CEO's Report: May Commentary

Earlier this month, we announced that the TTC is introducing a number of significant improvements to regular service. Starting May 12, the TTC is delivering more frequent and reliable trips, shorter wait times, and more room for customers on board.

The latest round of service increases brings service to 96 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, the highest since 2019. Twenty-four bus routes see improved service, primarily in off-peak periods, including the 995 York Mills Express, which has a 50-per-cent increase in service to support the key employment and residential corridors between York Mills and the University of Toronto Scarborough campus.

Some of the service changes include the following targeted initiatives:

• Providing more room onboard and improving more than 140,000 daily customer trips;

• Improving service frequency to reduce crowding and match service with projected ridership demand;

• Addressing gaps in the 10-Minute Network;

• Improving service frequency on routes where demand has shifted since the closure of Line 3 Scarborough; and

• Updating schedules to reflect operating conditions and improve service reliability.

Seasonal service adjustments include restoring various 200-series routes that serve key city leisure destinations, such as Toronto Zoo, Bluffer’s Park and Cherry Beach.

For the week ending May 3, the overall weekday boardings stood at 81 per cent of pre-COVID levels or 2.5 million. A slight uptake in the number of office commuters was observed over the past several weeks, but this increase was offset by a reduction in post- secondary students during the examination weeks. Weekday boardings by mode continue to be highest on the bus network at 91 per cent of pre-COVID levels while streetcar and subway boardings were, respectively, at 74 per cent and 73 per cent.

For complete details on the service changes, TTC riders can follow @TTCNotices on X (formerly Twitter) or check ttc.ca for the most up-to-date information.

Transportation and Vehicles Group

TTC Celebrates Hillcrest’s 100th
​When the TTC formed in 1921, it purchased a 22-acre site on the southwest corner of Bathurst and Davenport. Construction on the new site began in 1921, and after three years of steady construction, Hillcrest Complex was born. It was named after Hillcrest Race Track, which had previously occupied the site. Through the years, Hillcrest has grown and expanded to meet the operational needs of the TTC. Most recently, the TTC opened a new Streetcar Way facility to centralize streetcar infrastructure activities. The facility enables TTC workers to bend larger rail pieces, which reduces joint failures and rail assembly time.

This year, the TTC will be celebrating the 100-year anniversary of Hillcrest Complex. Later this year, we will be opening the doors of the property to the public so they can see firsthand the importance of Hillcrest to the TTC’s operations.

Over the coming years, the property will transform once again in order to house and maintain the arrival of additional accessible streetcars. This project will include alterations to the yard and to Harvey Shop. Community relations efforts are currently underway to support this construction project. And we will continue to keep the Board informed of the progress.

Light Rail Vehicle Apprenticeship Graduates
​To address the growing need for skilled technicians to support the expansion of light rail transit vehicles across Ontario, the TTC Streetcar Maintenance Department, partnered with Centennial College to develop the first Light Rail Technician Apprenticeship Program. This Program, which started in 2021, is based on the Railway Car Technician Program (268R) and is being modified to suit light rail technology. In total, the program requires approximately 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and three levels of classroom studies.

In 2022, the first apprenticeship class was introduced to students. This month, I am proud to say that the TTC recently recognized its first three graduates. These graduates are Adam Sargent, Jason Simpson and Henry Kiwanuka, who challenged and successfully passed the Ministry 268R exam.

The program provides students with the skills and training needed to meet the challenges of working on today’s modern vehicles and systems. In addition, this program helps to build pride, professionalism, and camaraderie as becoming a licensed Rail Technician takes commitment, discipline, knowledge and skill, ultimately opening the door for new apprentices to have a meaningful career in the transportation sector.

While only in its infancy, the Light Rail Technician Apprenticeship Program is gaining attention across Canada as it sets the standard for education, training and experience needed for individuals working in the industry.

We know TTC apprentices who graduate from this program and successfully pass the exam will be frontrunners in this growing field. We look forward to congratulating more graduates in the future.

Operations and Infrastructure Group

Summer students join Stations team
​The TTC’s spring station-cleaning blitz gets underway in May. We have once again hired 100 post-secondary summer students to join the Stations Department. This year the objective of the cleaning blitz is to cover all subway stations twice. From now to the end of August, our student janitors will clean ceilings, walls, floors, and all metal surfaces and touchpoints.

The blitz teams will be spending a week at a time at an assigned station manually scrubbing surfaces and stairs, and performing detailed cleaning of stainless steel doors, door/window frames, waste receptacles, elevators, escalators and benches.

And, in addition to the blitz, we will have more than 400 students joining the TTC in areas, such as Engineering, Finance, Innovation and Sustainability and Operations. Welcome students!

Innovation and Sustainability Program

Update on TTC’s Electric Fleet
​The TTC has committed to electrifying 50 per cent of its fleet by 2030 and 100 per cent before 2040. With investments from our government partners, the TTC is contributing to a greener future for Toronto by improving air quality, reducing noise pollution, and decreasing its environmental footprint.

The TTC will have 60 more accessible streetcars by the end of 2025, with roughly half of that number being delivered by the end of this year.

Next month, the TTC is set to receive its last shipment of hybrid-electric buses before transitioning to exclusively purchasing zero-emissions battery electric buses (eBuses). The TTC’s latest generation of hybrid-electric buses have proven to be the most reliable the city has ever seen, all while cutting emissions and fuel costs by nearly half.

The first new eBus is set to arrive within weeks. By the end of 2025, the TTC will welcome 340 more battery-electric buses, raising our total number of eBuses to 400 – by far the largest in North America. The TTC is actively working to install 24 new eBus charging systems at garages across the city ahead of new vehicle deliveries.

Work on greening the roughly 240 Wheel-Trans buses in our fleet has been underway since 2017 through the transition from diesel to gasoline-fuelled buses. Innovation continues at Wheel-Trans with an RFP currently in the market to pilot up to 10 battery-electric buses (eWT Buses). This pilot will evaluate bus and vendor performance in our operating environment, and provide lessons learned to inform future procurements. In parallel, vehicle charging systems are being deployed for eWT Buses to ensure the EVs can hit the road as soon as they arrive.

Lastly, but also significant, the TTC is currently working to deploy its first EVs and chargers to begin replacing our close to 1,000 non-revenue vehicles.

We are proud to be leaders in the green space and look forward to keeping the Board updated on our progress.

Engineering, Construction and Expansion Group

Finch West LRT Train Operating Services Agreement
​Following the approval provided by the Board at its January 25, 2024 meeting, in April the TTC successfully completed negotiations with Metrolinx and City staff on the Line 6 Finch West LRT Train Operating Services Agreement (TOSA). LRT Operations department staff conducted internal reviews with applicable departments and their respective Chief Officers to prepare a full review with myself and our Legal team.

This Agreement will be signed in mid May by the City Manager, Metrolinx President & CEO, and myself, which will be administered for the TTC by the LRT Operations Department. The TTC is assisting in many great things that are happening on the LRT projects, which I would like to highlight below:

• This Agreement will be signed in mid May by the City Manager, Metrolinx President & CEO, and myself, which will be administered for the TTC by the LRT Operations Department. The TTC is assisting in many great things that are happening on the LRT projects, which I would like to highlight below:

• Dedicated TTC Instructor staff at each line assist with vehicle testing and commissioning.

• Leading the development of the Operator/Driver training program for Line 6 Finch West to assist project partners.

• The TTC’s participation in Engineering Technical reviews as it relates to operating systems and operating environment.

• TTC staff assisting the Project Companies with the development of both the Line 5 and 6 Rule Book and all SOPs.

The TTC remains committed to assisting Metrolinx and its project partner companies in successfully opening these lines safely and efficiently to enhance the overall TTC network in our great city.

Bloor-Yonge overnight work
​The TTC thanks our neighbours along Bloor Street East for their patience as we completed overnight sewer work for the future expanded Bloor-Yonge subway station. The overnight work was completed in late April.

Sewer and hydro utilities along Bloor Street East are being relocated to make room for the future expanded Bloor-Yonge Station footprint, which will include a new Line 2 Bloor-Danforth passenger platform and expanded Line 1 Yonge-University platforms.

Additional daytime weekend work is scheduled on the north side of Bloor Street East for May 4-5, 11-12, 18-19 and 25-26.

People Group

Labour Relations Update
​We were extremely pleased that the TTC and CUPE Local 2 were able to reach a tentative agreement and avoid job action and any potential service disruptions. This is a fair deal that acknowledges the important work the 650 members of CUPE Local 2 do every day to keep our system safe and our service reliable. Details will be shared with everyone after the agreement is ratified by the union membership and the TTC Board.

The TTC is currently in negotiations with ATU Local 113. Since February, bargaining teams have been working hard to reach a fair, negotiated collective agreement. ATU Local 113 is our largest union partner, representing approximately 11,500 Operators, Collectors, maintenance, stations staff and other frontline employees. The TTC values the important and challenging work carried out by all our employees – the employees in ATU Local 113 are an integral part of our operations.

The bargaining teams from ATU and the TTC remain at the table where they continue to negotiate a new collective agreement to replace the one that expired on March 31, 2024. We remain committed to keeping everyone updated on negotiations as they progress. We encourage both our employees and customers to check our website at www.ttc.ca/bargaining for the most current updates.

Strategy and Customer Experience Group

TTC introduces Body-Worn Camera pilot
​At last month’s Board meeting, Commissioners approved a pilot to support the

Revenue Protection and Special Constable Service Culture Change Program. The Body-Worn Camera pilot is scheduled to run for a nine-month period, beginning at the end of this month.

At the start of the pilot, 20 Special Constables and 20 Fare Inspectors will be equipped with body-worn cameras. The phased implementation will have body-worn cameras rotated among all Special Constables and Fare Inspectors, each wearing the devices for a six-week period. Through this phased approach, all Officers will have the opportunity to be equipped with a body-worn camera during the pilot.

An evaluation of pilot success will be completed using established KPIs, with a report outlining the final results to the TTC Board in Q4 2024.

Body-worn cameras will provide an unbiased, independent account of Officer/customer interactions. Officers will activate the camera during the full duration of their interactions with customers in the following circumstances:

• Fare Inspectors: When conducting fare inspections and when interacting with customers to investigate and ensure compliance with TTC By-law No 1.

• Special Constables: When interacting with customers for the purpose of a lawful investigation with respect to TTC By-law No 1, Trespass to Property Act, Liquor Licence and Control Act, Mental Health Act, and Criminal Code of Canada. Officers are required to inform customers that they are being recorded through both video and audio at the earliest opportunity in their interaction with them.

Starting this summer, all 14 Special Constable patrol cars will have in-car camera systems installed as part of a second nine-month pilot.

I look forward to updating the Board on the outcomes of the pilot program.

Bay Lower opens its doors to Toronto
​Bay Lower, long considered one of the City’s hidden treasures, will open its doors to the public on Saturday, May 25 as part of Toronto’s Doors Open event. Doors will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and we expect thousands of visitors to the station below Bay Station.

Although closed to the public since 1966, the abandoned station has appeared in numerous feature films, music videos, and television commercials over the years – movies such as Total Recall, Resident Evil and Suicide Squad.

Everyone is invited to take a self-guided tour of the station, where the likes of Michael Douglas, Bruce Willis, Mark Wahlberg, The Weeknd, Drake, and many others have come to film. We are proud to participate in Doors Open and look forward to welcoming people to the TTC.

Diversity and Culture Group

TTC celebrates Asian Heritage Month
​TTC employees are celebrating Asian Heritage Month this May. Staff who are of Asian heritage are showcasing their rich culture and sharing their unique experiences across our communication channels throughout the month. Events will be held at worksites across the Commission to celebrate the month.

The TTC is proud to support Asian Heritage Month. We are committed to building an organization that celebrates diversity. My thanks to those employees who are sharing their stories, insights, histories and traditions. Diversity and inclusion remain priorities for this organization, and the TTC needs to reflect the city and communities we serve. We are striving to do all we can to ensure the TTC is a welcoming place for everyone.

TTC recognizes National AccessAbility Week
​The TTC marks National AccessAbility Week from May 26 to June 1. Beginning May 26, two Wheel-Trans buses will be wrapped with artwork by Indigenous and Two-Spirit artists with disabilities. An accessibility campaign has also been launched to help our Operators revisit the various ways in which they can support customers with disabilities travelling on the TTC.

The TTC is proud to celebrate the contributions of Canadians with disabilities and promote accessibility and inclusion in different spheres of life. National AccessAbility Week represents an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to building a more inclusive workplace for employees and to making the TTC accessible for everyone.

Safety and Environment Group

Road Safety Week
​May 14-20 is Canada Road Safety Week, an initiative to encourage everyone to adopt and follow safe driving practices. At the TTC, safety is paramount in everything we do. With more than 180 TTC bus and streetcar routes throughout the city, we recognize the important role we play in keeping our roads safe. Throughout the month, we will be sharing safety reminders with employees and customers to promote safe driving, particularly targeted for spring and summer weather.

Finally, at City Council on April 17, the appointment of a Public Member to the TTC Board was approved. I would like to welcome citizen Commissioner Liane Kim. She will be serving for a term of office ending on June 16, 2027.

Liane Kim is an Internal Audit and Enterprise Risk Management executive. She currently leads the Internal Audit function at Home Trust, a federally regulated financial institution. Previously, she was Chief Risk and Audit Executive at Ontario Power Generation, Vice President Enterprise Risk Management at D+H (now Finastra), and senior consultant at various global consultancies.

Commissioner Kim holds the CFA designation and is a graduate from the University of Alberta, holding a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science degrees. Commissioner Kim lives with her family in Toronto.

The next meeting of the TTC Board is scheduled for Thursday, May 16, and will be live-streamed on the Official TTC YouTube Channel.

Richard J. Leary
​Chief Executive Officer
​May 2024

This commentary is published in the CEO’s Report, which can be found on the TTC Intranet and ttc.ca.