FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto — Transit riders gathered this morning at Dufferin Subway Station alongside TTCriders, the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA), and Environmental Defence Canada (EDC) to call on Toronto City Council to implement long-promised dedicated transit lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst streets.
At the press conference, workers and local business owners who rely on the Dufferin and Bathurst bus and streetcar routes shared stories of overcrowding, slow service, unreliable travel times, and long wait times. These are all issues that could be improved with dedicated transit lanes to carry the tens of thousands of people who travel by transit on these corridors every day.
Public transit service on Dufferin and Bathurst consistently ranks among the slowest in the city. The Dufferin Bus is particularly unreliable, having earned the notorious nickname “Sufferin 29”. Riders say service has not kept up with growing demand, especially with increasing traffic. The City has been promising to implement dedicated transit lanes as part of RapidTO since 2019, and has promised these lanes to help move massive crowds to FIFA World Cup games in 2026. After years of consultation and delays, these lanes will finally be coming to a vote at Mayor Chow’s Executive on July 16th, then to Council the following week.
Almost every member of the Mayor’s Executive signed a pledge in the 2022 election saying that they would support the implementation of dedicated transit lanes in Toronto and voted in 2024 to speed up their implementation. Mayor Chow also signed a similar pledge in the 2023 mayoral by-election.
Public consultations on both lanes revealed strong support for full implementation all the way up to Eglinton, with 68% supportive on Bathurst and 77% supportive on Dufferin, and 70-80% of respondents for both lanes saying bus lanes are a better use of curbside road space than parking. Despite this support, the staff recommendation eliminates both lanes north of Bloor, removing more than half of the originally proposed lanes.
TTCriders, TEA, and EDC are urging Mayor Chow’s Executive Committee to act swiftly and vote for transit priority measures on Bathurst and Dufferin all the way up to Eglinton Ave, and to commit to long promised RapidTO lanes on Jane, Finch East, Steeles West and Lawrence East.
QUOTES
“This is a common-sense solution that improves service for more than 75,000 daily riders”, said Andrew Pulsifer, Executive Director of TTCriders. “People who live along Dufferin and Bathurst rely on transit to get to work, school, and appointments, and they’re stuck in traffic every day. “Dedicated bus and streetcar lanes are a proven way to make transit faster and more reliable. When transit is more reliable, we can beat congestion by helping people choose transit over taking a car.”
Andrew Pulsifer - Executive Director - TTCriders
“The Bathurst streetcar is so unreliable and I avoid it as much as possible. More than once when trying to get to an appointment on line 2, I’ve had to take an uber to the subway station because the Bathurst streetcar was so delayed,” said Marika Robillard, a transit rider living on Bathurst. “If it had reliable and frequent service I would be using it all the time to go to appointments and shops on Bloor. We need transit only lanes!”
Marika Robillard - Bathurst Transit User
“Increasing transit ridership is essential to meeting our climate goals, but we can't expect people to take transit if it's not reliable and if it doesn't actually get people where they need to be on time,” said Keith Brooks, Program Director at Environmental Defence Canada. “Bus lanes are a no-brainer and are part of a larger solution to not only reduce congestion but also to decarbonize the transportation sector writ large.”
Keith Brooks - Program Director - Environmental Defence Canada
“Taking the Dufferin bus feels like 'cross-country' transit. I am tired of missing crucial health related appointments,” said Elton Campbell, a regular rider of the Dufferin bus. “I'm tired of having to choose between being involved in my community and running important errands because of unreliable transit on Dufferin. Put the RAPID in RapidTO.”
Elton Campbell - Dufferin Bus Transit Rider
“Dedicated surface transit lanes are used successfully in cities around the world, and are a key solution to the climate crisis. RapidTO will serve all Torontonians, including pedestrians, people with accessibility needs, and drivers looking for more efficient ways to get around.” said How-Sen Chong, Climate Campaigner at the Toronto Environmental Alliance. “These transit lanes are a win-win: they will move more people quickly to where they need to go, and help Toronto cut pollution and make important progress towards its climate goals."
How-Sen Chong - Climate Campaigner - Toronto Environmental Alliance
MEDIA CONTACT:
Andrew Pulsifer, Executive Director, TTCriders
[email protected] 416-669-3154
Read analysis from TTCriders about what's being proposed in the TTC budget in 2026 and how to get involved! Members of the public can speak directly to City Councillors during budget hearings on January 20 and 21 at locations across Toronto.