TTC restoring service to four midtown bus routes
Evening and weekend service is being restored to four midtown bus routes.
The 5 Avenue Road, 14 Glencairn, 33 Forest Hill and 74 Mount Pleasant, all of which had evening service reduced in 2011, will see it restored in September. The 33 Forest Hill route will also have weekend service reinstated.
“It isn’t fair to say to people who have to work on a Sunday evening that they are not able to have the same level of service as someone who might work traditional hours,” TTC Chair and Ward 15 councillor Josh Colle said in commenting on the move, which is coming by way of a $100 million transit subsidy from the city. “That’s how our city moves and operates now, and we need to provide service that reflects those needs.”
City hall budget cuts in 2011 had affected 56 bus routes across the city. The service cuts were expected to save the TTC $15 million a year.
Colle said the current restoration, which will see service returned or enhanced on 43 bus routes starting on Sept. 6, was a result of the city’s renewed investment in the TTC, and will hopefully include new buses and express routes in the near future.
“I think people recognize that these services are not ‘nice to have’ — they’re must-haves — and so there was an effort to find the money,” he said.
I wish the 74 Mount Pleasant and the 103 Mount Pleasant North routes could become just one route. Changing at Eglinton to continue north is a pain.