TTC Stakeholder Update

March 2023

Photo of the 185 Don Mills TTC Bus

The TTC has introduced additional ways for customers to quickly report safety or security concerns on the system, with SMS Text a Tip, as well as a webform on ttc.ca.

Customers can now text

647-496-1940 to report immediate safety concerns to TTC Transit Control. In addition, customers can also choose to use the webform at ttc.ca to report a safety concern, and submit additional details and images.

These new reporting options are in addition to the SafeTTC app, which is a free mobile app for iOS and Android devices that allows customers to discreetly report safety concerns or suspicious activity within the system. The app lets users report a problem directly to the TTC's Transit Control Centre by sending text, photos or videos of the incident, or call 911 in an emergency situation.

In the event of an emergency, customers are encouraged to use the yellow emergency alarm strip on the vehicles, speak to a TTC employee or police officer, or use the Designated Waiting Area intercom on the platform to contact staff.

For further information on how TTC is working to improve safety, please visit our website.

The City of Toronto and the TTC are partnering with community wellbeing experts at LOFT Community Services to better respond to the needs of vulnerable people sheltering on Toronto’s transit system.

Through LOFT and the City’s Multi-Disciplinary Outreach Team (M-DOT) program, individuals requiring more complex and longer-term supports will now have access to case workers and health care professionals, including registered nurses. This will ensure people are receiving the health and social supports they need long after crisis de-escalation and emergency response are complete.

There is an unprecedented need for increased services geared to individuals with complex needs who are using the TTC for shelter and warmth. Starting this month, LOFT staff will be deployed in the transit system to connect people with services, including physical and mental health supports, through a case management approach to ongoing care. It is expected that through this partnership, an additional 80 to 100 people experiencing homelessness on the transit system will have access to supports.

The increased Streets to Homes and Community Safety Ambassador teams announced in January are beginning to have a positive impact for people experiencing homelessness sheltering on the TTC. Since January, Streets to Homes outreach teams referred more than 200 people from the TTC to shelter.

The new LOFT supports are on top of measures underway by the City and TTC in recent months that include:

• 20 Streets to Homes workers to help individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness access immediate supports like water, warm clothing and referrals to indoor space.
• 20 Community Safety Ambassadors bolstering the work of Streets to Homes teams in addressing immediate needs of individuals experiencing homelessness.
• 50 security guards trained in mental health first aid, overdose prevention and nonviolent intervention to assist people in crisis.
• De-escalation training for all TTC Chief and Mobile supervisors and scheduling adjustments to ensure these specialized skills are where they are needed most.

Please visit The City of Toronto website for more information.

Transit Operator and Worker Appreciation Day is an opportunity to recognize and express gratitude towards the transit workers that keep our city moving. This year, the TTC is expressing appreciation with a full week of gratitude from March 18-24.

Transit operators and workers are essential members of our community, providing crucial services that keep our city running smoothly.

This Transit Operator and Worker Appreciation Day, take a moment to thank the transit operators and workers in your community for their service and dedication. They deserve our respect and gratitude. Please visit our website for more information.

TTC Busy Weekend Service

TTC Connects: Women as Transit Operators

Photo of a bus operator in a mask driving a bus

We’re hiring!

“Women as Transit Operators” virtual information sessions are planned for 2023. To view previous sessions, please go to TTC Connects: Women As Transit Operators Event.

This special program to hire women as Transit Operators supports the TTC’s goal to continue building a workforce that reflects the great diversity of its customers and the Greater Toronto Area. Ongoing work continues to make sure that we have a safe and welcoming workplace.  

If you know someone who wants a rewarding career as a TTC Operator, they can apply here.

TTC Service Adjustments

As of March 26, 2023 (unless otherwise noted), TTC will be implementing several service adjustments across the network. Thirty-seven daytime bus, streetcar and subway routes and two overnight bus routes will see reliability improved and capacity will be matched to ridership demand, or both. Please visit our website for further details.

Serving over 43,000 customers on an average weekday prior to the pandemic and travelling through several Neighbourhood Improvement Areas, Jane Street from Eglinton Avenue West to Steeles Avenue West is the second roadway being studied for transit priority measures.

The City of Toronto and TTC are seeking input on the proposed design options to improve the speed and reliability of bus service along this section of Jane Street. Customers can complete an online survey or participate in a public consultation taking place at:

Clairvaux Hall

1795 Lawrence Avenue West

March 28, 2023

6:30-9 p.m.

Information about how to participate is available at toronto.ca/RapidTO. If you would like more information, please visit our website.

The online survey will be available until April 3, 2023. 

Scarborough Centre Bus Service Changes

To prepare for the decommissioning of Line 3 Scarborough by the end of this year, TTC will be upgrading the bus terminal at Scarborough Centre Station to accommodate the interim bus service that will be in place until the opening of the Scarborough Subway Extension.

The bus terminal will be under construction from March to November 2023, affecting all routes to some degree. Before construction starts, service changes to five Scarborough routes will take effect on Sunday, March 26, 2023. For more information, please visit our website.

As part of the ongoing modernization of our fare payment system, TTC will stop selling tokens through retail outlets such as convenience stores, pharmacies and grocery stores on March 24, 2023. TTC stopped selling tickets and tokens at stations in December 2019. Customers can continue using previously purchased TTC tokens or tickets to pay their fare.

You can also switch to PRESTO at any time by purchasing and loading a card with money or a monthly pass at:

• Fare Vending Machines at all TTC subway stations;
• Shoppers Drug Mart locations;
• Online at prestocard.ca;
• PRESTO app (load only) and;
• The TTC’s Customer Service Centre, 1900 Yonge Street, above Davisville Station.

Complimentary PRESTO cards are also available for individuals who do not yet have one, from select Toronto Public Library Branches, while quantities last.   

Starting March 27, 2023, TTC will resume ticketing customers for fare evasion. Fare Inspectors will focus ticketing on busy streetcar routes in the downtown core. Ticketing will also resume in subway stations downtown, many of which have multiple entry points.

Ticketing is focused on those customers who can pay their fares and choose not to pay, rather than those who are unable to pay. If they do not have Proof-of-Payment, Fare Inspectors will educate the customer and show them how to pay their fare. Written caution notices or Provincial Offence Notices will be issued if the customer does not comply with fare payment. The penalty for not paying a fare may result in a fine of up to $425.

Ticketing was suspended in March 2020 in recognition of the hardships that many customers faced at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspections to verify Proof-of-Payment restarted in September 2020 and continued throughout all of 2021 and 2022. In instances where customers did not pay, TTC Fare Inspectors continued to educate people on proper fare payment but did not issue tickets.

Visit ttc.ca for more information about TTC fares and how to pay them. 

The single cash and pay-as-you-go PRESTO fares for youths and adults will be increasing by 10-cents on April 3, 2023. The fares for seniors, Fair Pass Transit Discount Program users and monthly pass customers will remain the same as they have been since 2019.

Revenue from this fare increase, in addition to the City of Toronto’s proposed subsidy to the TTC of $958.7 million, will help ensure the system is reliable, safe and accessible for all Torontonians.

To learn more about the fare increase, visit ttc.ca. 

TTC MagnusCards

TTC MangnusCards: Step-to-step guide to make transit easier

While the TTC does most subway maintenance at the conclusion of service each night, it continues to require weekend and early weeknight closures to complete critical infrastructure and state-of-good-repair work.

Upcoming subway closures:

• Line 1 (Yonge-University)–Bloor-Yonge to York Mills – full weekend closure April 1 and 2
• Line 1 (Yonge-University)–St Clair West to St Andrew - full weekend closure April 15 and 16
• Line 1 (Yonge-University)–Eglinton to Sheppard-Yonge - full weekend closure April 22 and 23

Ridership this Week

As of March 23, 2023

• Bus ridership is at 74% of pre-COVID-19 levels.

• System-wide revenue ridership is at 68% of pre-COVID levels.