The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) uses buses and other vehicles for public transportation. In 2018, the TTC bus system had 159 bus routes carrying over 264million riders over of routes with buses travelling in the year. Bus propulsion includes diesel, diesel-electric hybrid, battery-electric and gasoline. Four bus lengths are used: regular buses long, articulated buses long and minibuses either or long.
Until 1921, several private and publicly owned transport systems were established and ended up being merged into one another or abandoned. Electric streetcars were widely used in Toronto and surrounding settlements during the new century. After the establishment of the Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) (predecessor of the Toronto Transit Commission (also having the acronym of TTC) until 1954), streetcar routes were taken over from predecessors in 1921. It ran bus routes by using motor buses for the first time in the city. The TTC also experimented the use of trolley buses from 1922 to 1925, operating a line on Merton and Mount Pleasant Road.
In January 1960, the General Motors "New Look" buses, informally called "fishbowls", went into service. As earlier New Looks were retired they in turn would be replaced by newer versions of the New look model, with the result that the model would serve Toronto for over 50 years.
In 1966, plans were made to replace all streetcar routes with buses in the next 20 years. The plan was cancelled in 1972 and streetcar routes were rebuilt. In 1967, GO Transit was established by the Government of Ontario with Gray Coach serving as its operator for most of its routes. The TTC operated its first dial-a-bus services under GO Transit in 1973. In 1975, the first paratransit service, Wheel-Trans, was established by a private operator. The TTC also began using minibuses for minor routes, which would be replaced by regular buses by 1981.
In 1987, the TTC acquired 90 Orion Ikarus articulated buses; Ikarus manufactured the components in Budapest, Hungary and Orion Bus Industries assembled them in its Mississauga plant. The buses had mid-section wheel drive whereby the front section of the bus pulled the trailer section. Poor welding led to corrosion problems, and the TTC retired 50 of the buses by 1999, while others were sold to OC Transpo in Ottawa. The last Orion Ikarus bus ran in June 2003.
In 1987, the TTC implemented the Blue Night Network, an expansion of its overnight services using buses and streetcars. The following year, the TTC took over Wheel-Trans services. The TTC sold Gray Coach Lines to the Scotland-based Stagecoach Group in 1990, while also introducing "community buses", providing minibus service in a few residential neighbourhoods.
In 1989, the TTC began using buses fuelled by compressed natural gas (CNG).
In 2009, the TTC opened its first bus rapid transit (BRT) route that uses its own dedicated busway and bus lanes when route 196 York University Rocket was rerouted to the York University Busway. The extension of Line 1 to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre opened in December 2017 caused the TTC to discontinue service on the 196, and since 2022, the 939B Finch Express is the only route that continues to use it.
In December 2011, the TTC bus fleet became fully accessible with the retirement of the last of the old, non-accessible GM "New Look" buses, a model dating back to the 1950s. The last New look buses ran on 52 Lawrence West on 16 December, and were replaced by accessible Orion VII low-floor buses. At that time, the TTC operated 1,800 accessible buses, all of which were equipped with bike racks.
The TTC ordered 27 articulated buses from Nova Bus, which began revenue operation in the spring of 2014. At long, as compared to a standard bus, the Nova LFS articulated vehicles hold about 112 passengers, compared to 65 on the standard-length bus.
thumb|left|A TTC bus painted in livery based on the [[Flexity Outlook (Toronto)|Flexity Outlook streetcars used by the TTC in 2018. The livery was introduced on TTC buses the previous year.]]
As of 23 December 2016, all of the buses in the TTC system have Presto card readers. Buses delivered to the TTC since 2017 have a new livery based on the livery of the Flexity Outlook streetcars.
In November 2018, the TTC received the first 55 of 255 hybrid electric buses, specifically the LFS Hybrid model from Nova Bus.
In April 2019, the TTC received the first of 60 electric buses from the three bus manufacturers: Proterra, New Flyer, and BYD. On 3 June 2019, the first electric bus (from New Flyer) went into revenue service on the 35 Jane bus route. On 26 October 2019, Proterra Catalyst BE40 electric buses went into service on the 6 Bay bus route. By September 2020, the BYD K9M buses had arrived, and on 8 September, the first BYD bus went into service on the 116 Morningside route. At that point in time, with 60 electric buses, the TTC indicated it had the largest fleet of electric buses in North America.
In 2020, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic caused TTC ridership to decrease dramatically. On 23 March 2020, the TTC suspended all express bus services system-wide, with the exception of the 900 Airport Express and 927 Highway 27 Express. A number of seats began to be blocked off to encourage social distancing.
On 31 May 2021, the TTC started a pilot for free Wi-Fi on buses, starting with the 35 Jane route and to continue later in June with the 102 Markham Road route.
In late October 2021, the West Rouge automated shuttle trial was scheduled to start using an autonomous vehicle. The route was to have run from Rouge Hill GO Station to West Rouge Community Centre. The battery-powered vehicle had a capacity for eight passengers and operated at a maximum speed of in autonomous mode or in manual mode. During the trial, the vehicle would operate with an attendant. The project was jointly sponsored by the City of Toronto, Metrolinx and the TTC. However, the project was suspended after an accident involving the Whitby Autonomous Vehicle Electric shuttle operated by Durham Region Transit, which used the same type of vehicle. The project was cancelled after the vehicle supplier became defunct in mid-January 2022.
Effective 7 May 2023, the TTC rebranded seasonal routes in the 200-series. Bus stop signs for seasonal routes show a white-and-pink route lozenge and a new seasonal service icon.
During the winter cold in the fourth quarter of 2023 and first quarter of 2024, up to five TTC buses were parked at the main entrance of Spadina station to act as a makeshift homeless shelter to address a shortage of shelter space in the city. The buses are staffed by TTC operators and city staff. Portable washrooms are provided nearby. By the end of January 2024, there were already 1,000 overnight stays on the buses; up to 39 people used the buses each night.
In September 2024, the TTC received the first two of 340 battery-electric buses ordered from New Flyer Industries Canada and Nova Bus. The TTC expects the last of the ordered buses to be delivered in 2026, resulting in a total fleet of 400 electric buses (including 60 earlier deliveries), which would make up 20 percent of the TTC's bus fleet. The TTC expects to have an all-electric fleet by 2040.
Operations
Routes
thumb|A TTC bus operating on TTC Route 300B. [[Blue Night Network|Blue Night routes are numbered from 300 to 399.]]
The TTC operates six types of bus routes:
Express bus service serves only select stops. The frequency of express service varies by route, and service on some routes does not operate during all periods of the day or all days of the week.
Blue Night Network routes operate from approximately 1:30 am until 6 am (8 am on Sundays) and have 30-minute or better service.
Community bus routes operate midday, Monday to Friday, connecting seniors' residences within a community with nearby hubs such as plazas, medical buildings and community centres. Community bus service uses the same mini-bus fleet as WheelTrans but has fixed routes and requires no booking. Customers flag down buses anywhere along the route.
Many regular bus routes are divided into branch routes, which deviate slightly from the original route or which terminate at different points along the route. A route can be referred to by its route number or name (for example, 191 Underhill). Routes are named after the street or area served. All of the TTC's regular routes connect to a Toronto subway station or the Scarborough Centre station bus terminal; 99 Arrow Road and 171 Mount Dennis serve the areas around their respective bus garages. Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, , and stations do not have any connections to regular daytime TTC bus routes. Despite being almost completely in Mississauga, Pearson International Airport is within the TTC's fare-paid zone.
Priority bus lanes
In 2020, as part of a municipal initiative dubbed RapidTO, the TTC started to set up priority bus lanes along several routes in Toronto. These are different from existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes in that they are in effect 24 hours per day seven days per week, and may only be used by buses and bicycles, with taxis and private vehicles not being allowed. The priority bus lanes are identified by paint and signage.
The lanes prevent road traffic from slowing bus service and disrupting the spacing between buses, which had resulted in gaps and bunching. The lanes are expected to improve efficiency so that fewer buses are required to produce the same level of service, with the extra buses being deployed to provide additional bus service.
- Eglinton Avenue East, Kingston Road and Morningside Avenue from Brimley Road (and eventually from Kennedy station) to the University of Toronto Scarborough
- Jane Street from Eglinton Avenue to Steeles Avenue
- Dufferin Street from Dufferin Gates to Wilson Avenue (original plan); from King Street West to Dufferin station (shortened revised plan)
A 2021 city study reported that routes passing through the Eglinton East RapidTO lanes had a 10-percent increase in on-time reliability and up to a 5-minute decrease in rush-hour trip time.
Five routes use the Eglinton East priority bus lanes:
- 12D Kingston Rd
- 86 Scarborough
- 116 Morningside
- 905 Eglinton East Express
- 986 Scarborough Express
If the planned Eglinton East LRT enters revenue service, then Rapid TO bus lanes overlapping the LRT alignment would be removed.
Jane
The Jane bus priority lanes will run along Jane Street between Eglinton Avenue and Steeles Avenue.
The Jane route is next in priority for implementation because:
Line 3 busway<span id="Line 3 Busway"></span>
<!--re:Talk:Toronto Transit Commission bus system#Line 3 Busway-->
The Line 3 busway is a bus-only roadway, under construction , using a portion of the former right-of-way for Line 3 Scarborough between Kennedy station and Ellesmere Road, running parallel to GO Transit's Stouffville line. Demolition of the original Line 3 track started in 2024, and construction started in 2025, with the busway expected to open for operation at the end of September 2026. The busway would speed up public transit service between Kennedy and stations pending completion of the Scarborough subway extension. However, after completion of the extension, the busway is expected to remain in operation to provide extra rapid transit service in the area.
The busway would include five stops: Kennedy station, Tara Avenue, Lawrence Avenue East, Ellesmere Road and Scarborough Centre station. The busway would be completely grade-separated from cross-streets between its two end points.
Automatic passenger counting
Automatic passenger counting (APC) is a feature installed on TTC buses to automatically to keep a count of the passengers on board each bus. The feature uses infrared lights at doors to count passengers boarding and exiting buses. Along with bus location, APC data is transmitted to a central computer in real-time and is used for service planning and transit control, as well as to deter fare evasion by some degree. Using APC data, the TTC can monitor passenger load on buses and optimize bus assignments on routes that have a potential for crowding. , all but 34 of the TTC's more than 2000 buses have APC; none of the streetcars in the commission's fleet have the feature.
Emergencies
If there is a power failure affecting either the streetcar or subway system, the TTC will deploy shuttle buses. For this purpose, the TTC states it has adequate buses available for such emergencies. Bus stops have signs with a QR code to direct a smartphone to information on service disruptions and the nearest in-service bus stop. The TTC also contracts with private tow truck operators to recover TTC buses trapped during winter storms.
Garages
The following is a list of active TTC bus garages:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Active garages
! Garage !! Opened !! Address !! width="50%" | Description
|-
| Arrow Road (Arw)
| 1988
| 700 Arrow Rd., North York
| facility; 2 wash racks; 2 diesel fueling stations; 12 twelve-metre and 2 eighteen-metre hoists; 4 inspection pits; electric bus recharging
|-
| New Eglinton (Egl)
| 2002
| 38 Comstock Rd., Scarborough
| 2 wash racks; 2 fueling stations; 14 twelve-metre hoists; 4 inspection pits; UWE heating system for buses stored outside; electric bus recharging
|-
| Malvern (Mal)
| 1983
| 5050 Sheppard Ave. East, Scarborough
| facility; 2 wash racks; 2 fueling stations; 12 twelve-metre hoists; 3 eighteen-metre hoists; 4 inspection pits; indoor bus storage; Eurovac system
|-
| McNicoll (McN)
| 2021
| 225 Milliken Blvd., Scarborough
| facility, capacity for 250 12-metre buses, repair bays with 14 hoists and 2 inspection pits, paint and body shops with 2 bays and one hoist, degrease room with one hoist, rooftop solar panels for office HVAC and lighting, green roof, electric bus recharging electric bus recharging
|-
| Wilson (Wil)
| 1976
| 160 Transit Rd., North York<br />Wilson Yard Complex
| facility; 11 twelve-metre hoists and 3 eighteen-metre hoists; 2 wash racks, 2 diesel fuelling stations; 4 inspection pits; Eurovac system
|}
For major bus overhauls, the TTC uses the Duncan Shop (W.E.P. Duncan Building) and the D.W. Harvey Shops at the Hillcrest Complex.
, 7 garages have equipment to recharge electric buses: Arrow Road (for New Flyer and Nova buses), Birchmount (for New Flyers), Eglinton (NovaBus and New Flyer buses),
Former garages
{| class="wikitable"
|+Former garages
! width="15%" | Yard
! Location
! Year opened
! Year closed
! width="50%" | Notes
|-
| Danforth (Dan)
| 1627 Danforth Ave., Toronto
| 1915; 1921–1922 (additions by TTC)
| 2002
| Built for the Toronto Civic Railways in 1915 and additional indoor storage added by TTC in 1921–1922; re-purposed as bus garage in 1967; closed in 2002 but still used by TTC for storage and office space
|-
| Davenport (Dav)
| 793 Davenport Rd., Toronto
| 1924
| 1993
| Attached to Hillcrest Complex
|-
| Eglinton (Egl)
| 2190 Yonge St., Toronto
| 1922
| 2002; demolished
| Built to replace TRC Yorkville Carhouse and retired as carhouse in 1948 to become bus garage until 2002; most of facility now demolished and remainder used as temporary bus terminal until opening of Line 5 Eglinton
|-
| Lansdowne (Lan)
| 640 Lansdowne Ave., Toronto
| 1911
| 1996; demolished 2003
| Built for the Toronto Railway Company and acquired by TTC in 1921; became a trolley bus garage in 1947 and streetcar storage ended 1967; abandoned after 1996 and demolished 2003. Site a vacant and fenced-off lot.
|}<!-- Parkdale Bus Garage (1947–1980) – demolished and now Sorauren Avenue Park
Sherbourne Bus Garage (1930–1980) – demolished
Woodbine Bus Garage (1954–1956) – demolished -->
Vehicles
Fleet
<!--Please do NOT put unsourced or CPTDB data into this table, as this may lead to the deletion of entries or the entire table due to violations of editorial standards. The table is as of a specific TTC service summary date and should be frozen until the next service summary is issued.-->
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Bus fleet as per TTC Service Summary of 6 April 2026
! Series
! Model
! In service
! class="unsortable" | Garage
! Built
! Seats
! Length (m)
! Propulsion
! Manufacturer
|-
| 1200–1423
| Orion VII 07.501 "Next Gen"
| 72
|,
,
| 2007–2008
| 36
| 12
| Diesel-electric
| Daimler Buses North America
|-
| 1500–1689
| Orion VII 07.501 "Next Gen"
| 38
|
| 2008
| 36
| 12
| Diesel-electric
| Daimler Buses North America
|-
| 3100–3369
| LFS
| 270
|,,
| 2018
| 33
| 12
| Diesel
| NovaBus
|-
| 3400–3654
| LFS Hybrid
| 255
|,
,
| 2018/2019
| 33
| 12
| Diesel-electric
| NovaBus
|-
| 6000–6203
| Xcelsior XE40
| 204
| , , , ,
| 2024
| 33
| 12
| Battery-electric
| New Flyer Industries
|-
|6600–6735
|LFSe+
|134 of 136
|,
,,
|2024/2025
|33
|12
|Battery-electric
|NovaBus
|-
| 7000–7133
| LFS Hybrid
| 132
|
| 2023–2024
| 33
| 12
| Diesel-electric
| NovaBus
|-
| 7200–7333
| XDE40
| 134
|
| 2023–2024
| 33
| 12
| Diesel-electric
| New Flyer Industries
|-
| 8100–8219
| Orion VII 07.501 "Next Gen”
| 56
|
| 2010
| 36
| 12
| Diesel
| Daimler Buses North America
|-
| 8300–8396
| Orion VII
| 92
| ,
| 2011–2012
| 36
| 12
| Diesel
| Daimler Buses North America
|-
| 8400–8504
| LFS
| 105
|
| 2015
| 33
| 12
| Diesel
| NovaBus
|-
| 8510–8617
| LFS
| 107
|
| 2015–2016
| 33
| 12
| Diesel
| NovaBus
|-
| 8620–8716
| LFS
| 97
|,
| 2017
| 33
| 12
| Diesel
| NovaBus
|-
| 8720–8964
| LFS
| 245
| , , ,
| 2017
| 33
| 12
| Diesel
| NovaBus
|-
| 9000–9026
| LFS Artic
| 21
|
| 2013
| 46
| 18
| Diesel
| Nova Bus
|-
| 9027-9152
| LFS Artic
| 121
| , , ,
| 2014
| 46
| 18
| Diesel
| Nova Bus
|-
| 9200–9239
| LFS
| 40
|
| 2018
| 33
| 12
| Diesel
| Nova Bus
|-
| 9400–9467
| XDE60
| 68
| ,
| 2023–2024
| 50
| 18
| Diesel-electric
| New Flyer Industries
|-
| W500-W671 &
W300-W351
| Promaster
| 170
|
| 2017–2025
| 6
| 6
| Gasoline
| Creative Carriage Ltd.
|-
| W700–W837
| Promaster Plus
| 138
|
| 2019–2023
| 7
| 7
| Gasoline
| ARBOC/Creative Carriage Ltd.
|}
Diesel low-floor buses
thumb|left|An Orion VII bus in an airport-themed livery for the 900 Airport Express bus route to [[Toronto Pearson International Airport from Kipling station taken in 2016]]
The TTC has a fleet of Orion VII low-floor buses built from 2006 to 2012, and the Nova LFS, built from 2015 to 2018. 220 Orion VIIs, manufactured by Orion Bus Industries, were added to the roster in 2003 and 2004, with another 250 acquired in 2005. Between 2012 and 2014, the fleet was rebuilt; it took approximately eight days to complete a rebuild and cost about $175,000. Further deliveries were added between 2006 and 2007 with 180 buses acquired with the UWE heating system removed, and an additional 217 buses between 2010 and 2012 were delivered as diesel buses instead of hybrids. 12 buses from the 2007 Orion order were retrofitted with luggage racks at a cost of $2,000 per bus, which replaced some of the single seats, had new airport-themed livery installed, and are dedicated to the 900 Airport Express service to Toronto Pearson International Airport from Kipling station.
After the success of the articulated buses, the TTC purchased over 213 LFS diesel buses between 2015 and 2016. An additional 382 buses were added to the order in 2017 and 2018 to replace the retiring Orion VII buses manufactured between 2002 and 2005 due to emissions problems, while another 270 were added in 2018 and came equipped with external security cameras and USB ports where customers could charge their mobile devices on the bus.
Articulated buses
thumb|Nova LFS diesel articulated bus
Introduced in 2013, the Nova Bus articulated buses are the third generation of articulated buses in Toronto, the earlier two being those manufactured by General Motors (operating from 1982 to 1987) and by Orion-Ikarus (operating from 1987 to 2003). The total cost of the Nova articulated fleet was $143.7million. Fewer operators are required as the 18-metre articulated bus (carrying 46 seated and approximately 31 standing passengers) has 45 percent more passenger capacity than a 12-metre bus. Each bus can accommodate two standard wheelchairs and provides nine priority passenger seats. Each bus features three doors, LED interior and exterior lighting and automatic central air conditioning and heating. The "clean diesel" engines minimize engine exhaust emissions using electronic engine controls and treatment systems for diesel exhaust.
In late April 2017, the TTC temporarily withdrew the entire Nova articulated fleet from service because one of the buses experienced a "full throttle", that is, an unexpected acceleration. Nova provided a software fix that required 20 minutes per bus to install allowing buses to go back into service.
The fourth generation of articulated buses, which is hybrid-electric was built by New Flyer Industries.
The LFS Hybrid is essentially an electric bus with an onboard diesel generator to produce electricity to recharge an onboard battery as needed. Unlike for electric buses, the battery is not recharged overnight. These diesel-electric buses use 25 percent less fuel than a diesel bus. Also, energy produced by descending a hill or braking will help recharge the battery through regenerative braking. The bus is driven by an electric motor with electricity drawn from the on-board battery. On-board systems such as doors, HVAC, power steering, etc. are electrically powered.
In February 2022, the TTC ordered 336 hybrid-electric buses that were delivered in 2023 and 2024. By 2024, the bus fleet was to consist entirely of low- and zero-emission buses. The hybrid-electric buses ordered in 2022 were to be the last hybrid-electric buses that the TTC purchased; subsequent bus purchases were to consist of zero-emission vehicles only. The 2022 order included:
- Nova Bus: 134 hybrid-electric buses
- New Flyer Industries: 134 hybrid-electric buses
- New Flyer Industries: 68 articulated hybrid-electric buses
Electric buses
thumb|[[BYD Auto|BYD K9M eBus]]
The TTC has a goal to operate an emissions-free bus fleet by 2040. In 2018, the TTC received three demonstrator electric buses for evaluation to test the performance of electric vehicles. The TTC received one bus each from manufacturers: California-based Proterra, Winnipeg-based New Flyer (part of NFI Group) and China-based BYD.
In April 2019, the TTC received the first of 60 electric buses after ordering 25 each from Proterra and New Flyer, and 10 from BYD. The 60 buses, plus infrastructure changes at three TTC garages, had cost approximately $140million with the federal government paying $65million of that cost.
In late April 2023, the federal government and the city announced they would jointly provide $700million to fund the electrification of the TTC's bus fleet. The federal government would contribute $349million and the city would provide the remaining $351million. With this funding, the TTC would purchase 340 zero-emission buses and 248 bus chargers, and upgrade garage infrastructure at eight garages. The TTC planned to buy zero-emission buses exclusively by 2025 and to have the entire fleet converted to zero-emission vehicles by 2040.
Bicycle racks
thumb|Bicycle rack-mounted on a TTC Orion VII NG bus
All TTC buses, except Wheel-Trans vehicles, are equipped with folding bicycle racks installed on the front of the bus. Depending on the bus model, the rack can hold either one or two bicycles. Cyclists must remove all loose or detachable accessories from bicycles stored on the rack. If all the rack slots are full, bicycles may be stored inside buses except during rush hours.
Background
In mid-2005, the TTC began a pilot project to test bicycle racks on six selected routes as a way to boost ridership and to be more environmentally friendly.
In July 2007, the Commission authorized the addition of bike racks to the remainder of the TTC bus fleet except for buses to be retired over the following three years. The 2007 expenditure for installation was an unbudgeted $250,000, to be covered by a shortfall in 2007 capital expenditures. The Commission included another $1,720,000 in the 2008–2012 capital budget to install bike racks on remaining buses. All new buses ordered would be delivered either with bike racks installed or at least mounting brackets for TTC staff to install the racks. In December 2011, bike racks were available on all TTC buses except minibuses. because of concerns about bikes on the racks obscuring the drivers' view. In May 2015, the slot closer to the bus was authorised for use. The other is sealed off with metal panels, and the retention hooks have been removed. Once the first slot is full, cyclists may bring their bikes inside the articulated bus during off-peak hours at the driver's discretion.
Shelters
Prior to the 1980s, the bus shelters on TTC routes were installed and maintained by the TTC and the various municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto and lacked third-party advertising. Within the old city of Toronto, they were metal frames with large glass panes, but the suburban ones were metal-clad with fibreglass and smaller glass windows. A few older shelters, like Otter Loop (Small Arms and Coxwell Loops were similar for use on streetcar routes), were formal brick-and-glass structures; most of these disappeared in the 1960s or 1970s, with Otter's structure surviving into the early 2000s. However, during the mid-2010s, the Otter Loop bus shelter was removed and the area was converted into Heart Park.
Shelters and related third-party advertising displays had been installed by Trans Ad and later by Outfront Media (formerly CBS Outdoor, Mediacom and TDI
See also
- GM New Look (Toronto Transit Commission bus)<!--Don't bypass redirect per WP:NOTBROKEN-->
Notes
References
External links
- Transit Toronto Bus Pages
- published by the Toronto Star on 6 October 2020