on Yonge. The 953A operates to 10pm weekdays and 7pm weekends replacing the local 53A.
  • Weekend daytime service added on the 960D STEELES WEST EXPRESS 
  • Sunday service added on 929 DUFFERIN EXPRESS
  • 69 WARDEN SOUTH will switch branches as branch 69A operates Birchmount-Warden and branch 69B operates Warden-Birchmount.
  • Late evening service on 70A O'CONNOR is restored.
  • The 121 FORT YORK-ESPLANADE is replaced by the new 121 ESPALANDE-RIVER service removing service west of Bay and to Ontario Place once again. Service on Cherry Street will be replaced by the proposed 172 CHERRY BEACH route in 2022 with no direct connection to Ontario Place unless the TTC will restore service there in the future.

STREETCAR

  • 501 QUEEN buses operate between Neville Park and Greenwood. Streetcars continue to operate due to the ongoing KQQR work.
  • 503 KINGSTON ROAD continues to use trolley poles.
  • The entire 301 QUEEN NIGHT route will now be serviced by buses.
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Damn, i was hoping of them restoring more frequent Kingston road 12 service during the AM and PM school rush. Today the buses were packed like sardines with all students returning to the area schools. They cut the service for summer, but didn't bring it back.

 

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1 hour ago, MK78 said:

Damn, i was hoping of them restoring more frequent Kingston road 12 service during the AM and PM school rush. Today the buses were packed like sardines with all students returning to the area schools. They cut the service for summer, but didn't bring it back.

 

Since I know you have experienced Scarborough buses, the 116 Morningside is incredibly crowded picking up students from Sir Wilfrid Laurier C.I. Without the A branch, riders are forced onto the the C or main branch, and after Ellesmere, a sardine bus turns practically empty. 

I still do not understand why they had to get rid of the A branch. 

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2 hours ago, MRD10 said:

Since I know you have experienced Scarborough buses, the 116 Morningside is incredibly crowded picking up students from Sir Wilfrid Laurier C.I. Without the A branch, riders are forced onto the the C or main branch, and after Ellesmere, a sardine bus turns practically empty. 

I still do not understand why they had to get rid of the A branch. 

TTC is more interested in simplifying the 116 with one branch only and provide the Conlins loop with more frequent service that they used to have with the 116E.

The student sardine situation isn't a unique one in this case. It happens at every high school in Toronto and everyone hates it but it cannot be avoided. Even with dedicated school runs, they sometimes get cancel or delayed. They only way to avoid the students is to not take a trip right at dismissal time.

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10 hours ago, MRD10 said:

Since I know you have experienced Scarborough buses, the 116 Morningside is incredibly crowded picking up students from Sir Wilfrid Laurier C.I. Without the A branch, riders are forced onto the the C or main branch, and after Ellesmere, a sardine bus turns practically empty. 

I still do not understand why they had to get rid of the A branch. 

Yeah, I remember the school crowds on the 116 when the two schools in Guildwood let out - before COVID and before they removed the 116A. I will avoid the 3-4pm on that bus like the plague from now on.

Does the TTC have a couple of dedicated school runs for that area?

7 hours ago, Xtrazsteve said:

The student sardine situation isn't a unique one in this case. It happens at every high school in Toronto and everyone hates it but it cannot be avoided. Even with dedicated school runs, they sometimes get cancel or delayed. They only way to avoid the students is to not take a trip right at dismissal time.

It could potentially be less of an issue if schools would stagger their start & dismissal times. the school rush can be really bad too when there are many schools on a given bus route.

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34 minutes ago, MK78 said:

It could potentially be less of an issue if schools would stagger their start & dismissal times. the school rush can be really bad too when there are many schools on a given bus route.

Believe it or not, this is already the case with both schools on Guildwood, though not by much (Jack Miner SPS starts and ends 15 mins earlier than Sir Wilfrid Laurier CI).  As a former student at Laurier, I can tell you that besides typical TTC delays and the small head start, there are two other factors at play on this route during this time, among others:

1. Jack Miner students like to hang around and chat after school, which means they’re basically leaving around the same time Laurier ends (and most high school students will make a run for the bus as soon as school ends)

2. Because of the 12 and under ride for free policy (and the fact that fare payment for students just above this age isn’t enforced), a lot of the Jack Miner students are hopping on the bus for a very (very) short distance because it doesn’t cost them anything.

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1 hour ago, MK78 said:

Yeah, I remember the school crowds on the 116 when the two schools in Guildwood let out - before COVID and before they removed the 116A. I will avoid the 3-4pm on that bus like the plague from now on.

Does the TTC have a couple of dedicated school runs for that area?

Pre-COVID there were a few school specials along 116. If I recall correctly, one in particular for this area would enter service at Guildwood & Kingston and do a trip to Finch. From there it would deadhead to Starspray Loop to become a 954. Not sure if there is anything scheduled now.

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16 hours ago, MRD10 said:

Since I know you have experienced Scarborough buses, the 116 Morningside is incredibly crowded picking up students from Sir Wilfrid Laurier C.I. Without the A branch, riders are forced onto the the C or main branch, and after Ellesmere, a sardine bus turns practically empty. 

I still do not understand why they had to get rid of the A branch. 

6 hours ago, MK78 said:

Yeah, I remember the school crowds on the 116 when the two schools in Guildwood let out - before COVID and before they removed the 116A. I will avoid the 3-4pm on that bus like the plague from now on.

Does the TTC have a couple of dedicated school runs for that area?

It could potentially be less of an issue if schools would stagger their start & dismissal times. the school rush can be really bad too when there are many schools on a given bus route.

— The 116A MORNINGSIDE originated on May 14, 1990 when it serviced Conlins Road all the way to Sheppard. It was rerouted in June 1991 to Morrish Road to serve new Highland Creek residential developments in that area. The 116B/E (formerly 34D/E) operated as a two-way local-express branch to Scarborough College (now known as UTSC) back in the late 1980s. If you count short turns to Kingston, the 116B MORNINGSIDE was created to cut back the 34 EGLINTON EAST to Kennedy Stn. which is pointless to replace. 

— 112E WEST MALL and 48A RATHBURN usually services Michael Power-St. Joseph H.S., while the 95/116 serves St. John Paul II C.S.S., the temporary 32F EGLINTON WEST to Scarlett Heights and 12E via Victoria Park for Neil McNeil.

6 hours ago, TTC7447 said:

Believe it or not, this is already the case with both schools on Guildwood, though not by much (Jack Miner SPS starts and ends 15 mins earlier than Sir Wilfrid Laurier CI).  As a former student at Laurier, I can tell you that besides typical TTC delays and the small head start, there are two other factors at play on this route during this time, among others:

1. Jack Miner students like to hang around and chat after school, which means they’re basically leaving around the same time Laurier ends (and most high school students will make a run for the bus as soon as school ends)

2. Because of the 12 and under ride for free policy (and the fact that fare payment for students just above this age isn’t enforced), a lot of the Jack Miner students are hopping on the bus for a very (very) short distance because it doesn’t cost them anything.

The issue will render moot in 2023. Jack Miner Sr. P.S. is closing its doors with the feeders Poplar Road, Guildwood and Elizabeth Simcoe turned into K-8 schools.

4 hours ago, wil9402 said:

Pre-COVID there were a few school specials along 116. If I recall correctly, one in particular for this area would enter service at Guildwood & Kingston and do a trip to Finch. From there it would deadhead to Starspray Loop to become a 954. Not sure if there is anything scheduled now.

I actually saw bus #3750 deadhead directly to Starspray last month to start the 954, which is the only Comstock route east of the SRT line, because Malvern now has possession of routes servicing West Hill and Guildwood.

Come to think of it, how come the TTC didn’t transfer the 905 EGLINTON EAST EXPRESS to Malvern since it is an express counterpart of the 116? Birchmount Division does not have the 116 transfers or their own 905 transfers to begin with.

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3 hours ago, Eren Jaeger said:

I actually saw bus #3750 deadhead directly to Starspray last month to start the 954, which is the only Comstock route east of the SRT line, because Malvern now has possession of routes servicing West Hill and Guildwood.

Okay? I'm not sure what you're trying to get at or prove with this statement. There are plenty of school trippers that are operated by divisions other than the one the route normally operates out of - both pre-, during, and post-COVID.

3 hours ago, Eren Jaeger said:

Come to think of it, how come the TTC didn’t transfer the 905 EGLINTON EAST EXPRESS to Malvern since it is an express counterpart of the 116? Birchmount Division does not have the 116 transfers or their own 905 transfers to begin with.

There is no requirement in TTC service planning that two routes operating along the same corridor are assigned to the same division.

Another more recent example of local and express "counterparts" not being operated by the same division is the 46 and 927, which were moved to Queensway and Mount Dennis divisions respectively upon the opening of McNicoll earlier this year; these routes have historically been grouped together for service monitoring purposes as they serve the same general corridor. These routes have about as much in common as the 116 and 905 do today.

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The 46/927 used to be grouped together in the early days as it was seem as an express version of the 46. The 46 ran twice as frequent in the 1990s than today as riders have shifted to the 927, which didn't run frequent at all back then. As development occurred around the Woodbine Centre area and ridership rose in the industrial area around Belfield, each route developed it's own riders. It doesn't make sense to group them together anymore as 927 riders don't take the 46 just like they wouldn't take the 45. (BTW, the 46 does have it's own express, 46E school tripper from Martingrove CI to Kipling Station).

The same thing can be said about the 509/510. They were grouped together since back in the day most riders from Union can take either one. Now people living at QQ/Bathurst accounts for significant ridership doesn't take the 510 nor does the 510 run regularly on QQ during summers with special events.

The 116 and 905 now serve two different set of customers. 116 for local Eg East and Morningside while the 905 serves express riders on Eg East, Kingston Rd and UTSC students. The only overlap is the riders that can take either express or local on Eg East.

The last ridership stats published in 2018 has a separate value for all routes. Even express and local on the same corridor. So this grouped thing is a thing in the past.

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18 hours ago, Eren Jaeger said:

Come to think of it, how come the TTC didn’t transfer the 905 EGLINTON EAST EXPRESS to Malvern since it is an express counterpart of the 116? Birchmount Division does not have the 116 transfers or their own 905 transfers to begin with.

This week I've been on two 905's that were McNicoll buses, a 31xx and 33xx. Maybe because Birchmount has lost some buses recently and these are filling in as RAD?

To me it is odd that Birchmount is handling this route since Malvern appears the logical choice.

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3 hours ago, MK78 said:

This week I've been on two 905's that were McNicoll buses, a 31xx and 33xx. Maybe because Birchmount has lost some buses recently and these are filling in as RAD?

To me it is odd that Birchmount is handling this route since Malvern appears the logical choice.

All but one 905 enter service at Kennedy Station and most of them finish at Kennedy too. Having Birchmount operate it over Malvern saves on deadheading costs. Also, savings are made on the labour costs as well since the relief point is Kennedy Station which is faster to get from Birchmount versus Malvern.

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3 minutes ago, wil9402 said:

All but one 905 enter service at Kennedy Station and most of them finish at Kennedy too. Having Birchmount operate it over Malvern saves on deadheading costs. Also, savings are made on the labour costs as well since the relief point is Kennedy Station which is faster to get from Birchmount versus Malvern.

Thanks, that makes sense...

Yet there are some Kingston 12D buses that enter service at UofT loop in the morning and afternoon, deadheading all the way from Birchmount. :)

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23 hours ago, Eren Jaeger said:

The issue will render moot in 2023. Jack Miner Sr. P.S. is closing its doors with the feeders Poplar Road, Guildwood and Elizabeth Simcoe turned into K-8 schools.

The issue is not Jack Miner. Laurier ends at 2:45 now, and Miner at 3:05.

The issue is all Laurier kids being forced to cram into on route/branch for effectively 15 minutes.

As I am typing  I am riding this crowded "school" bus, which has practically become empty at Ellesmere.

With the A and C branch, riders to Ellesmere and lower will take the A, and those to Ellesmere and beyond are put onto the C. This allows for the buses to be used efficiently without being extremely crowded or extremely empty.

On a side note, the 116 finally has the updated LCD screens. Since unit 3650 has recently arrived from Arrow, it has not received the update, I presume.

20210915_151308.jpg

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7 hours ago, MRD10 said:

On a side note, the 116 finally has the updated LCD screens. Since unit 3650 has recently arrived from Arrow, it has not received the update, I presume.

20210915_151308.jpg

It's not done by route but by individual vehicles, I was on 3744 and 3746 this week on the 79 and one had that added section while the other didn't

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  • 1 month later...

It's been about 2 weeks since they revised the 121 FORT YORK-ESPLANADE into the 121 ESPLANADE-RIVER.  I wonder if the eastbound destination of Broadview is causing some confusion with riders thinking it's Broadview Stn.?  Seeing as the northern/eastern terminus of the route goes around Bridgepoint Health, wouldn't that be a more apt destination display?  (The new TTC website also still shows the FORT YORK-ESPLANADE route map.)

IMG_20211010_0946290.thumb.jpg.16f0537621b6d51362994ff8dc761a8c.jpg

I'm curious as to what the TTC is planning to do for service to Ontario Place next summer?  The only other routes they could possibly extend are the 29 DUFFERIN and 63 OSSINGTON (ideally as a separate branch along Strachan so as not to inconvenience riders to Liberty Village with a detour).

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1 hour ago, Gil said:

It's been about 2 weeks since they revised the 121 FORT YORK-ESPLANADE into the 121 ESPLANADE-RIVER.  I wonder if the eastbound destination of Broadview is causing some confusion with riders thinking it's Broadview Stn.?  Seeing as the northern/eastern terminus of the route goes around Bridgepoint Health, wouldn't that be a more apt destination display?  (The new TTC website also still shows the FORT YORK-ESPLANADE route map.)

IMG_20211010_0946290.thumb.jpg.16f0537621b6d51362994ff8dc761a8c.jpg

I'm curious as to what the TTC is planning to do for service to Ontario Place next summer?  The only other routes they could possibly extend are the 29 DUFFERIN and 63 OSSINGTON (ideally as a separate branch along Strachan so as not to inconvenience riders to Liberty Village with a detour).

I don't think the current riders would be confused. It never went there so they'll inquire than stupidly assuming. TTC should have made it more clear by either displaying "To Broadview and Gerrard" or "To Bridgepoint Health". 

 

How many people actually made use of the service to Ontario Place? I think TTC should just run a shuttle looping around the Liberty Village area connecting to Dufferin Loop (504B/29/929) and Fleet St/Strachan (509/511) than extending another route.

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16 hours ago, Gil said:

Seeing as the northern/eastern terminus of the route goes around Bridgepoint Health, wouldn't that be a more apt destination display?

That's a good idea - I can see how people would be confused, assuming that Broadview is Broadview station.

Though will Bridgepoint Health work - I'm not sure everyone knows where it is. How about Broadview & Gerrard. Similar to the streetcars that get things like Ronvesvalles & Queen on 506.

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