The city of Toronto, Ontario, and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) released the first dashboard report regarding its RapidTO priority bus lane implementation program. In short, the bus lanes are working and delivering faster trip times and more reliable service.
The RapidTO program is part of TTC’s 5-Year Service Plan & 10-Year Outlook and includes six heavily used corridors with proposals to implement priority bus-only lanes. The first of these was completed in November 2020 from Brimley Road to the University of Toronto for the Eglinton Avenue East routes.
The C$4 million (US$3.21 million) project converted 8.5 kilometers (5.3 miles) to High Occupancy Vehicle lanes – with a red surface treatment – that are reserved for TTC buses, Wheel-Trans buses and bicycles 24 hours a day.
When compared to October 2019 baseline data:
- Transit travel times have decreased up to six minutes during peak morning periods and up to five minutes during afternoon peak periods;
- Reliability of all four routes improved on average by 12 percent with the 116 Morningside route improving by 19 percent.
“The data shows that RapidTO bus lanes are working. It is encouraging to see increased reliability and faster transit travel times on the routes that benefit from our RapidTO bus lanes. I look forward to seeing the results of future dashboards as the reopening continues and transit ridership increases along with traffic volumes,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory.
TTC CEO Rick Leary explains more TTC customers rely on the network’s buses than any other mode of transit.
“Giving buses exclusive use of priority lanes is important for the long-term health of the city and quality of life for its residents. It also helps with the city’s pandemic recovery efforts, by making sure the TTC’s surface network remains a reliable, frequent and safe option, as people start returning to work,” said Leary.
The city recognizes traffic volumes and transit ridership are lower than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but says it and TTC will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the RapidTO bus lanes.
The July 2021 dashboard on the Eglinton Ave East RapidTO program can be found on the city of Toronto's website.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
