Toronto buses and trolley buses
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Bus service in Toronto, Canada, started in 1921, but it was not until the creation of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in 1954 that buses become a part of public transit in the city. There were a few independent bus operators continued to provide inter-urban bus services:
- Hollinger Bus Lines (East York 1921-1954)
- Danforth Bus Lines (North Toronto-King City 1926-1954)
- West York Coach Lines (York 1946- 1954)
- Roseland Bus Lines (North York 1925-1954)
Today, the bus routes are the bulk of the TTC routes. The TTC also operates on contract to York Region Transit for north-south service on select routes in York Region, and Mississauga Transit for west-east service on 32B Eglinton West.
In addition, the TTC also connects to the Toronto Pearson International Airport:
- 58A, D Malton - Pearson-Lawrence West Station
- 192 Airport Rocket - Pearson-Kipling Station
- 307 Eglinton West - Pearson-Eglinton Station
- 300A Bloor Danforth - Pearson-Yonge&Bloor-Danforth&Warden
(The 58 Malton and 192 Airport Rocket operate approx. Mon-Sat 6am-1am and Sunday 8am-1am, the 307 and 300A making up the rest of the time)
Contents |
[edit] Roster
As of 2005, the TTC operates 1,564 buses with 805 assessible buses (2005).
Buses formerly and currently used by the TTC (only Flyers, GM's, New Flyers, NovaBuses and Orions currently in service):
Current
HistoricProduct list and details (date information from TTC)
| Make/Model | Fleet number | Description | Fleet size | Year acquired | Divisions | Notes |
| General Motors Diesel Division T6H 5307N | 2000-2110 | Diesel buses | 3 | 1977-1981 | Arrow Road, Malvern | 2017, 2072, 2109 remain |
| General Motors Diesel Division T6H 5307N | 2150-2155 | Diesel buses | 1 | 1975-1977 | Malvern | Only 2153 active |
| General Motors Diesel Division T6H 5307N | 2240-2485 | Diesel buses | 242 | 1982-1983 | Arrow Road, Malvern, Wilson | |
| General Motors Diesel Division T6H 5307N | 2600-2619 | Diesel buses | 2 | 1978-1983 | Arrow Road | Ex-Montreal with McKay Gates |
| General Motors Diesel Division T6H 5307N | 2700-2858 | Diesel buses | 80 | 1981-1982 | Arrow Road, Malvern, Wilson | Some retired; 2700-2834 equipped with UWE connectors |
| Flyer Industries D901A | 6000-6122, 6130-6204 | Diesel buses | 24 | 1985-1986 | Malvern | Most retired; some were converted as Bio-fuel buses |
| General Motors Diesel Division/Motor Coach Industries Classic TC40-102N | 6210-6293 | Diesel buses | 67 | 1987 | Birchmount | Gradually being retired; joint production with Motor Coach Industries |
| New Flyer Industries D40-88 | 6420-6434 | Diesel buses | 15 | 1988 | Queensway | |
| New Flyer Industries D40-89 | 6440-6521 | Diesel buses | 82 | 1989 | Queensway | |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion V | 6640-6745 | Diesel buses | 106 | 1991 | Birchmount, Queensway |  |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion V Lift | 7000-7134 | Diesel buses | 135 | 1996 | Malvern |  |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion V CNG Lift | 9400-9449 | CNG buses | 50 | 1996-1997 | Wilson | Currently undergoing diesel conversion and rebuild |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion VI CNG | 9200-9249 | CNG buses | 23 | 1997 | Wilson | Gradually being retired due to inability to convert to diesel |
| NovaBus RTS | 7200-7251 | Diesel bus | 52 | 1998 | Arrow Road | |
| New Flyer Industries D40LF | 7300-7350 | Diesel buses | 51 | 1998-1999 | Queensway | |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion VII | 7400-7881 | Diesel buses | 482 | 2002-2005 | Arrow Road, Birchmount, Eglinton | |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion VII | 7900-7979 | Diesel buses | 80 | 2006 | Wilson | uses Cummins ISL |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion VII HEV LF | 1000-1149 | Diesel/Hybrid | 150 - total order | 2006-2008 | Arrow Road | Currently entering service |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion VII | 8000-8099 | Diesel buses | 100 | 2007 | Undelivered |
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| Prevost Car LeMirage XL40 | Command Unit | 1 | 2006 | replaced by Prevost Car 50-PI-33 | ||
| Make/Model | Fleet number | Description | Fleet size | Year acquired | Year retired | Notes |
| REO 96HTD | diesel buses | ex-Hollinger Buslines - retired | ||||
| REO W | Diesel buses | Retired | ||||
| Rek-Vek Industries Club Car | shuttle bus | 32 | 1980s | 1980s | Retired | |
| White Motor Company 50A | Diesel buses | Retired | ||||
| Yellow Coach Y-Z (227, 229) | Diesel buses | Retired | ||||
| Yellow Coach Y | Diesel buses | Retired | ||||
| Yellow Coach Y | Diesel buses | |||||
| Yellow Coach Z-AQ-273 | Diesel buses | Retired | ||||
| Yellow Coach Y-U-316 | Diesel buses | Retired | ||||
| Ford 29B | Diesel buses | 4 | Retired | |||
| Ford 19B | Diesel buses | 7 | Retired | |||
| Ford 72B | Diesel buses | 10 | Retired | |||
| AEC (Associated Equipment Company) 404 | Double decker bus | ? | ? | Retired | Later converted to single deck use | |
| Aerocoach P-46-37 and 371 | Diesel bus | 4 | ? | Retired | ||
| Fageol or J.G. Brill and Company Twin Coach 44S | Diesel bus | ? | ? | Retired | ||
| Fifth Avenue Bus Company L and J | Double-decker bus | ? | ? | Retired | ||
| Fitzjohn FTG | Diesel bus | 25 | ? | Retired | ex-North York Bus Lines | |
| Fitzjohn Falcon | ? | ? | Retired | ex-Hollinger Bus Lines Lines | ||
| Fitzjohn Hercules JXLD | ? | ? | Retired | ex-Hollinger Bus Lines Lines | ||
| Packard ED | Diesel buses | Retired | ||||
| Pierce Arrow | Diesel buses | Retired | ||||
| Prevost Car 50-PI-33 | as trainer/Command Unit | 3, 1 | 1990s | 2006 | retired | |
| Motor Coach Industries MC-8 | 572 | Command Unit | 1 | 1997 | 2005 | Notably used during World Youth Day |
| General Motors Diesel Division PD-4103 and 4104 | Diesel buses | 23 | ||||
| General Motors Diesel Division TDH 5301 | 2900-2949, 2950-2984, 3100-3139 | Diesel buses | 125 | 1959, 1960, 1962 | Retired | |
| General Motors Diesel Division TDH 4517 | 2985-2999 | Diesel buses | 15 | 1960 | Retired | |
| General Motors Diesel Division TDH 5302 | 3140-3149 | Diesel buses | 10 | 1962 | Retired | |
| General Motors Diesel Division TDH 5303 | 3300-3379, 3500-3599, 3700-3799, 7100-7179 | Diesel buses | 360 | 1963, 1964-1965, 1966, 1967 | Retired | |
| General Motors Diesel Division TDH 5304 | 3150-3174, 3980-3999, 7180-7199 | Diesel buses | 65 | 1963, 1966-1967, 1967 | Retired | |
| General Motors Diesel Division T6H 5305 | 7300-7354, 7355-7395, 7523-7562 | Diesel buses | 136 | 1968-1969, 1969-1970, 1972 | Retired | |
| General Motors Diesel Division T6H 5307N | 7570-7599, 7700-7779, 7900-7962 | Diesel buses | 173 | 1973, 1973, 1974-1975 | Retired | |
| General Motors Diesel Division T6H 5307N | 8010-8117 | Diesel buses | 108 | 1975 | November 2004 | Last order containing the VH-9 transmission, 8051 is the last bus in CRLV livery, 8073 renumbered to 2151, 8058 is the last roll sign bus |
| General Motors Diesel Division T6H 5307N | 8140-8158 | Diesel buses | 19 | 1976 | ||
| General Motors Diesel Division T6H 5307N | 8160-8204, 8270-8314, 8320-8369 | Diesel buses | 140 | 1977, 1979, 1980 | Retired or renumbered to 2000-2110 or 2150-2155 | |
| General Motors Diesel Division T6H 5307N | 8520-8561, 8570-8624, 8625-8729 | Diesel buses | 102 | 1981, 1982 | Retired or renumbered to 2000-2110 or 2700-2858 | |
| General Motors Diesel Division T6H 5307N | 8740-8985 | Diesel buses | 246 | 1982-1983 | All renumbered to 2240-2485 except 8821 which retired meaning 2321 doesn't exist | |
| General Motors Diesel Division T6H 5307N | 1002-1036 | Diesel buses | 35 | 1997 | 1998 | Leased from Utah; retired and sold to Quebec City |
| General Motors Diesel Division TA60-102N | 8500-8511 | Diesel articulated buses | 12 | 1982 | 1987 | Acquired by Mississauga Transit) |
| New Flyer Industries D40-87 | 6300-6359 | Diesel buses | 60 | 1987 | 1998-1999 | Prematurely retired due to structural failures |
| New Flyer Industries D40-90 | 6560-6638 | Diesel buses | 79 | 1990-1991 | 2004 | Prematurely retired due to structural failures |
| NovaBus RTS | 1000 | Demostrator | 1 | 1997 | 1998 | Returned to NovaBus |
| NovaBus LFS | 1001 | Demostrator | 1 | 1998 | 1999 | Sold to Barrie Transit) |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion I | 8315 | Demonstrator | 1 | 1979 | 1980s | Sold to Kingston Township Transit |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion I | 8370-8378 | Diesel bus | 9 | 1981 | early 1990s | Retired and sold off |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion I | 8730-8739 | Diesel bus | 10 | 1982 | early 1990s | Retired and sold off |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion I | 9360-9361 | CNG demonstrator | 2 | 1989 | early 1990s | Retired and sold off *Note: York University's YT1 is ex-TTC 9361 |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion III (Crown Ikarus 286) | 6360-6419, 6530-6559 | Diesel articulated buses | 90 | 1987, 1989 | January 2003 | Some earlier retirements saw service for OC Transpo |
| Orion Bus Industries Orion V CNG | 9370-9394 | CNG buses | 25 | 1990-1991 | March 2005 | Retired, 9 to be sent to the Dominican Republic |
| Flyer Industries D700A | 7500-7509, 7510-7522 | Diesel buses | 23 | 1969, 1972 | late 1980s | Retired |
| Flyer Industries D800A | 7560-8004 | Diesel buses | 45 | 1974-1975 | early 1990 | 8000 was acquired by a film company last seen in a Trident Gum commercial in 1999 |
| Flyer Industries D800B | 8210-8223, 8230-8260 | Diesel buses | 45 | 1977-1978 | September 1998-September 1999 | 8257 has been preserved by the CTHF |
| Flyer Industries D901 | 8380-8476 | Diesel buses | 97 | 1981 | November 1999 | First buses to receive kneeling function |
| Flyer Industries D901SS | 8477-8486 | Diesel buses | 10 | 1981 | November 1999 | Originally used for Grey line and first TTC bus equipped with A/C |
Denotes Easier Access vehicles Denotes wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
[edit] Current bus routes
As of 2006, the TTC operates 138 bus routes (89 assessible routes) over 6934.1 kilometres or 4308.7 miles. For detailed schedules or maps of any of the bus routes listed below, see [1]
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Blue Night Network is an overnight bus service introduced in the 1980s and operates between 1:30am to 5:00am Monday to Saturday and 1:30am to 8:00am Sunday:
- 300 Bloor-Danforth
- 301 Queen
- 302 Danforth Road-McCowan
- 303 Don Mills
- 305 Eglinton East
- 306 Carlton
- 307 Eglinton West
- 308 Finch East
- 309 Finch West
- 310 Bathurst
- 311 Islington
- 312 St. Clair
- 313 Jane
- 316 Ossington
- 319 Wilson
- 320 Yonge
- 321 York Mills
- 322 Coxwell
- 324 Victoria Park
- 329 Dufferin
- 352 Lawrence West
- 353 Steeles East
- 354 Lawrence East
- 385 Sheppard East
Denotes wheelchair-accessible routes.
(301, 306 and parts of 303, 310 and 313 south of Danforth Ave and Bloor St operated by streetcar, and therefore are not wheelchair accessible.)
[edit] Facilities
Some of Toronto's current bus fleet use are stored outdoors and not in garages. These buses have a heat exchangers and auxiliary heating elements, know as UWE, that allow them to be started even on the coldest day in the winter.
Garages using UWE:
- Eglinton/Comstock
- Birchmount
Garages capable of using CNG:
- Wilson
List of bus garages:
- Arrow Road Garage
- Birchmount Garage
- New Eglinton (Comstock) Garage
- Lakeshore Garage - uses Ford Overland ELF
- Malvern Garage
- Mount Dennis Garage - under construction and completion in 2007
- Queensway Garage
- Wilson Garage
Former garages:
- Danforth Garage
- Davenport Garage
- Old Eglinton Garage - demolished
- Lansdowne Garage
- Parkdale Garage
Lost garages:
- Dufferin Garage 1946-1947 - proposed garage scrapped
Source: The TTC's Bus Properties Transit Toronto
[edit] Trolley bus lines
The TTC first experimented with trolley buses from 1922 to 1925 on an early form of the Mount Pleasant route. The experiment was ended because demand on the route was too high, and it was converted to streetcars.
Between 1947 and 1954, the TTC acquired new trolley buses and converted several streetcar routes to use them, adding a second overhead wire for two-pole operation; new trolley bus routes were also introduced. But the last purchase of trolley buses was around 1970, and subsequent route changes were only to redeploy the existing fleet. Also around 1970, the entire trolley bus fleet was rebuilt with new bodies. When these reached the end of their working lives in the 1990s, they were temporarily augmented by trolley buses leased from Edmonton. But the TTC concluded that trolley buses were too inflexible operationally, and that it was not cost-effective to maintain a small fleet separate from the ordinary buses, so the TTC decided to shut them down. Between 1991 and 1993, all routes were converted to buses, and a few years later the overhead wires were taken down.
At this time the TTC was experimenting with compressed natural gas buses, and they hoped that these would form a more environmentally friendly replacement for the trolley buses than standard diesel buses; but the CNG buses proved unsatisfactory and were soon withdrawn.
Because of the piecemeal way that TTC routes were converted to trolley buses, they never formed a coherent or even a connected network. In 1991, there was one cluster of 6 routes centred in the area west and northwest of downtown, and a separate group of 3 routes in the North Toronto neighbourhood. Each area used a different bus garage, and vehicles could be transferred between the two areas only by towing. Further, the endpoints of each route were generally unchanged from when it had first been operated by trolley buses, due to the cost of erecting overhead; several of the routes were extended soon after the trolleybuses were removed from them.
Prior to the cancellation of trolley bus service, the TTC had 51 Western Flyers and leased 2 from Edmonton. The last remaining trolley bus was abandoned in a private lot near Leslie Street and York Mills Road. It has since been removed and scrapped.
[edit] Routes
These routes were formerly served by trolley buses. All are now served by buses; in some cases the routes have been significantly altered, and some route names and numbers have been changed as shown in parentheses. The route numbers in the 300 series were used during Blue Night Network hours.
- 4 Annette (26 Dupont)
- 6 Bay
- 40 Junction
- 47/315 Lansdowne
- 61 Nortown / Nortown West (Avenue Road North)
- 63/316 Ossington
- 74 Mount Pleasant
- 89 Weston Road / Weston
- 97 Yonge
- 103 Nortown East (Mount Pleasant North)
[edit] Trolley vehicle types
| Make/Model | Description | Fleet size | Year acquired | Year retired | Notes |
| Packard/Canadian Brills ED | trolley buses | 3 | 1922 - leased | 1928 | retired and sold for scrap to DM Campbell |
| Canada Car and Foundry T44-T1, T44-T2, T44-T3 | trolley buses | 49, 24, 9 | 1947-1948 | 1972 | retired |
| Canada Car and Foundry TC48-T5 | trolley buses | 14 | 1948 | 1968-1972 | retired (ex-Cincinnati Street Railway) 1953; some rebuilt |
| Canada Car and Foundry TC48-T6 | trolley buses | 4 | 1951 | 1968-1972 | retired (ex-Ottawa Transportation Commission) 1959; rebuilt 1968-1972 |
| Canada Car and Foundry TC48A-T4 | trolley buses | 39 | 1953 | 1968-1972 | retired (ex-Ottawa Transportation Commission); some rebuilt 1968-1972 |
| Marmon-Herrington TC48-T5 and TC44-T7 | trolley buses | 7 | 1947 | 1968-1972 | retired (ex-Cleveland Railway Company) 1963; some rebuilt 1968-1972 |
| Western Flyer E700A-T8 | trolley buses | 51 | 1968-1972 rebuilds | 1992 | retired |
| General Motors HR150G-T6H5307N-T9/Brown Boveri Buses | trolley buses | 50 | 1980 (ETS 1989-1992) | 1992 | leased from Edmonton Transit System; returned to ETS |
[edit] Facilities
Trolleybus operated out of three garages :
- Eglinton Garage
- Lansdowne Garage
- Wade Yard
Source: The Garage Transit Toronto
[edit] Loops
Most TTC bus routes terminate at stations or loop around side streets at the other end. Here are some of the loops still used:
- Albion Road west of Humberline Drive
- Avenue Road and Bombay Avenue - loop replaced with wider Avenue Road
- Bayview Avenue and Steeles Avenue East: northwest corner
- Brimley Road and Steeles Avenue East - northeast corner
- Burnhamthorpe Road east of Mill Road
- Commissioner Street west of Leslie Street
- Coxwell Avenue and Queen Street East (Woodbine Beach Park)
- Doncliffe Drive and Mount Pleasant Road
- Dufferin Street and Finch Avenue West
- Eglinton Avenue West west of Renforth Drive
- Esna Park Drive and Steeles Avenue East
- Finch Avenue East east of Don Mills Road (Seneca College's Newnham Campus)
- Glen Echo Loop (Glen Echo Road and Yonge Street) - redeveloped
- Humber Loop (on The Queensway)
- Humberwood Blvd and Humberline Drive
- Keele Street and Weston: trolley bus
- Keele Street and McNaughton Road
- Kipling Avenue and Steeles Avenue West: west of Kipling next to Esso station on northwest side
- Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive and Colonel Samuel Smith Park Waterfront - inside Humber College Lakeshore Campus at Colonel Samuel Smith Park
- Jane Loop (Jane Street and Bloor Street West) - now Jane Subway station
- Lansing (Sheppard) Loop (Sheppard Avenue and Yonge Street)
- Lake Shore Boulevard and Northern Dancer Boulevard (Ashbridges Bay Park, served by 92 Woodbine South buses; opened January 6, 2005)
- Lawrence Avenue East east of East Avenue
- Lawrence Avenue East east of Starspray Blvd
- Long Branch Loop (Brown's Line and Lakeshore Blvd W)
- Luttrell Loop (Luttrell Avenue and Danforth Avenue east of Dawes Road) - redeveloped
- Markham Road and Major Mackenzie Drive
- McCowan Road and Steeles Avenue East - northeast corner, across of Petro Canada station
- McNicoll Avenue west of Kennedy Road
- Middlefield Road and Steeles Avenue East - northeast corner
- Morningside Avenue and Old Finch Avenue
- Newton Drive and Bayview Avenue - replaced by Bayview-Steeles loop
- Oak Street and Weston Road - redeveloped
- Otter Loop (on Avenue Road south of Lawrence) - not used
- Pharmacy Avenue north of Steeles Avenue East, on east side of the Liberty Centre building
- Rathburn Road and Mill Road (Centennial Park)
- Steeles Avenue West west of Martin Grove Road
- Steeles Avenue West west of Islington Avenue
- Steeles Avenue East between Yonge Street and Dumont Avenue
- St Clair Avenue West and Lansdowne Avenue
- St Clair Avenue West and Old Weston Road
- Rogers Road and Weston Road (Avon Loop)
- GO Rouge Hill Station
- Victoria Park Avenue north of Steeles Avenue East, on west side of the Liberty Centre building
- Warden Avenue and Steeles Avenue East: northwest side next to Warden Centre
- Weston Road and Major Mackenzie Drive
- Yonge Street and Steeles Avenue East: east of Yonge, south side of Steeles
- York University Common
[edit] Shelters
Prior to the 1980s, the bus shelters on TTC routes were installed and maintained by the TTC and the city. A number of shelters are installed by Viacom Outdoor (formerly Mediacomm and TDI) and formerly by Transad (now Transad Outdoor Media). In addition, Viacom is responsible for all other forms of advertising on the TTC.
[edit] Bike rack
Starting in early 2005, the TTC began a year long pilot project to test bicycle racks on 5 select routes as a way to boost ridership. The folding racks are installed on the front of the bus and can hold 2 bikes. If successful, the TTC will roll out the racks on more routes. In the event that both slots at the front of the bus are full, bicycles are allowed to be put inside buses after rush hour periods only. The project is currently being tested at Wilson garage using the CNG Orion V, Orion VI and Orion VII.
- 7 Bathurst North
- 29 Dufferin
- 47 Lansdowne
- 98 Willowdale-Senlac
- 161 Rogers Rd
- 310 Bathurst (planned for mid-summer)
- 60 Steeles West
The project is supported by the City of Toronto.
For more information, see: TTC Bike Racks
[edit] TTC in the movies
- TTC OBI Orion V 2177 - likely Oakville Transit OBI Orion V 905 starring in the CTV movie Plague City - SARS in Toronto (2005).
[edit] Bio Bus Program
The TTC is experimenting with a bio-diesel fuel mixture as part of the drive for cleaner vehicles. Initially tested at Queensway garage however due to the success of the mixture is gradually being used in other garages like Arrow Road, Malvern, Birchmount, and Eglinton.
Buses using the new mixture include:
- General Motors Diesel Division GM New Look
- General Motors Diesel Division/Motor Coach Industries Classic
- Flyer Industries D901
- New Flyer Industries D40
- New Flyer Industries D40LF
- Orion Bus Industries Orion V
- Orion Bus Industries Orion VII
Orion VI are powered by CNG and do not have Biobus stickers.
