TTC planning to expand RapidTO to the west end

The City of Toronto the and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is planning an expansion of its RapidTO program with a new transit corridor in the west end.

The Jane Street corridor would see a transit priority roadway run along Jane Street from Steeles Avenue West to Eglinton Avenue West. The TTC says the 35 Jane and 935 Jane bus routes are among the most heavily used on the system, carrying 43,000 customers on an average weekday. The high ridership along with long travel times and its role in connecting Line 1 Yonge-University and the future Line 5 Eglinton make it an ideal candidate for RapidTO expansion.

This would be the second of its kind following the 2020 launch of Eglinton Avenue East. That 8.5-kilometre route runs along Eglinton Avenue East, Kingston Road and Morningside Avenue from Brimley Road to the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus.

Jan Chen is a volunteer with the advocacy group TTCriders. He takes the 35 Jane bus route daily, both to work and school, and says this initiative is long overdue.

“I live in an apartment building at Jane and Shoreham and many of us, we are newcomers, we’re international, and we belong to the racialized community,” said Chen. “Most of us are low-income workers. We are so heavily depending on the TTC …that’s like essential for us.”

“If I take an Uber to the same destination, it’s a half hour. So we’re going to spend like two or three hours a day on the road and it’s not fair for us.”

Lisa, another commuter, agrees that having such a corridor on Jane Street would be a step in the right direction.

“It’s a very busy street so something like that would be beneficial for the people around here,” she tells CityNews. “Lots of times in the daytime you’re trying to catch a bus and you’re waiting a long time because the bus is full.”

There are currently five options under consideration for the proposed route:

The TTC is hosting a virtual public meeting on March 8 as well as two in-person public consultations to get customer feedback. The first is being held on March 22 at the Driftwood Community Centre on Jane Street and the second is on March 28 at Clairvaux Hall on Lawrence Avenue West.

Residents can also give their feedback through a survey, which will be available until April 3.

“Customer feedback is so important in finding effective transit solutions. We want to hear from transit users, drivers and others who use the roadway, to ensure that our services are meeting the needs of the neighbourhood,” said TTC CEO Rick Leary.

The TTC says it hopes to identify its preferred design option by mid-2023 with a report to City Council later this year. It hopes to begin the new service in 2024.

Four other routes are also being considered for transit priority studies: Dufferin Street, from Dufferin Gate to Wilson Avenue; Steeles Avenue West, from Yonge Street to Jane Street; Finch Avenue East, from Yonge Street to McCowan Road; and Lawrence Avenue East, from Victoria Park to Rouge Hills Drive.