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TTC: Other Items (catch all)

The TTC finally seems to be totally giving up on the Premium Express routes. This in the 2024 Service Plan

Action 5.2g: Discontinue the Downtown Premium Express network and replace with alternative services. Prior to March 2020, the TTC operated five Downtown Express bus routes, providing express service to and from downtown during peak periods. The first of these routes were implemented in the late 1980s in response to capacity constraints on Line 1 and subsequently to supplement service on the Queen streetcar corridor. Customers are generally provided a single-seat ride but are required to pay a premium, double fare.
Despite providing some travel-time benefits, point-to-point operations, service reliability, boardings and financial performance are relatively poor compared to other routes across the system. Downtown Express buses generally carried just one group of customers per trip. Consequently, this resulted in a high level of subsidy to operate these services, even with the double fare.
After analysis and review, the TTC is recommending to suspend Downtown Premium Express service indefinitely for the following reasons:
High net cost of operation
Poor service reliability
Availability of alternatives
 
DSC said:
The TTC finally seems to be totally giving up on the Premium Express routes. This in the 2024 Service Plan

Action 5.2g: Discontinue the Downtown Premium Express network and replace with alternative services. Prior to March 2020, the TTC operated five Downtown Express bus routes, providing express service to and from downtown during peak periods. The first of these routes were implemented in the late 1980s in response to capacity constraints on Line 1 and subsequently to supplement service on the Queen streetcar corridor. Customers are generally provided a single-seat ride but are required to pay a premium, double fare.
Despite providing some travel-time benefits, point-to-point operations, service reliability, boardings and financial performance are relatively poor compared to other routes across the system. Downtown Express buses generally carried just one group of customers per trip. Consequently, this resulted in a high level of subsidy to operate these services, even with the double fare.
After analysis and review, the TTC is recommending to suspend Downtown Premium Express service indefinitely for the following reasons:
High net cost of operation
Poor service reliability
Availability of alternatives
Click to expand...

'Suspend indefinitely' vs eliminate. I'd prefer to see the latter term; but same difference, I suppose.
 
JasonParis said:
There's a load of green bus stops on King St to remove then, most of which haven't been active since pre-COVID.
Click to expand...
Not only on King. It will be interesting (!) to see how long the TTC takes to remove them. They have still not removed the signage from the southbound stop at Princess / The Esplanade which has not had service for almost 2 years!
 
DSC said:
Not only on King. It will be interesting (!) to see how long the TTC takes to remove them. They have still not removed the signage from the southbound stop at Princess / The Esplanade which has not had service for almost 2 years!
Click to expand...

Let me one up you:

1700248123325.png


This shelter is for a no longer there bus stop.

The stop was relocated 3+ years ago.
 
Steve X said:
The TTC is not in charge of the bus shelters in this city. So we can give them a pass here.
Click to expand...

Fair'ish.... The TTC was involved in the stop relocation though, along with the City of Toronto of which the TTC is a wholly owned agency.

But yes, Transportation Services is supposed to look after shelters in conjunction w/their private contractor.
 
Northern Light said:
Fair'ish.... The TTC was involved in the stop relocation though, along with the City of Toronto of which the TTC is a wholly owned agency.

But yes, Transportation Services is supposed to look after shelters in conjunction w/their private contractor.
Click to expand...
The private contractor might have decided not to spend the money to remove it
 
Northern Light said:
Fair'ish.... The TTC was involved in the stop relocation though, along with the City of Toronto of which the TTC is a wholly owned agency.

But yes, Transportation Services is supposed to look after shelters in conjunction w/their private contractor.
Click to expand...
Though I suspect you have already done so, you can email them and suggest a relocation - I would copy the Councillor as that seems to 'wake them up'. streetfurniture@toronto.ca
 
Steve X said:
The private contractor might have decided not to spend the money to remove it
Click to expand...

They only move/remove a shelter on request from the City. Its the City's property.

So, its likely the request/work order was never made.

Ball was dropped in that someone either didn't communicate to Transportation/Street Furniture that they had a surplus asset to be relocated, or the latter got the info and forgot to act on it.
 
From the 2024 Annual Service Plan...

Request for the 80 QUEENSWAY to serve HIGH PARK Station instead of KEELE Station due to terminal congestion at KEELE Station.
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The KEELE Station has become too small for the buses that serve it. Started up on February 26, 1966; 57 years ago, with only the 89 WESTON trolley bus (and the BLOOR streetcar shuttle, until May 11, 1968). The 41 KEELE bus was rerouted to KEELE Station on February 13, 1994. Now additionally used by the 80 QUEENSWAY, 189 STOCKYARDS, 941 KEELE EXPRESS, and 989 WESTON EXPRESS (and 341 KEELE NIGHT). Except that 189 STOCKYARDS has to use the HIGH PARK Station to loop around.

With the 80 QUEENSWAY joining the 189 STOCKYARDS, it shows that the KEELE Station needs expansion. The city could expand south to take over the gasoline station at the northeast corner of Bloor & Keele. If they do so, they could incorporate a loop or wye for the 506 CARLTON streetcar extension north from Howard Park Avenue.
 
Mount Dennis Resident said:
From the 2024 Annual Service Plan...



The KEELE Station has become too small for the buses that serve it. Started up on February 26, 1966; 57 years ago, with only the 89 WESTON trolley bus (and the BLOOR streetcar shuttle, until May 11, 1968). The 41 KEELE bus was rerouted to KEELE Station on February 13, 1994. Now additionally used by the 80 QUEENSWAY, 189 STOCKYARDS, 941 KEELE EXPRESS, and 989 WESTON EXPRESS (and 341 KEELE NIGHT). Except that 189 STOCKYARDS has to use the HIGH PARK Station to loop around.

With the 80 QUEENSWAY joining the 189 STOCKYARDS, it shows that the KEELE Station needs expansion. The city could expand south to take over the gasoline station at the northeast corner of Bloor & Keele. If they do so, they could incorporate a loop or wye for the 506 CARLTON streetcar extension north from Howard Park Avenue.
Click to expand...

Something already proposed for that block: (east of the gas station)

1730 Bloor Street West | 89.9m | 25s | HPP LP | RAW Design

https://www.gordperks.ca/nov_9_23 Community Meeting to discuss development proposal at 1730 Bloor Street West The property owners of 1730 Bloor St West, current site of strip mall and 7-11, is holding an Online Community Meeting to share preliminary plans for a 25-storey mixed-use development...
urbantoronto.ca urbantoronto.ca

Even if you get the entire block, all that buys you is platform width, it doesn't get you additional bus bays, which is what is needed there.

****

If you kept the bus terminal roughly where it is today, you could buy 4 or so properties to the north and stagger the bus bays in a saw-tooth pattern, that would get you 1 additional bus bay (north side only)

Fairly expensive relative to the pay off. An alternative choice, providing that it can be graded to deal w/any flooding issues is to the move the bus platform to the eastern 1/2 of the station, east of Indian Grove. (currently parking)

That would allow roughly 4 additional bus bays (including replacing the existing ones)

The challenge is the limited space for access off the east end of the Keele Platform; and you would need another set of elevators.

On top of that, the buses would all have to enter/exit via Indian Road, and Bloor, which would be a bit of a pain.

1700258191770.png


There is one other alternative, I suppose, but I don't think it would impress the locals:

1700258308188.png


The bus platform could be extended out to the TTC property limit and the buses could circle using Indian Grove.

This wouldn't necessarily result in the closure of Indian Grove at Bloor; though that would be be an option, but it would be congested w/all those buses if you didn't.

That extension would get you 2 additional bus bays at the existing station. (one on the north, one on the south)
 
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