Toronto Transit Commission bus system

Toronto Transit Commission bus system

An Orion VII Next Generation hybrid electric bus in Downtown Toronto
Parent	Corporation of the City of Toronto
Founded	1921
Headquarters	William McBrien Building 1900 Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Locale	Toronto
Service area	Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Markham
Service type	10-minute network, Local, Express, Night, Shuttle, Paratransit, Express bus service
Alliance	GO Transit, MiWay, York Region Transit, Brampton Transit, Durham Region Transit, Viva Rapid Transit
Routes	198 total 135 local/regular 27 Blue Night (night service) 25 express 6 community 5 downtown express
Fleet	2137 12- and 18-metre buses 279 minibuses (paratransit)
Daily ridership	1.24 million (avg. weekday, Q1 2019)
Fuel type	Diesel, hybrid electric, electric, gasoline
Operator	Toronto Transit Commission
Website	Bus routes

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 264 million riders over 6,686 kilometres (4,154 mi) of routes with buses travelling 143 million kilometres (89 million mi) in the year. As of 2020, the TTC has almost 200 bus routes in operation.

Bus routes extend throughout the city and are integrated with the subway system and the streetcar system, with free transfers among the three systems. Many subway stations are equipped with bus terminals, and a few with streetcar terminals, located within a fare paid area.

As of 2020, the bus system has about 2400 buses. Bus propulsion includes diesel, diesel-electric hybrid, battery-electric and gasoline. Four bus lengths are used: regular buses 12 metres (40 ft) long, articulated buses 18 metres (60 ft) long and minibuses either 8 metres (26 ft) or 6 metres (20 ft) long. All buses are fully accessible with low floors and, except for minibuses, all are equipped with bicycle racks.

History

See also: History of the Toronto Transit Commission and Public transportation in Toronto

19th and 20th centuries

Bus service in Toronto began in 1849, when the first public transport system in Toronto, the Williams Omnibus Bus Line, was launched. The service began with a fleet of six horse-drawn stagecoaches. After ten years, the use of streetcars were introduced in the city as the Toronto Street Railway (TSR) was established in 1861. After a year of competition between the two companies, the TSR had surpassed Williams Omnibus Line in ridership.

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 Avenue and Mount Pleasant Road. Gray Coach, an intercity bus line by the TTC, began operation in 1927. As the coach service increased in ridership, the TTC built the Toronto Coach Terminal. By 1933, the TTC introduced the local bus and streetcar stop design, a white pole with a red band on the top and bottom. Between 1930 and 1948, the city replaced various TTC-operated radial railway routes extending to surrounding municipalities with bus routes.

On 1 January 1954, the TTC became the sole public transit operator in the newly formed Metropolitan Toronto. Thus, the TTC took over some private bus operations that existed within the Metro area. These included:

• Hollinger Bus Lines (1921–1954), operating in East York and Scarborough
• Danforth Bus Lines (1920–1954), operating in Scarborough and North York, with interurban services to Claremont and King City
• Roseland Bus Lines (1925–1954), operating in York Township, Etobicoke, Weston, and Woodbridge
• West York Bus Lines (1932–1954), operating in the west and northwest suburbs, including Malton

From 1947 to 1993, the TTC's system included several trolley bus routes, such as this one on the 89 Weston Road route in 1987.

Between 1947 and 1993, the TTC operated a trolley bus system on medium ridership routes. In 1947, the TTC created four trolley bus routes (Lansdowne, Ossington, Annette, and Weston Road) in the west end that replaced streetcar routes. These routes were based at the Lansdowne garage. About 1954, a separate trolley bus division created at the old Eglinton garage (adjacent to Eglinton station) to serve routes on Yonge Street, Avenue Road and Mount Pleasant Road north of Eglinton Avenue. When the Yonge–University subway was extended to York Mills station, the Yonge trolley bus line was closed and its buses were reassigned to serve Bay Street. In the early 1970s, the trolley bus fleet was rebuilt. The TTC leased some trolley buses from Edmonton, which was phasing out its fleet. The last trolley buses ran in 1993 on the Bay and Annette routes. Rather than replacing the aging trolley bus infrastructure, the TTC decided to use CNG buses to replace the trolley bus fleet.

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 1970, 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.

A Wheel-Trans bus at York University. The paratransit service has been operated by the TTC since 1988.

In 1982, the TTC acquired 12 articulated buses, the articulated version of the GM New Look bus. The Province of Ontario sponsored the buses as a trial. The bus had rear-wheel drive whereby the trailer section pushes the rest of the bus. The TTC sold all 12 of these buses to Mississauga in 1987, and chose the Orion Ikarus articulated bus.

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. 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). Supported by subsidies from senior governments, the TTC used CNG buses to replace its trolley bus fleet. CNG buses were serviced at the Wilson Yard which had a special CNG fueling station. Because of safety concerns about CNG fuel tanks on the bus roof and low overhead clearances, these buses were banned from interior terminals. Also, the savings of using natural gas over diesel fuel was not as great as expected. The TTC converted some CNG buses to diesel.

Accessibility expanded to regular buses in 1996 with the use of lift-equipped buses. This was further improvised two years later when low-floor buses were added to the fleet.

21st century

Between 2006 and 2009, the TTC made its first purchases of hybrid electric buses, choosing the Orion VII model. These buses had batteries that would only last 18 months instead of the expected 5 years. As a result, the TTC went back to purchasing diesel buses until 2018, when it would try hybrid technology again.

In 2009, the TTC opened its first BRT route that uses its own dedicated busway and bus lanes when route 196 York University Rocket was rerouted to the York University Busway. When the extension of Line 1 to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre opened in December 2017, the 939B Finch Express is the only route continuing 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 12-metre 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 18 metres (60 ft) long, as compared with a standard 40-foot bus, the Nova LFS Artics hold about 112 passengers, compared with 65 on the standard length bus.

A TTC bus painted in livery based on the Flexity Outlook streetcars used by the TTC, 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 electric buses went into service on the 6 Bay bus route. By September 2020, the BYD buses had arrived, and on 8 September, the first BYD bus went into service on the 116 Morningside route. At this point in time, with 60 electric buses, the TTC boasted 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 Rocket and 927 Highway 27 Rocket. A number of seats began to be blocked off to encourage social distancing.

Operations

See also: List of Toronto Transit Commission bus routes

A TTC bus operating on TTC Route 300B. Blue Night routes are numbered from 300 to 399.

The TTC operates six types of bus routes:

• Regular routes operating during the day and evening (route numbers 5–189 excluding 141–145)
• Express routes that serve only major bus stops (900-series routes)
• Downtown express routes providing a rush-hour service for a premium fare carrying riders from several points in the city to downtown (route numbers 141–145)
• Blue Night routes that operates only at night (300-series routes)
• Community routes using minibuses intended for riders having difficulties using the traditional system (400-series routes)

The TTC also offers its Wheel-Trans service for registered users with disabilities. This service operates door-to-door and requires booking in advance. Wheel-Trans uses minibuses and has no predefined routes.

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 is referred to by its route number and/or name (for example, 189 Stockyards). Routes are named after the street or area it serves. All of the TTC's regular routes, except for 99 Arrow Road, 171 Mt. Dennis and 176 Mimico GO, connect to a subway station; 99 Arrow Road and 171 Mt. Dennis serve the areas around their respective bus garages. Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, Template:Ttcs, and Template:Ttcs stations do not have any connections to regular daytime TTC bus routes.

Some bus routes extend beyond the city limits into Mississauga and York Region, as those municipalities contract out bus routes to the TTC outside of Toronto. Despite almost completely being in Mississauga, Pearson International Airport is within the TTC's fare-paid zone.

Routes as of February 14, 2021

Arrow Road (Arw)	Birchmount (Bir)	Eglinton (Egl)	Lakeshore (W-T)	Malvern (Mal)	Mount Dennis (MtD)	Queensway (Qsy)	Wilson (Wil)
35 Jane 36 Finch West 46 Martin Grove 59 Maple Leaf 60 Steeles West 84 Sheppard West 96 Wilson 99 Arrow Road 101 Downsview Park 107 St. Regis 108 Driftwood 118 Thistle Down 119 Torbarrie 120 Calvington 165 Weston Road North 335 Jane 336 Finch West 339 Finch East 384 Sheppard West 396 Wilson 927 Highway 27 Express 935 Jane Express 960 Steeles West Express 984 Sheppard West Express 996 Wilson Express	8 Broadview 9 Bellamy 12 Kingston Road 16 McCowan 17 Birchmount 20 Cliffside 22 Coxwell 23 Dawes 24 Victoria Park 31 Greenwood 62 Mortimer 64 Main 65 Parliament 69 Warden South 72 Pape 81 Thorncliffe Park 83 Jones 87 Cosburn 92 Woodbine South 93 Parkview Hills 102 Markham Road 113 Danforth 121 Fort York-Espalande 135 Gerarrd 143 Downtown/Beach Express 167 Pharmacy North 175 Bluffer's Park 300 Bloor-Danforth 301 Queen 302 Kingston Road-McCowan 306 Carlton 322 Coxwell 324 Victoria Park 365 Parliament 501 Queen 506 Carlton 902 Markham Road Express 924 Victoria Park Express	25 Don Mills 34 Eglinton East 43 Kennedy 54 Lawrence East 57 Midland 67 Pharmacy 68 Warden 70 O'Connor 86 Scarborough 91 Woodbine 100 Flemingdon Park 116 Morningside 144 Downtown/Don Valley Express 300 Bloor-Danforth 306 Carlton 320 Yonge 325 Don Mills 334 Eglinton East 343 Kennedy 354 Lawrence East 505 Dundas 506 Carlton 905 Eglinton East Express 925 Don Mills Express 954 Lawrence East Express 986 Scarborough Express	400 Lawrence Manor 402 Parkdale 403 South Don Mills 404 East York 405 Etobicoke	21 Brimley 38 Highland Creek 39 Finch East 53 Steeles East 85 Sheppard East 95 York Mills 129 McCowan North 130 Middlefield 131 Nugget 132 Milner 133 Neilson 134 Progress 306 Carlton 336 Finch West 339 Finch East 353 Steeles 385 Sheppard East 395 York Mills 506 Carlton 903 Kennedy-Scarborough Centre Express 913 Progress Express 939 Finch Express 953 Steeles East Express 985 Sheppard East Express 995 York Mills Express	6 Bay 14 Glenclairn 26 Dupont 29 Dufferin 32 Eglinton West 41 Keele 47 Lansdowne 71 Runnymede 77 Swansea 79 Scarlett Road 89 Weston 94 Wellesley 126 Christie 127 Davenport 141 Downtown/Mount Pleasant Express 161 Rogers Road 168 Symington 171 Mount Dennis 300 Bloor-Danforth 301 Queen 304 King 312 St. Clair-Junction 320 Yonge 329 Dufferin 332 Eglinton West 341 Keele 501 Queen 504 King 505 Dundas 929 Dufferin Express 941 Keele Express 989 Weston Express	15 Evans 30 High Park 37 Islington 40 Junction-Dundas West 44 Kipling South 45 Kipling 48 Rathburn 49 Bloor West 50 Burnhamthrope 55 Warren Park 66 Prince Edward 73 Royal York 76 Royal York South 80 Queensway 110 Islington South 111 East Mall 112 West Mall 123 Sherway 145 Downtown/Humber Bay Express 176 Mimico GO 189 Stockyards 300 Bloor-Danforth 315 Evans-Brown's Line 337 Islington 900 Airport Express 937 Islington Express 944 Kipling South Express 945 Kipling Express	5 Avenue Road 7 Bathurst 10 Van Horne 11 Bayview 28 Bayview South 33 Forest Hill 42 Cummer 51 Leslie 52 Lawrence West 56 Leaside 61 Avenue Road North 63 Ossington 74 Mount Pleasant 75 Sherbourne 78 St. Andrews 82 Rosedale 88 South Leaside 90 Vaughan 97 Yonge 98 Willowdale-Senlac 103 Mount Pleasant North 104 Faywood 105 Dufferin North 106 Sentinel 109 Ranee 115 Silver Hills 117 Alness-Chesswood 122 Graydon Hall 124 Sunnybrook 125 Drewry 142 Downtown/Avenue Road Express 160 Bathurst North 162 Lawrence-Donway 169 Huntingwood 307 Bathurst 320 Yonge 352 Lawrence West 363 Ossington 952 Lawrence West Express

Priority bus lanes

See also: King Street Transit Priority Corridor and York University Busway

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 COVID-19 pandemic provided the impetus for the RapidTO project. The lanes are to improve TTC service in lower-income neighbourhoods, which house employees performing essential services during the pandemic. By allowing buses to move faster, there would be less crowding and better physical distancing.

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.

Bus priority lanes are painted in red with diamond and "bus only" markings. Private vehicles may use some portions of the lanes, painted with red stripes, to access driveways or to make right turns. There are no physical barriers to separate bus from general traffic lanes. Motorists illegally using a bus priority lane are subject to a $110 fine and 3 demerit points.

The priority routes are:

• 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 Gate to Wilson Avenue
• Steeles Avenue West from Yonge Street to Pioneer Village station
• Finch Avenue East from Yonge Street to McCowan Road
• Lawrence East from east of Victoria Park Avenue to Rouge Hills Drive near Rouge Hill GO Station

The TTC opened the Eglinton East lanes on 11 October 2020 (with the lanes on Morningside Avenue opening a few days earlier) and expects to implement the Jane lanes in the second quarter of 2021. The implementation dates for the other routes have yet to be announced.

Eglinton East

The Eglinton East route runs 10.9 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Brimley Road and Eglinton Avenue to the University of Toronto Scarborough campus along Eglinton Avenue, Kingston Road and Morningside Avenue. The TTC converted the existing HOV lanes on Eglinton Avenue East and the curbside general-purpose lanes on Kingston Road and Morningside Avenue to priority bus-only lanes. Priority lanes will not be implemented between Kennedy station and Brimley Road until construction for the Scarborough Subway Extension is completed. Both local and express bus routes use the priority lanes, and the number of bus stops were reduced to speed up service. The TTC estimated a travel time savings of 16.5 percent on local services and 6.5 percent on express services. The implementation of priority bus lanes will not preclude a future upgrade to light rail. The Eglinton East lanes were expected to cost nearly $8 million.

When implementing the corridor, the TTC reduced the number of stops along the way from 69 to 48, a net reduction of 21 stops, and was reviewing the "consolidation" of 6 additional stops. Some of the eliminated stops were far from a signalized intersection; some others had few nearby destinations. Having fewer stops allowed faster bus service but, for many riders, resulted in longer walk times to a bus stop. For example, when the stop near two apartment buildings at Dale Avenue and Kingston Road was eliminated, riders had to walk an extra 250 metres (820 ft). Another eliminated stop was 900 metres (3,000 ft) from its nearest replacement stop; this contradicts a TTC guideline that stops should be no more than 400 metres (1,300 ft) apart. Riders, including those with disabilities, complained.

Five routes use the Eglinton priority bus lanes:

• 12D Kingston Rd
• 86 Scarborough
• 116 Morningside
• 905 Eglinton East Express
• 986 Scarborough Express

Jane

The Jane bus priority lanes will run along Jane Street between Eglinton Avenue and Steeles Avenue. These lanes are expected to open in spring 2021.

The Jane route is next in priority for implementation because:

• It has one of the slowest operating speeds in 2020.
• It provides a north–south connection with three subway lines, the existing Line 1 Yonge–University, and Line 5 Eglinton and Line 6 Finch West, both under construction.
• It serves many Neighbourhood Improvement Areas.
• There are no adverse impacts to on-street parking.

Garages

The following is a list of active TTC bus garages:

Active garages

Garage	Opened	Address	Description
Arrow Road (Arw)	1988	700 Arrow Rd, North York	21,000 m2 (230,000 sq ft) facility; 2 wash racks; 2 diesel fueling stations; 12 twelve-metre and 2 eighteen-metre hoists; 4 inspection pits; electric bus recharging
Birchmount (Bir)	1956	400 Danforth Rd Scarborough	8,310 m2 (89,500 sq ft) facility; 2 wash racks; 2 fueling stations; 10 twelve-metre hoists; 4 insection pits; UWE heating system for buses stored outside
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
Lakeshore (W-T)	1980	580 Commissioners St	2.8 ha (7 acres) of land; 4,800 m2 (52,000 sq ft) of maintenance space; 740 m2 (8,000 sq ft) of office space; supporting Wheel-Trans and community buses
Malvern (Mal)	1983	5050 Sheppard Ave E Scarborough	21,200 m2 (228,000 sq ft) facility; 2 wash racks; 2 fueling stations; 12 twelve-metre hoists; 3 eighteen-metre hoists; 4 inspection pits; indoor bus storage; Eurovac system
Mount Dennis (MtD)	2008	121 Industry St, York	23,575 m2 (253,759 sq ft) facility; 16 hoists for twelve and eighteen-metre buses, 4 cleaning stations; steam cleaning room; paint and body shops; parts and materials storage area; electric bus recharging
Queensway (Qsy)	1966	400 Evans Ave, Etobicoke	11,600 m2 (125,000 sq ft) facility; 1 wash rack; 1 diesel fueling station; 14 twelve-metre hoists
Wilson (Wil)	1976	160 Transit Rd, North York Wilson Yard Complex	21,368 m2 (230,000 sq ft) 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.

The TTC completed construction on the McNicoll bus garage in 2020 near the intersection of Kennedy Road and McNicoll Avenue in northern Scarborough. It is scheduled to open on March 28, 2021. The new building will house 250 12-metre buses within an approximately 29,000-square-metre (310,000 sq ft) facility. The garage will serve 15 bus routes and be the base for 100 maintenance employees and 600 operators. The garage will feature rooftop solar panels, a green roof and a system to recycle bus wash water. The bus loop located on McNicoll Avenue has been decommissioned.

As of 2020, three garages have equipment to recharge electric buses: Arrow Road (for New Flyer buses), Mount Dennis (for Proterra buses) and Eglinton (for BYD buses).

As of August 2020, the TTC has been in negotiation with Toronto Hydro and Ontario Power Generation to set up eBus infrastructure at TTC garages. Toronto Hydro would increase electrical capacity at each TTC garage, and OPG would design, build, operate and maintain all charging infrastructure at garages. The TTC hopes to get TTC board approval in the first quarter of 2021.

Former garages

Former garages

Yard	Location	Year opened	Year closed	Notes
Danforth (Dan)	Danforth Avenue and Coxwell Avenue	1915; 1921–22 (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)	Davenport Road and Bathurst Street	1924	1993	Attached to Hillcrest Complex
Eglinton (Egl)	Eglinton Avenue West and Yonge Street	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
Lansdowne (Lan)	Lansdowne Avenue and Paton Avenue	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.

Vehicles

Fleet

Active

TTC bus fleet as of February 2021

Series	Model	Qty	Garage	Built	Seats	Length (m)	Propulsion	Manufacturer	Engine	Transmission/Hybrid System	Notes
1000–1149	Orion VII	150	MtD	2006	38	12	Diesel–electric	Orion Bus Industries	Cummins ISB 5.9L @ 260hp	BAE HybriDrive System	First diesel-electric hybrid buses in the system
1200–1423	Orion VII "Next Gen"	196	Mal, MtD, Wil	2007–2008	36	12	Diesel–electric	Daimler Buses North America	Cummins ISB 6.7L @ 260hp	BAE HybriDrive System
1500–1689	Orion VII "Next Gen"	43	Mal, MtD	2008	36	12	Diesel–electric	Daimler Buses North America	Cummins ISB 6.7 @ 260hp	BAE HybriDrive System
3100–3369	LFS	270	Arw, Bir, McN	2018	33	12	Diesel	Nova Bus	Cummins L9 @ 280hp	Allison World B400-R Gen V 6 speed
3400–3454	LFS Hybrid	55	Mal	2018	33	12	Diesel–electric	Nova Bus	Cummins B6.7 @ 260hp	BAE HybriDrive System
3455–3654	LFS Hybrid	200	Arw, Mal	2019	33	12	Diesel–electric	Nova Bus	Cummins B6.7 @ 260hp	BAE HybriDrive System
3700–3724	XE40	25	Arw	2019–2020	33	12	Battery–electric	New Flyer Industries	Siemens HV ELFA2	Direct Drive
3725–3749	Proterra Catalyst BE40	25	MtD	2019–2020	32	12	Battery–electric	Proterra	UQM HD220 220 kW ProDrive 2x 190 kW Hub DuoDrive	Eaton EEV-7202 2 speed
3750–3759	K9M	10	Egl	2019–2020	35	12	Battery–electric	BYD Auto	2 x BYD TYC-150A combined 300 kW (peak)	N/A
7900–7979	Orion VII	73	Bir, MtD, Qsy	2006	38	12	Diesel	Orion Bus Industries	Cummins ISL @ 280hp	Allison World B400-R WTEC Gen III 5 speed
8000–8099	Orion VII	98	Qsy	2007	38	12	Diesel	DaimlerChrysler CBNA	Cummins ISL @ 280hp	Allison World B400-R WTEC Gen III 5 speed
8100–8219	Orion VII "Next Gen"	120	Wil	2010	36	12	Diesel	Daimler Buses North America	Cummins ISL @ 280hp	Allison World B400-R WTEC Gen IV 6 speed
8300–8396	Orion VII "Next Gen"	97	Wil	2011–2012	36	12	Diesel	Daimler Buses North America	Cummins ISL9 @ 280hp	Allison World B400-R WTEC Gen IV 6 speed
8400–8504	LFS	105	Bir, Qsy	2015–2016	33	12	Diesel	Nova Bus	Cummins ISL9 @ 280hp	Allison World B400-R Gen V 6 speed
8510–8617	LFS	107	Bir, Qsy	2016–2017	33	12	Diesel	Nova Bus	Cummins ISL9 @ 280hp	Allison World B400-R Gen V 6 speed
8620–8716	LFS	97	Egl	2017	33	12	Diesel	Nova Bus	Cummins L9 @ 280hp	Allison World B400-R Gen V 6 speed
8720–8964	LFS	245	Bir, Egl	2017	33	12	Diesel	Nova Bus	Cummins L9 @ 280hp	Allison World B400-R Gen V 6 speed
8752	GM New Look	1	McN	1982	39	12	Diesel	General Motors Canada	Detroit Diesel 6V71N @ 181hp	Allison V730 3 speed
9000–9152	LFS Artic	152	Arw, Mal, MtD	2013–2014	46	18	Diesel	Nova Bus	Cummins ISL9 @ 280hp	Allison World B500-R Gen IV 6 speed
9200–9239	LFS	40	Bir	2018	33	12	Diesel	Nova Bus	Cummins L9 @ 280hp	Allison World B400-R Gen V 6 speed
W100–W300	The Friendly Bus	139	W-T	2009–2012	8	8	Diesel	American Bus Products Inc.	Ford Power Stroke 6.7L Diesel	Ford 5R110W
W500–W647	Promaster	147	W-T	2017–2021	6	6	Gasoline	Creative Carriage Ltd.	Chrysler Pentastar 3.6L	Chrysler 62TE
W700-W790	Spirit of Independence/Promaster	91	W-T	2020–2021	-	7	Gasoline	ARBOC Speciality Vehicles	Chrysler Pentastar 3.6L	Chrysler 62TE

On October 22, 2020, the TTC board approved the following purchases for new buses:

• 300 hybid buses to start operating in 2022
• 300 electric buses to start operating in 2023
• 70 minibuses for Wheel-Trans service to start operating in 2022.

Retired

Decommissioned fleet

Series	Model	Qty	Built	Year retired	Seats	Length (m)	Propulsion	Manufacturer	Engine	Transmission	Notes
1700-1829	Orion VII "Next Gen"	130	2009	2018-2019	36	12	Diesel–electric	Daimler Buses North America	Cummins ISB 6.7L @ 260hp	BAE HybriDrive System
6640-6745	Orion V	106	1991-1992	2007-2010	39	12	Diesel	Orion Bus Industries	Detroit Diesel Series 6V92TA @ 253hp	ZF Ecomat 4HP500 4 speed
7000-7134	Orion V	135	1996	2012-2015	36	12	Diesel	Orion Bus Industries	Detroit Diesel Series 50 @ 275hp	Allison World B400-R WTEC Gen II 5 speed
7200-7251	RTS	52	1998	2015	39	12	Diesel	Nova Bus	Detroit Diesel Series 50 @ 275hp	Allison World VR-731 3 speed
7300-7350	D40LF	51	1998-1999	2016	35	12	Diesel	New Flyer Industries	Detroit Diesel Series 50 @ 275hp	Allison World B400-R WTEC Gen II 5 speed
7400-7881	Orion VII	482	2002-2005	2017-2018	38	12	Diesel	Orion Bus Industries	Detroit Diesel Series 50 EGR @ 275hp	Allison World B400-R WTEC Gen III 5 speed
9200-9249	Orion VI	50	1997-1998	2004-2006	28	12	CNG	Bus Industries of America	Cummins L10G @ 280hp	Allison World B400-R WTEC Gen II 5 speed
9370-9394	Orion V	25	1989-1990	2004-2005	39	12	CNG	Orion Bus Industries	Cummins L10G @ 280hp	ZF Ecomat 4HP500 4 speed
9400-9449	Orion V	50	1996-1997	2015	37	12	CNG	Orion Bus Industries	Cummins L10G @ 280hp	Allison World B400-R WTEC Gen II 5 speed

Articulated buses

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 fleet was $143.7 million, and they are expected to save cost of $119.4 per year in operating expenses. 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.

Hybrid-electric buses

The TTC has two models of hybrid-electric buses (also called diesel-electric buses), Orion VII built from 2006 to 2008, and the LFS Hybrid built in 2018 and 2019.

The Orion VII hybrid buses have features such as air-conditioning, GPS for automatic stop announcements, a wheelchair ramp and the ability to kneel at the front door for easier boarding. Fuel savings of 10 to 30 percent were expected compared to diesel buses. However, the model achieved only 10 percent savings because it was designed to work best in stop-and-go traffic which occurs mainly in downtown Toronto. The batteries were problematic requiring replacement every 18 months when they were expected to last 5 years. At $700,000 per bus, the hybrid was $200,000 more expensive than a diesel-only bus.

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. 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.

Electric buses

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 Chinese-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, costed approximately $140 million with the federal government paying $65 million of that cost.

The buses are powered exclusively by lithium-ion batteries that take about three hours to recharge. The buses are expected to travel approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) on a single charge; however, when the bus heater activates in cold weather, the range is reduced by 30–50%. (For perspective, an electric bus on the 35 Jane route travels about 78 kilometres (48 mi) in a day.) Per year, each electric bus will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 149.2 metric tons (146.8 long tons; 164.5 short tons) and eliminate diesel fuel costs of $56,000. The electric buses are 15–20% quieter in motion, and 85% quieter when idling. These buses, with a 440,000-watt onboard battery, can be used as mobile power plants during power outages, by plugging the bus into a building such as a hospital.

BYD buses require different recharging infrastructure than Proterra and New Flyer buses, with the former using AC (alternating current) and the latter two using DC (direct current). The Eglinton garage has AC recharging, while Arrow Road and Mount Dennis garages have DC.

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 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 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 advertising displays had been installed by Trans Ad and later by Outfront Media (formerly CBS Outdoor, Mediacom and TDI). Outfront Media and Astral Media (a division of Bell Canada) are responsible for all other forms of non-electronic advertising on the TTC (excluding posters and digital advertising in the Toronto subway system and on buses and streetcars, which are managed by Pattison Outdoor Advertising, which includes OneStop Media for digital billboards).

Bike racks

Bicycle rack-mounted on a TTC Orion VII NG bus

All TTC buses, except Wheel-Trans vehicles, are equipped with folding bike 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 bus 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.

The Nova Bus LFS articulated buses came factory-equipped with bike racks, as did the non-articulated LFS buses that entered service in 2015. The racks were sealed in October 2014, by order of the Ministry of Labour, 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.

See also

• GM New Look (Toronto Transit Commission bus)

External links

• Transit Toronto Bus Pages
• New Scarborough bus-only lanes hope to make transit more reliable on YouTube published by the Toronto Star on October 6, 2020