Mayor Tory touts improved bus service on TTC
Posted February 16, 2016 7:12 am.
Last Updated February 16, 2016 10:45 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Transit talk topped John Tory’s agenda on Tuesday morning as the mayor touted service improvements on the TTC.
The mayor, along with TTC chair Josh Colle, announced improvements on the red rocket, including new buses and increased rush-hour service on dozens of bus routes.
Enhanced service on the city’s bus routes kicked in on Sunday.
The $95-million initiative puts 50 new buses on the roads, improving weekday rush-hour service on 27 bus routes during peak times. Click here for a full list of the affected routes.
“New buses are being added to some of the busiest lines in the city, and those buses are on the streets today,” Tory said at a news conference at Wellesley Station on Tuesday. He said new drivers have also been hired.
“As of today, 27 routes across the city are going to have new buses on them and increased bus service during peak hours, with more to come later in the year.”
Colle said buses on those routes will be run between 10-12 minutes, as opposed to 14 minutes.
“What we’re trying to achieve across the city is a network or a spine of routes that delivers the 10-minute-or-better service,” he said.
Tory and Colle said there are more service upgrades, including peak-service improvements, on the way later in the year.
“This is still the beginning,” Colle said.
The TTC will be adding five new express bus routes to the streets staring on March 28. Buses on these routes will skip stops, TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said last month.
The Globe and Mail reports the city’s planning department is putting together transit plan, to be rolled out over next 15 years, that includes a light-rail line on the waterfront from Park Lawn Road to Leslie Street.
City staff are also recommending a light-rail line running north on Jane Street from the Bloor subway line. Add to that, a series of rapid buses along Steeles and Sheppard avenues, and a relief line into the downtown core.
The expansion plan is expected to cost more than $10 billion over the next 15 years.
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Click here to watch the video on mobile.
