Office of the Chief Executive

Mandatory mask mandate expires on public transit

Last week, the Province announced that the mandatory mask mandate would expire on June 11 for public transit.

While masks are no longer mandatory, in accordance with public health guidelines, masks are strongly recommended when travelling on the TTC and while on TTC property. The requirement for employees to wear a mask will be limited to: classrooms; conference rooms or board rooms; Transit Control rooms; and when travelling in non-revenue vehicles with others. Customers will no longer need to wear a mask while taking the TTC.

It is still mandatory for Wheel-Trans Operators and customers to wear masks while travelling in Wheel-Trans vehicles, including contracted vehicles. This decision was made in consultation with the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit (ACAT) due to the close proximity between customers and employees, and to protect vulnerable passengers that share rides on Wheel-Trans.

Staff continue to work closely with public health officials, and other measures remain unchanged, such as:

• Enhanced air flow on buses. Windows will continue to be opened when vehicles enter service. Decals are affixed on all bus windows to encourage customers to leave them open for fresh air.

• Vehicle filtration has been upgraded to the highest standards.

• Enhanced cleaning in stations and vehicles is ongoing.

Ridership update

Another sign that things are returning to normal – TTC customer travel trends continue to show a steady uptick in our ridership numbers.

As of the week ending on May 27, and as was the case throughout the pandemic, the bus fleet is carrying the majority of riders at 65 per cent of pre-COVID levels. It is followed by the streetcar fleet at 53 per cent of pre-COVID totals and the subway fleet at 49 per cent.

Demand for transit services continues to get a boost from the easing of public health restrictions, major events and celebrations returning to the city and a return-to-office where in the downtown core occupancy is expected to hit 30 per cent by the end of June.

We have committed to restoring service to pre-pandemic levels in 2022 and this is an exciting step for us. We will continue to keep you updated on our ridership numbers over the coming months.

Stay safe.

Richard J. Leary
Chief Executive Officer
June 13, 2022