TTC mulls better streetcar service, earlier Sunday starts
· Toronto Sun
Improved streetcar service and an earlier Sunday morning start time are two of the ideas suggested by the TTC to increase ridership, according to the transit agency’s 2026-2028 Ridership Growth Strategy report.
The report, which was released to the TTC’s strategic committee on Tuesday, said ridership remains at 80-83% of 2019 levels.
It also said that, compared to that time seven years ago, revenue is down 92%. Costs, meanwhile, have gone up 137% while the TTC’s cost-recovery ratio has decreased — from 65 to 70% in 2019 to 46% last year — leading to financial stability “challenges.”
The report said several factors are slowing ridership growth on the TTC, which is “serving fewer long-distance bus riders, discretionary trips, and shift workers at manufacturing and warehousing areas, as well as work commutes to businesses in the educational services, administrative and support, real estate and rental and leasing, and retail trade sectors.”
Because of those factors, the report said, “the most significant opportunity for ridership growth comes not from creating new travel where it no longer exists, but from ensuring the TTC is the most attractive, reliable and competitive option for the trips people are still making.”
Report says 89% us feel safe on TTC
The report says “customer satisfaction declined in 2025 and is lower among priority groups: Gen Z, shift workers, women and customers with low income. Customers generally feel safe on the TTC, with 89% of customers reporting they feel safe on vehicles and 77% at stops, though there is room to improve.” Initiatives being suggested to bring back ridership include making Sunday morning subway starting times earlier than the current 8 a.m. as of 2028, which would cost $2.9 million. Another idea is improving streetcar service to a frequency of every six minutes in 2028, much lower than the current 10 minutes that most routes typically operate at, with a cost of $23.9 million. “By improving speed, safety, affordability and making the experience seamless, the TTC can divert trips from other modes, most notably private vehicles and rideshare, and increase its overall mode share while retaining our existing customers,” the report said. In total, the strategy is estimated to increase the TTC operating budget by roughly $73 million by 2028 and the service initiatives — if adopted — would need to be approved as part of the 2027 budget process. Most importantly, the report said that “growing ridership is not a solution to fiscal sustainability.” “Fare revenue covers only a portion of TTC operating costs; even strong ridership growth does not fully close the structural gap without sustainable operating funding,” it said. “Fiscal sustainability requires a stable funding model and cost management alongside ridership growth. Ridership helps, but it is not a substitute for addressing the structural fiscal imbalance.” TTC staff will present the strategy to the TTC board at its meeting later this month. Enquires to TTC strategic committee members and Toronto city councillors Jamaal Myers, Alejandra Bravo, and Dianne Saxe were not immediately answered on Wednesday.RECOMMENDED VIDEO
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