CEO's Report: September Commentary

I want to begin by saying how honoured I am to take on the role of interim CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission. It is a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to lead North America's third largest public transit carrier.

I have always been impressed with the work done by the TTC and the service it provides. I know a lot goes into putting this service together, and one of the things I have enjoyed the most so far has been meeting everyone across the organization.

In fact, it was great to meet and talk to so many people at the TTC/United Way campaign kick-off earlier this month. The TTC launches its annual fundraising campaign for United Way Greater Toronto every September. Last year, TTC employees raised more than $678,000 in support of our community through public events, canvassing colleagues, and local workplace fundraisers. This year, we hope to do even better!

On September 28, the TTC will hold an open house at Hillcrest Complex. It is going to be a fun and family-friendly day where TTC riders and the general public can explore one of the TTC's most dynamic and historic work sites.

The event allows people to go behind the scenes and take a guided tour of our facility, which in 2024 celebrates its 100th anniversary! More than 2,000 people visited the last open house at Hillcrest's Harvey Shop and Streetcar Way Building in 2022 and we expect a great turnout this year as well.

Ridership update
​For the week ending September 7, the overall weekday boardings stood at 2.6 million per day, which made another post-pandemic high since the last week of March 2024.

Overall demand was six per cent higher compared to the same week in 2023. Weekday boardings by mode continue to be highest on the bus network at 1.3 million, whereas streetcar and subway boardings were at 230,000 and 1.1 million, respectively. Compared to a year ago, bus, streetcar, and subway demand increased by three per cent, 10 per cent and nine per cent. The commencement of Toronto District School Board and Toronto District Catholic School Board, along with post-secondary classes that week, resulted in a 14 per cent increase in weekday customer demand compared to the previous week, bringing demand back up to levels observed before the summer.

The overall demand is anticipated to further increase as employees return from summer vacations and students adapt to their commutes for the school year.

Corporate Services Group

2025 Budget submission update
​Over the summer, the TTC Finance team has been focused on developing the TTC's 2025 Operating and 2025-2034 Capital Budget and Plan, working with all departments to understand business needs and assess associated budget pressures. In terms of our operations, priority continues to be placed on funding pressures that will maintain service safety and reliability, support customer service and demand, and advance key strategic initiatives guided by our new Corporate Plan. The July report, titled "Prioritizing TTC Asset State of Good Repair to Keep the System Moving Reliably – 2025 Capital Budget Outlook," outlined the TTC's capital priorities, which have been used to allocate any additional capital funding freed up through a thorough review of our current capital projects and the additional $500 million approved by City Council for the 2025 Budget process. Addressing unfunded State of Good Repair (SOGR), service demand, and operational needs continues to be challenging given overall affordability constraints.

People and Culture Group

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
​September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada and Orange Shirt Day. The TTC is recognizing and committing to the process of truth and reconciliation with Indigenous communities as we reflect on the history and lasting intergenerational effects of Residential Schools and colonization on Indigenous communities.

TTC employees will have the option of wearing an orange shirt in honour of the survivors of the Residential Schools and all of the children who did not return home. The TTC will also share artwork from Indigenous artists in September and October on its digital platforms, both internally and externally.

Thanks to TTC's student workforce
​We said goodbye to our summer and co-op students last month. An official farewell took place at the Toronto Zoo where we thanked more than 400 students in our workforce who all did an amazing job this summer. Our efforts through the summer to provide our customers the best service have largely been successful, thanks to their support.

Summer and co-op students play an important role at the TTC. They bring fresh perspectives, new energy, and endless enthusiasm to the workplace. Their growth and development as employees is our continued development as an organization. As Interim CEO, I wish them great success in their chosen career paths. No doubt we will see many of them back full-time in the future.

My thanks to Toronto Zoo staff, who helped facilitate our visit, and our staff, who organized a very special farewell.

Strategy and Customer Experience Group

School field trip pilot now underway
​The TTC has begun a one-year pilot to reimburse schools for PRESTO tickets purchased for Grade 7 to 12 supervised student field trips on Mondays and Fridays. All Toronto public, Catholic, and French-speaking schools will have access to the pilot, providing more than 145,000 students with a no-cost transit option to facilitate access to educational outings while instilling a sense of confidence and responsibility in public transit.

Schools can be reimbursed for PRESTO tickets used for field trips taken on Mondays and Fridays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Groups of six to 20 students can take any 10-Minute Network bus route as well as the subway and streetcars. Larger groups of up to 50 students can take any subway line. Groups of five or fewer students can use all conventional TTC modes.

Students must participate in classroom training on topics ranging from transit etiquette, fare compliance, and safety before each field trip.

TTC partners with Transit app
​The TTC has partnered with Transit app to pilot its bus and streetcar detour feature, making it easier for customers to plan their trip in advance or adjust their travel along the way. All bus and streetcar routes are part of this 12-month pilot and the feature is free to use.

Customers using the Transit app to plan their trip or see bus and streetcar arrival times, can now see, in real-time, if the vehicle is travelling off its regular route due to on-street emergencies, extreme weather, construction or other unplanned events.

In the app, customers can select a route by clicking on it. The route map will appear, and it will show where the vehicle is, when it's scheduled to arrive, how crowded it is, whether it is travelling on its regular route or has diverted from the route and where the temporary stops are located if it's no longer on its original route. Customer can share their feedback through Transit's app Contact Us feature in the app.

Public Forum on Accessible Transit
​The TTC is holding its 17th Public Forum on Accessible Transit on Wednesday, September 18. The annual meeting is where we speak directly with customers on our extensive accessibility initiatives, including the Wheel-Trans 10-Year Strategy, Family of Services, and Easier Access projects. This year's public forum will be held at North York Memorial Hall at 5110 Yonge St. (north of North York Centre Station on Line 1).

A marketplace for one-on-one discussions with TTC staff begins at 6 p.m. and will be followed by a moderated question-and-answer session starting at 7 p.m. The forum will be live-streamed. Real-time captioning, sign language, and attendant care will be available. More information is posted at ttc.ca/accessibility.

The TTC's new mission statement is to serve the needs of transit riders by providing a safe, reliable, efficient, and accessible public transit service through a seamless integrated network, creating access to opportunity for everyone. The feedback we receive directly from riders and the public is essential for helping us to improve the accessible conventional and specialized services we deliver to our diverse customer base.

Transportation and Vehicles Group

Services improvements launched in September
​The TTC rolled out significant improvements to service starting on September 1. We are improving service frequency to reduce crowding and match service with projected ridership demand, addressing gaps in the 10-Minute Network, and adjusting to reflect changes in demand resulting from the One Fare Program. In total, service frequency was improved on 14 bus routes throughout the city.

Specific initiatives for September included:

• Service frequency improvements on Line 1 Yonge-University in most time periods Monday-Friday, including two additional southbound trips at the busiest times at Bloor-Yonge Station in the morning peak period, and four additional trips northbound at the busiest times at King Station in the afternoon peak period.

• As approved in the 2024 Annual Service Plan, service adjustments impact routes in Northeast Scarborough, Scarborough East, and Etobicoke South.

• New schedules on 23 bus routes system-wide to improve service reliability and ensure that buses arrive and depart as scheduled.

When service changes are fully implemented this fall, the bus network, which has seen sustained and increasing ridership levels, will have more service hours than were in place pre-pandemic. Across the system, service hours will increase to 97 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, with ridership at approximately 80-to-85 per cent compared to 2019.

Operations and Infrastructure Group

Upgrades to streetcar overhead on Queens Quay and Fleet Street
​Also in September, the TTC began modernizing the streetcar power network on a three-kilometre stretch of track between the Harbourfront Tunnel and Strachan Avenue. The project involves replacing overhead wires and upgrading the underground power systems along the corridor – essential for ensuring a more reliable and efficient service.

The project will be performed in three stages, resulting in changes to streetcar service and bus replacements. As part of the plan, Harbourfront streetcars will be restored for Taylor Swift concert dates in November (at Rogers Centre November 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23) with increased service on multiple routes to accommodate an influx of visitors to Toronto.

The first stage of the work, between the Harbourfront Tunnel and Spadina Avenue, started on September 3 and runs until early October. During this time, buses will replace 509 Harbourfront streetcars between Union Station and Exhibition Place. Eastbound buses will operate within the Queens Quay streetcar right-of-way from Spadina to York, while westbound buses will serve curbside stops. At Union Station, customers will take the 509 Harbourfront replacement buses at street stops located on Bay at Front.

The second stage of work is scheduled to begin in early October. This stage will focus on completing the upgrades between Spadina Avenue and Bathurst Street. During this period, 509 Harbourfront streetcar service will be restored between Union Station and Spadina. A modified branch of 510 Spadina replacement buses will be extended west and serve stops between Spadina and Exhibition Place.

Beginning in November through early 2025, the third stage of work will complete overhead work west of Bathurst along Fleet. During this phase, 509 Harbourfront streetcar service will continue to operate between Union Station and Spadina, and 511 Bathurst streetcars will be extended to run along Queens Quay to Union Station.

When complete early next year, streetcars along Queens Quay and Fleet Street will use an optimized and improved pantograph overhead contact system that is fully compatible with the TTC's modern and growing fleet of accessible streetcars, enhancing service reliability along the waterfront.

Restricted Speed Zones on Lines 1 and 2
​The TTC advises customers of preventative maintenance work underway on isolated sections of subway tracks on Lines 1 and 2 to repair minor track issues identified during regular track inspections. This proactive approach allows the TTC to address the potential problems before they escalate into more serious disruptions and to ensure the subway service's ongoing safety and dependability.

At the isolated points where maintenance work is taking place, trains are running at reduced speeds, resulting in longer-than-normal travel times for some customers. To expedite repairs and minimize disruptions, the TTC is leveraging existing state-of-good-repair projects and scheduled weekend closures, allowing maintenance crews to work efficiently and effectively to complete necessary repairs. Work is also carried out after service concludes each night.

A comprehensive list of each restricted speed zone is available at ttc.ca.

Work Car Hydraulic Fluid Spills
​Rail industry expert Hatch is finalizing their investigation, and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) concluded its peer review in July with a report under development. The results of the Hatch investigation and the APTA peer Review will be presented to the Board in Q4 2024.

In parallel to the third-party reviews, the TTC has completed the following internally:

1. Conducted a preliminary root cause analysis of each failure;

2. Performed a fleet-wide inspection of all work car hydraulic systems; and

Increased preventive maintenance inspections before work cars are released for service, including a pre-trip hydraulic system inspection.

Engineering, Construction and Expansion Group

Progress update on SRT Busway
​Since the SRT (Line 3 Scarborough) was decommissioned in 2023 and the subsequent implementation of a bus replacement service with transit priority measures and bus terminal improvements, much work is now taking place to deliver the next phase of improvements related to the Busway.

For example, the Early Works program to remove wayside systems, including track and signals from the SRT right-of-way between Kennedy and Ellesmere stations, was awarded in August. The Early Works contract is scheduled for completion by the end of 2024.

The Busway's design is progressing and scheduled for 100 per cent completion by year-end.

The Transit Rail Project Assessment Process (TRPAP) is another important component and tracked for year-end completion. Notice of Commencement was issued in August. An open house will be held on September 24 to engage with the community and discuss the study process. The TTC aims to obtain the Notice to Proceed from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in Q4 2024.

Donlands Station becomes accessible
​Last month, the TTC launched two easier access elevators into service at Donlands Station on Line 2. The TTC now has a total of 55 of 70 subway stations that are accessible, and making it easier to get around for people using wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, other mobility devices or baby strollers.

Of the 15 remaining stations to become accessible, two more stations are scheduled to be completed in 2024: Glencairn and Castle Frank. By the end of 2024, 81 per cent of subway stations will be completed.

Elevator construction is underway at 14 stations: College, Summerhill, Rosedale, Castle Frank, Glencairn, Greenwood, Lawrence, Christie, High Park, Spadina, Museum, Warden (EA component) and King.

The TTC's Easier Access Phase III Project will make the remaining subway stations accessible in 2026.

Innovation and Sustainability Program

TTC youth wins second Innovation Challenge
​The TTC's young employees are bursting with innovation and creativity. That is why another talented team recently took first place in the continent-wide Introducing Youth to American Infrastructure (IYAI) Innovation Challenge. The TTC won for a second consecutive year. This achievement is a testament to our amazing young people's incredible talent, dedication and passion.

The IYAI competition between transit agencies is designed to encourage young people 18 to 25, to pursue a career in transit. This is an excellent opportunity to engage our young minds and to help drive innovation.

Congratulations to the TTC's Youth Team: Peter Lai, Peter Zhang, Carl Noor, Huma Gonzalez, Nicolas and Daniel Van. They proposed a three-pronged solution to help combat fare evasion on the system using data and technology, structural barriers, and equity-focused fare policy ideas.

Thanks also to all of our volunteer participants who put forward their innovative and creative ideas. A big thanks to the team's mentors: Iniobong Udoh, Uma Pragadeeshram, Narmie Kandiah, Matt Hagg, Sierra Buehler, Jeff Short, Christine Triggs, Dorothy Chao, and Steve Micacchi. They provided timely statistics, data, and mentoring throughout the preparation for the challenge.

The next scheduled TTC Board meeting will be on Tuesday, September 24. The public meeting will be live-streamed on the Official TTC YouTube Channel.

Greg Percy
​Interim Chief Executive Officer
​September 2024