The City of Toronto and the TTC are promising commuters shorter wait times, quicker trips, and less crowding on the network as they boost service on select routes, bringing them back up to near pre-COVID frequency in just a few days' time.

The changes, announced on Tuesday and effective Sunday, May 12, will impact two dozen bus lines in the city, which will now see four per cent more service than last spring.

This amounts to 96 per cent of 2019 service levels, and will mean more timely vehicles, more room on board said vehicles, and more reliable travel in general, Mayor Olivia Chow assured residents in sharing the news.

#TTC CEO Rick Leary joined @MayorOliviaChow , TTC Chair @CllrJamaalMyers and @cllrainslie to announce increased service across the city starting May 12, ensuring we’re there for customers when they need us and where they need us.

Learn more at https://t.co/bycn45edoP pic.twitter.com/GVeSm5jhRr

— TTC Media Relations 📰🚌🚋🚈 (@TTCNewsroom) May 7, 2024

This is particularly important in Scarborough, which many of the chosen routes operate and where passengers have been complaining of sub-par service since the Scarborough RT derailment last summer that took Line 3 permanently out of commission four months earlier than planned.

Leaders have since had to consider ways to replace the lost service on an expedited timeline, including potentially turning the now-obsolete rails into a busway — an idea that was widely supported, but lacks funding and would take years to realize. Work on the forthcoming Scarborough Subway Extension also isn't expected to wrap up until 2029-2030.

In the meantime, TTC execs have said in a release that they are "pleased that this round of service increases delivers for the people of Scarborough by enhancing service frequency, capacity, and reliability on routes affected by the closure of Line 3."

Transit users deliver oversized 'invoice' to Toronto for lost time on TTC https://t.co/oKo6lz7ZkX

— blogTO (@blogTO) January 19, 2024

The upgrades, made in response to customer feedback while ridership overall has returned to 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, will affect the following buses in mostly off-peak periods:

• 19 Bay
• 25 Don Mills
• 36 Finch West
• 39 Finch East
• 44 Kipling South
• 46 Martin Grove
• 53 Steeles East
• 57 Midland
• 60 Steeles West
• 68 Warden
• 72 Pape
• 76 Royal York South
• 95 York Mills
• 104 Faywood
• 111 East Mall
• 114 Queens Quay East
• 122 Graydon Hall
• 123 Sherway
• 184 Ancaster Park
• 902 Markham Road Express
• 935 Jane Express
• 939 Finch Express
• 995 York Mills Express