Toronto Transit Commission accessibility

Accessibility for people with disabilities on the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) system is limited but improving. As is true for most mass transit systems, most of the Toronto subway and RT was built before wheelchair access was a requirement under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act. However, all subway stations built since 1996 are equipped with elevators, and elevators have been installed in 25 stations built before 1996, including one station that was expanded in 2002, Sheppard-Yonge). Thirty of Toronto's 69 subway and Scarborough RT stations are accessible (Spadina is only accessible on the Bloor–Danforth line). In December 2011 the TTC retired its last inaccessible buses, making all 170 bus routes accessible.. The TTC's streetcar network is not accessible; however, the fleet is planned to be gradually replaced with modern, low-floor vehicles by 2020.

Subway and RT

Vehicles

Sample active route map on display with the interior mockup of the new Toronto Rocket subway car

All subway cars offer level boarding for customers with wheelchairs and other accessibility needs. The T1s were the first trains to have:

• wider doors,
• no centre line vertical stanchion bars and flip-up benches at designated wheelchair locations.

Some of the H6 cars have been retrofitted with some accessibility features such as flip-up benches at designated wheelchair locations, similar to the T1s.

All trains offer automated audible-only station stop announcements, and the new Toronto Rocket subway cars have twice the accessible seating of the existing T1 and H6 subway cars. The Toronto Rockets are the first trains to feature a "six-car fixed" articulated configuration with open gangways, allowing riders to move freely from one end to the other. They also have visual displays (showing the next stop) and active route maps to assist customers who are hearing impaired.

As more of the new Toronto Rocket trains enter service on the Yonge-University-Spadina line, the TTC will retire its older H series (H4, H5, H6) trains, that the TTC has been using since the 1970s, most of which are less accessible. This will make the entire subway fleet fully accessible in a couple years.

Stations

Accessible stations are equipped with elevators, wide fare gates, and accessible doors. A person is likely to have to ride more than one elevator, often separated by long distances, to reach street level. Elevators are frequently out of service^{[citation needed]}, and the posted alternatives are typically to go back on the subway and go two more stations to the nearest elevator. The TTC provides a phone number, 416-539-LIFT, which provides a recorded message listing any elevators which are out of service.

• All five stations on the Sheppard line, opened in 2002, are fully accessible and equipped with elevators.
  • Sheppard-Yonge
  • Bayview
  • Bessarion
  • Leslie
  • Don Mills

• 16 of the 32 stations on the Yonge–University–Spadina line are accessible. Downsview, opened in 1996, was equipped with elevators when it opened and was among the first accessible stations; however, there is no accessible turnstile for people with disabilities. An elevator is being installed at Lawrence West station with another installation planned for St. Andrew Station (up for procurement authorization and public tender). St. Clair West station has an elevator at the Heath Street exit, but the station is not considered accessible as it does not connect with all services in the station.

• Downsview (1996)
• Eglinton West (2005)
• St. George (1999)
• Queen's Park (2002)
• Osgoode (2006)
• Union (1996)
• Queen (1997)
• Dundas (2002)

• Bloor-Yonge (1996)
• St. Clair (2007)
• Davisville (2002)
• Eglinton (2004)
• York Mills (2007)
• Sheppard-Yonge (2002)
• North York Centre (2009)
• Finch (1999)

• 11 of the 31 stations on the Bloor–Danforth line line are accessible:

• Kipling (1999)
• Jane (2006)
• Dundas West (2002)
• Bathurst (1999)
• Spadina (Bloor-Danforth line only) (1997)
• St. George (1999)

• Bloor-Yonge (1996)
• Broadview (2006)
• Main Street (2004)
• Kennedy (1999)
• Victoria Park (2011)

• Two of the five stations on the Scarborough RT are accessible:

• Kennedy (1999)
• Scarborough Centre (2000)

Planned elevator installation

In a February 2010 report the TTC suggested that the original target of having all stations accessible by 2020 may not be met due to current budget limitations. A 2011 report outlined the overall installation plan of elevators for all remaining stations:

• 2012
  • Lawrence West Station - construction in progress
  • St. Andrew Station - construction in progress
  • Pape Station - construction in progress/part of larger station renovation
  • King Station
  • Ossington Station
  • Wilson Station
• 2013
  • Dufferin Station - construction in progress/part of larger station renovation
  • St. Clair West Station
  • Coxwell Station
• 2014
  • Yorkdale Station
  • Woodbine Station
  • College Station
  • Royal York Station
• 2015
  • Donlands
  • Bay
  • Runnymede
• 2016
  • Lawrence
  • Greenwood
  • St. Patrick
• 2017
  • Lansdowne
  • Dupont
  • Lawrence East
• 2018
  • Sherbourne
  • Keele
  • Spadina (Spadina line)
• 2019
  • Castle Frank
  • Wellesley
  • Christie
• 2020
  • Rosedale
  • Chester
  • Museum
• 2021
  • High Park
  • Summerhill
  • McCowan
• 2022
  • Old Mill
  • Glencairn
• 2023
  • Midland
  • Ellesmere
• 2024
  • Islington
  • Warden

Buses

Blue indicator lights on both sides of the route sign indicate the bus is low-floor and wheelchair friendly

Main article: List of bus routes in Toronto

Main article: Toronto Transit Commission bus fleet

As of December 16, 2011 all 170 bus routes are accessible, using low-floor or lift-equipped buses. Not all stops along an accessible route are accessible (in particular, many subway stations where buses terminate are not accessible).

The TTC's low-floor buses are easily identified by blue lights located on both sides of the front route display, lift equipped high-floor buses have green indicators and buses without wheelchair accessibly options do not have any indicator lights.

Wheel-Trans

Wheel-Trans bus

Main article: Wheel-Trans

The TTC provides Wheel-Trans, a door-to-door accessible transit service, to registered clients who are unable to use the conventional transit system. In some cases, Wheel-Trans buses connect customers from their homes to accessible subway stations allowing the rider to use the conventional system for a portion of their journey. The service was created in 1975 as the challenges for people with accessibility needs became more public, and at a time where the entire surface system ran high-floor (inaccessible) vehicles and subway stations did not have elevators.

Streetcars

The TTC streetcar system is not accessible, as its CLRV and ALRV streetcars are high-floor. However, it is planned that the streetcar fleet will be replaced with modern, 100% low-floor vehicles which will be wheelchair accessible. However, former TTC manager David Gunn has criticized the new streetcar order: "Oh, and they’re not accessible. The floor height is about a foot. You won’t be able to load a wheelchair on the street. There will be ramps, but the floor height is going to be about a foot. The ramps will be too steep."

Visually impairments

Service animals are allowed on the TTC during all hours of operation, and must be kept under control at all times. All stations have yellow warning strips with bumps at the edge of the platforms, and most have tactile floor tiles that assist persons with visual impairments in locating elevators and other accessibility features. All buses and streetcars are equipped with automated visual and audible stop announcements, while the older subway trains uses audible-only automated stop announcements consisting of a human voice. The new Toronto Rocket subway vehicles which entered revenue service in 2011, uses an audible and visual stop announcements (similar to the ones on streetcars and buses) using a robotic voice.

External links

• TTC accessible service