CEO's Report: January Commentary

Happy New Year and Happy Lunar New Year to everyone celebrating on January 29. I hope everyone had an enjoyable and memorable holiday with friends and family. I want to take this opportunity to wish all TTC employees and customers all the best in the year ahead.

The TTC was proud to help usher in the New Year with free and seamless service for those celebrating into the night on New Year’s Eve and early morning on New Year’s Day. The TTC saw 1.88 million boardings – a 33-per-cent increase over the previous year. My thanks again to Corby Spirit and Wine for sponsoring free New Year’s Eve service for the 10th year – a popular holiday tradition with customers.

TTC ridership continues to increase. In 2024, we saw annual ridership grow for the third straight year. Compared to the same week a year ago, subway demand increased by 14 per cent and streetcar and bus both increased by five per cent. The overall customer demand decreased due to the holiday season and fewer commutes for work and school. It is expected for demand to return to November levels in mid-January 2025.

This year, the TTC will welcome its 34 billionth customer since its inception in 1921. In 2025, the TTC remains focused on moving even more customers safely and efficiently across our city and beyond. I am very proud of what we have accomplished so far, and I am looking forward to exciting challenges and opportunities ahead of us.

New TTC Board members and ACAT members
​In late 2024, City Council appointed two new Commissioners to the TTC Board. I want to officially welcome Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik (Spadina-Fort York) and Councillor Alejandra Bravo (Davenport). Their term of office began on January 1 and runs until November 14, 2026. They replaced Councillors Stephen Holyday (Etobicoke Centre) and Chris Moise (Toronto Centre).

I would also like to welcome five new members to the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit (ACAT). They began their three-year terms on January 1: Craig Nicol, Jason Osborne, Karen Mootoo, Lauri Sue Robertson, and Sophie Petrillo.

I look forward to collaborating with ACAT and its new executive members elected earlier this month: Chair Betty Rivington-Law and Co-Vice Chairs Lori Bailey and Sophie Petrillo. ACAT is comprised of Toronto citizens who advise members of the TTC on difficulties faced by people with disabilities and seniors, and recommends the elimination of barriers to accessible public transit.

People and Culture Group

United Way Campaign update
​I want to thank our employees, pensioners and volunteers for the amazing work on the TTC/United Way fundraising campaign in 2024. TTC employees raised more than $803,000 for United Way Greater Toronto after a successful 2024 fundraising campaign that outraised the previous year by more than $125,000.

It was great to see the whole organization come together. The United Way campaign unites us all and helps to build valuable connections within the company. It also shows how deeply TTC employees care about the community we serve.

I would also like to again thank all our staff, volunteers, and donors who made the holiday Stuff-the-Bus toy drive a huge success. Crush loads of toys were collected thanks to assistance from Toronto Police, ATU Local 113, and participating stores and shopping malls. Thank you all for sharing the holiday spirit!

Celebrating Black History Month
​Next month, the TTC is proud to celebrate Black History Month. The campaign theme is City of Belonging: Celebrating Toronto’s Black Community Builders. This theme honours the contributions of Black Torontonians who have played pivotal roles in creating a sense of belonging, safety, and unity within the city.

By highlighting stories of Black Torontonians and TTC employees, we celebrate their impact on Toronto’s Black cultural fabric and recognize their efforts in making the city a more inclusive and welcoming place for everyone.

The TTC’s 10-Point Action Plan on Diversity and Inclusion commits us to building an organization that truly represents and reflects the diversity of the city we serve. This is one more way we continue to develop an even more inclusive TTC that welcomes all our employees and customers.

TTC recognizes the Year of the Snake
​On January 29, the TTC recognizes Lunar New Year – the Year of the Snake. An internal poster campaign sees employees sharing their stories about how they celebrate the Lunar New Year with families, friends, co-workers, and their communities.

Strategy and Customer Experience Group

TTC Special Constables wearing body cameras
​Earlier this month, all Special Constables began wearing body cameras on duty.

TTC Board members endorsed the full roll-out of body-worn cameras for Special Constables and Fare Inspectors on December 6 following a successful nine-month pilot. All Fare Inspectors will start wearing the cameras in February.

Last month, teams of Fare Inspectors began patrolling the system and issuing tickets in plain clothes as part of the TTC’s ongoing work to curb fare evasion. Using Fare Inspectors to patrol in plain clothes is an additional step in our efforts to protect $140 million lost to fare evasion annually.

While the TTC receives considerable operating funds from the City, we rely heavily on the farebox to support our operations. When people do not pay, that impacts our ability to increase service and keep fare prices low. We prefer all customers pay for their rides rather than issue tickets. At the same time, we must let people know we are serious.

Transportation and Vehicles Group

January service changes ​
Starting on Sunday, January 5, the TTC introduced service and reliability improvements focused on seasonal service restorations, scheduling adjustments as well as minor adjustments to service through ridership monitoring on 23 routes, including 11 Bayview, 37 Islington, 102 Markham Rd, 300 Bloor-Danforth, and 995 York Mills Express. TTC riders can follow @TTCNotices on X (formerly Twitter) or check ttc.ca for the most up-to[1]date information.

SRT update ​
​As work to remove SRT infrastructure along the decommissioned Line 3 Scarborough continues as part of the $96-million busway project, most of the SRT cars that ran on the line have been shipped across the border for use on the Detroit People Mover. Two of the 28 cars are being preserved at the Halton County Radial Railway Museum in Milton, while one vehicle will be used at the Toronto Zoo.

Operations and Infrastructure Group

Update on Reduced Speed Zones ​
​As of January 13, the TTC had 12 Reduced Speed Zones (RSZ) in place in the subway system. A RSZ is a stretch of track where trains are required to travel at a slower-than-normal speed to minimize rail wear and allow maintenance work to be completed. RSZs are used as a safety precaution and do not indicate that the track is unsafe for operation. Regular inspections will continue to identify new or existing defects that require a restricted zone to be installed. A complete list of RSZs is available at ttc.ca.

Innovation and Sustainability Group

RFPs issued for Line 2 trains and ATC signals
​In December, we were very pleased to launch the competitive procurement process for new Line 2 trains. The procurement is for 70 trains in total, with 55 trains allocated to replace aging trains on Line 2 and 15 trains for the Province’s Yonge North Subway Extension and Scarborough Subway Extension projects.

In the meantime, the TTC is developing a State-of-Good[1]Repair program to maintain the existing trains on Line 2 until the new trains are delivered, starting in 2030.

As part of the overall strategy to modernize Line 2, the TTC also launched a procurement for a new Automatic Train Control (ATC) system on Line 2. ATC, which is used on Line 1, automatically controls train speed and separation between trains.

These investments are possible thanks to essential funding from our federal, provincial, and municipal partners.

Safety and Environment Group

Seasonal ban on lithium-ion-powered micromobility devices
​As you may already know, the TTC has implemented a seasonal ban on lithium-ion[1]powered micromobility devices, such as e-bikes and e-scooters, onboard TTC vehicles, and inside stations and facilities. The ban is in effect until April 15.

Customers are informed of the ban through new signs, handouts, and announcements as well as information on our social media channels and website. Anyone operating or transporting an e-bike or e-scooter until April 15 will be educated on the ban, and if they refuse to comply, they will be asked to leave the system.

When the ban is lifted in the spring, lithium-ion battery-powered e-bikes and other bikes will be permitted on the TTC anytime on weekends and statutory holidays, and during non-peak hours, Monday to Friday before 6:30 a.m., between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and after 7 p.m.

Please note: as of January 27, TTC Board materials, such as meeting agendas and minutes, will be transitioned from the TTC’s website to the City of Toronto’s meeting management site. This migration enables the TTC Board to improve its communication to the public.

Archived content (2024 and earlier) will continue to be available on the TTC’s website and meeting broadcasts will be live-streamed on the TTC’s YouTube channel.

The next scheduled TTC Board meeting will be on Monday, January 27. The public meeting will be live-streamed on the Official TTC YouTube Channel, starting at 10 a.m.

Greg Percy
​Chief Executive Officer
​January 2025