CEO's Report: April Commentary

This month’s CEO’s Report is grounded in a single test: whether the work we are doing is improving performance for our customers. At the TTC, performance is not an abstract concept. It is measured every day in service reliability, on-time performance, fleet availability, safety, and the confidence riders place in the system. Everything we do must move those measures in the right direction.

Bus service remains central to that effort. With a fleet of more than 2,100 accessible buses, the TTC carried nearly 192.5 million bus riders in 2025, covering over 143.5 million kilometres across the city. The bus network continues to be the backbone of surface transit in Toronto, and improving its performance is essential to improving the overall customer experience.

We are beginning to see tangible results, despite operating through one of the most challenging winters Toronto has experienced in nearly 90 years. In February, bus service levels increased by more than 8,000 hours per week compared to the previous year, and average speeds improved by 1.38 per cent year over year. On-time performance reached 75 per cent, the strongest result since August 2025. Despite winter conditions that were among the most severe in 90 years, which reduced roadway capacity and extended travel times, performance remained broadly in line with last year’s results, when winter impacts were less pronounced.

Key reliability indicators, including service availability, mean distance between failures, and short turns, all met their targets. These outcomes reflect focused operational discipline, stronger fleet performance, and sustained effort by frontline and support teams working through difficult operating conditions.

At the same time, we are carefully monitoring service demand as the network evolves. Bus boardings were down nine per cent year-over-year in February. This decline largely reflects the planned conversion of existing bus demand to Line 5 Eglinton, which is already accounting for approximately seven percentage points of former bus ridership.

After adjusting for this mode shift, underlying bus demand declined two per cent year-over-year, representing an improvement from the larger declines seen in fall 2025. Bus ridership now stands at approximately 82 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, compared to 84 per cent across the overall TTC network. Customer sentiment through the phased launch of Line 5 remains positive, with round-trip travel times improving on both lines following Transit Signal Priority implementation. As customers adjust to the new surface network following the Line 5 opening, staff will continue to assess demand patterns and adjust service through upcoming board periods to ensure resources are aligned with where riders need them most.

Across the TTC network, ridership trends show renewed stability. Overall customer boardings increased by one per cent year-over-year in February, even as extreme weather affected travel patterns and revenue ridership remained below budget.

This growth reflects continued recovery across the network, particularly on streetcar and subway services, and reinforces the importance of consistent, reliable service as the foundation for rebuilding ridership and customer confidence.

That commitment to reliability applies every day, including when service does not meet expectations.

In April, service disruptions on Line 2 caused by hydraulic fluid leaks from work cars had a significant impact on customers. Incidents like these fall short of the standards we set and reinforce a core principle: our tolerance for service-affecting failures must be zero. We have grounded the work car fleet and are thoroughly investigating these events, and we will be relentless in identifying root causes to ensure they do not happen again. Reliability depends on disciplined execution, resilient assets, and clear accountability across the system.

Performance discipline will be even more critical as we prepare for a busy summer and the FIFA World Cup 2026™. The World Cup represents a major operational test for the TTC and for the city. Our objective is clear: provide safe, reliable, and frequent service that allows residents and visitors to move around Toronto with confidence. Planning for this event has been deliberate and detailed, with a strong emphasis on service reliability, network resilience, and real-time operational control.

In partnership with the City of Toronto, we are taking targeted steps to improve surface transit performance downtown, including the installation of RapidTO transit-only lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst streets south of Bloor, and the creation of a new transit hub at Fleet Street and Strachan Avenue to serve Toronto Stadium and the FIFA Fan Festival at Fort York.

These measures are designed to reduce congestion impacts and support more predictable travel times during peak periods. On match days and throughout the tournament period, we will add bus, streetcar, and subway service where demand is expected to be highest, introduce dedicated World Cup shuttle services, and increase staffing and customer support across the system. Enhanced signage, including internationally recognized pictograms, will help customers navigate the network. Safety, security, and clear communication will remain priorities, supported by increased preventative maintenance and the strategic positioning of response personnel to address issues quickly as they arise.

Performance during the World Cup will not be accidental. It will be the result of planning, co-ordination, and disciplined execution across the organization. That same focus on performance improvement underpins the work described throughout this report. We will continue to measure ourselves against clear standards, be transparent about results, and take corrective action, where needed. That is how we build a stronger, more reliable TTC for the people we serve.

Mandeep S. Lali
​Chief Executive Officer
​April 2026