More TTC service cuts are coming Sunday. Here's what you need to know
CBC
Another round of TTC service cuts is in store beginning Sunday that will result in longer wait times for riders on Line 1, at least one streetcar route and some bus routes.
Wait times will increase on Line 1 every day of the week. There is no change to scheduled service on Line 2, 3 or 4.
"The TTC's strategy is matching service to demand to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers — we remain focused on delivering more frequent service to the areas across the city that need it most," the agency said in an email on Friday.
In a memo to its board dated May 1, the TTC said it is reducing service by about 1,238 weekly hours this month compared to March.
The reason for the changes? The agency said in a news release on Wednesday it's "introducing new schedules on some routes to improve reliability along busy corridors, add seasonal service to key city attractions, better align capacity with ridership demand and accommodate construction across the city."
Some, including TTCrider member Chloe Tangpongprush, worry the changes will mean fewer people want to use transit.
"Once service cuts are made, it discourages riders from taking transit. If your bus is less reliable, if it comes less frequently, then you might not take it as often, and that gives the TTC basically more reasoning to push forward with more cuts in the future," Tangpongprush said.
"This is just the beginning of what could be to come."
TTC spokesperson Stuart Green defended the cuts on Friday, saying the TTC has regained about 70 per cent of its ridership compared to the years before the pandemic, but is currently delivering 90 per cent of its service levels from that same time period.
"No one likes to wait longer," Green said. "But our commitment is to make sure that we're providing the most service we can at the busiest times of day on the busiest routes."
If you use Yonge-University Line 1, be prepared to wait longer for a train.
Wait times on Line 1 will increase from three minutes to as long as four minutes during weekday morning and evening rush hour.
In the afternoon, you could be waiting six minutes for a train.
After 10 p.m. to the end of service, wait times may may be five to eight minutes. And on weekends, riders can expect wait times to reach up to 8 minutes.