The TTC has scaled back cuts to off-peak bus service on routes across North York under a revised set of service reductions approved by the commission Wednesday, Feb. 2.
In January, TTC staff proposed eliminating service during evenings, late nights, weekends and holidays on 48 routes across the city, including 15 running through the former city of North York. However, following a recent series of public consultations, the TTC announced Monday, Jan. 31 it has eased up on the criteria it is using to eliminate service at certain times on bus routes. Across the city, service on seven of the 48 bus routes, including two in North York, will no longer be cut back. Another 19 routes, including nine in North York, will experience less severe cuts (see sidebar).
The TTC said the changes are due to a revised criteria based on an assessment of ridership on bus routes in specific time periods rather than simple averages.
Under its Jan. 12 proposal, if a route or time period had fewer than 15 customer bus boardings per hour, service would be eliminated. Now, where there are more than 15 boardings per hour at any specific time period, service will not be cut.
Also, where there are between 10 and 15 bus boardings per hour but the nearest alternate route is greater than 600 metres away, service will remain. However, the route services with the lowest ridership - fewer than 10 boardings per hour - will be still be cut.
The service cutbacks will take effect in May and are projected to save the commission $4 million this year, down from $6 million if cuts based on the original criteria were made. The commission has said the money will be used to boost frequency of service on busier routes in September.
The TTC is projecting a record ridership of 487 million this year, the majority of whom ride the bus and travel in off-peak periods. But the city is not increasing its operating budget subsidy to the TTC to help the system cope with the influx of people. Fares cover 70 per cent of the system's operation - one of the highest cost-recovery ratios in North America - with government subsidies picking up the rest.
The cuts will affect about 600,000 annual trips, a figure down from the 1.3 million impacted under the originally proposed cuts, said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross. The system expects the cuts will result in a ridership loss of 130,000, down from the original projection of 250,000.
In total, service will be cut on 41 bus routes during 148 unique time periods. Of those periods, 135 were added to service in November, 2008 as part of the TTC's Ridership Growth Strategy.
The aim of that move was to provide bus service to roughly match the times the subway was running, so people could get around the city without requiring an automobile. The service increase was the largest single boost to service since 1974, yet only brought Toronto transit back to the levels of the 1980s.
- with files from Torstar News Service