Service & Reliability

Will candidates lower wait times, improve reliability, and speed up transit?

Improving surface transit is absolutely essential to growing ridership on the TTC. Surface modes account for more than half of all TTC passenger boarding, and given the tight integration between surface and rapid transit, the success of the entire system hinges on buses and streetcars. Furthermore, the bus network serves employment lands, neighbourhood improvement areas and other places rapid transit currently does not reach.

In spite of this, surface transit gets the short end of the stick when it comes to road priority. Buses and streetcars are routinely stuck in traffic at all times of the day; making existing riders late and not incentivizing current drivers to switch to transit. The expansion of RapidTO bus and streetcar lines is urgently needed across the city. The few sections of RapidTO that exist right now have dramatically improved surface transit performance. For example, reliability on the 116 Morningside bus improved 19% after red lanes were introduced on Eglinton East, Kingston Road and Morningside.

The streetcar system is the backbone of the downtown transportation network relied upon by hundreds of thousands of riders a day. However, transit priority measures have been slow to implement on the network, making our streetcar network among the slowest in the world.

In order to grow ridership and maximize speed, there needs to be a network-wide streetcar reform. This would include measures such as street parking removal, left turn bans, active signal priority, dedicated lanes, modernized switches, truly level and accessible boarding, improved shelters and seating, and expanding transit malls similar to the King Street zone. These measures are proven in many cities around the world, as well systems close to home like Kitchener-Waterloo’s ION, to be effective in making streetcars faster and more reliable.

8. Will you commit to complete 1 RapidTO route in your ward by the end of the next Council term?

Vincent Crisanti (Incumbent)	No response
Abraham Abbey	No response
Ala'a Adib	Yes
Saima Babar	No response
Chloe Brown	Yes
Norman Hamilton	Yes
Joseph Martino	No response
Nathen Mazri	Yes
Hard Parmar	Yes
Kristian Santos	No response

9. Will you commit to voting in favour of RapidTO routes in other wards to get bus and streetcar riders moving?

Vincent Crisanti (Incumbent)	No response
Abraham Abbey	No response
Ala'a Adib	Yes
Saima Babar	No response
Chloe Brown	Yes
Norman Hamilton	Yes
Joseph Martino	No response
Nathen Mazri	Yes
Hard Parmar	Yes
Kristian Santos	No response

10. Will you commit fixing subway Reduced Speed Zones (or slow zones) faster and funding state-of-good-repair maintenance so that slow zones are eliminated entirely?

Vincent Crisanti (Incumbent)	No response
Abraham Abbey	No response
Ala'a Adib	Yes
Saima Babar	No response
Chloe Brown	Yes
Norman Hamilton	Yes
Joseph Martino	No response
Nathen Mazri	Yes
Hard Parmar	Yes
Kristian Santos	No response

11. Do you endorse adopting a comprehensive, network-wide strategy to reform streetcar service into a world-class, fast, accessible, and reliable system?

(i.e. measures such as street parking removal, left turn bans, signal priority, dedicated lanes, modernized switches, truly level and accessible boarding, improved shelters and seating, and expanding transit malls similar to the King Street zone)

Vincent Crisanti (Incumbent)	No response
Abraham Abbey	No response
Ala'a Adib	Yes
Saima Babar	No response
Chloe Brown	Yes
Norman Hamilton	Yes
Joseph Martino	No response
Nathen Mazri	Yes
Hard Parmar	Yes
Kristian Santos	No response

12. Will you oppose cuts to TTC service levels and instead invest in more frequent service to grow ridership?

Vincent Crisanti (Incumbent)	No response
Abraham Abbey	No response
Ala'a Adib	Yes
Saima Babar	No response
Chloe Brown	Yes
Norman Hamilton	Yes
Joseph Martino	No response
Nathen Mazri	Yes
Hard Parmar	Yes
Kristian Santos	No response

Some candidates offered further comments about their commitment to service and reliability:

Ala'a Adib

Reliable transit is essential for a city that works. I support protecting TTC service levels and investing in more frequent, dependable service so riders can spend less time waiting and have greater confidence in their daily commute. In Etobicoke North, where many residents rely heavily on buses to connect to work, school, healthcare and the broader transit network, reliability is especially important. I would advocate for investments that reduce delays, improve service frequency and address overcrowding, while ensuring TTC resources are distributed fairly across Toronto. Improving reliability is not only about attracting new riders—it is about respecting the time of the people who already depend on transit every day.

Norman Hamilton

- Complete one RapidTO route in Ward 1 by the end of the next Council term, with a clear timeline and consultation with riders, residents and businesses.
- Vote in favour of effective RapidTO routes in other wards because Ward 1 riders travel across Toronto.
- Give buses and streetcars priority where it will reduce delays, using measures such as dedicated lanes and improved traffic signals.
- Repair subway reduced speed zones faster and fund regular maintenance of tracks, switches and signals.
- Support a network-wide plan for faster, more accessible and more reliable streetcars.
- Oppose TTC service cuts and invest in more frequent service, including early mornings, evenings and weekends.
- Publish clear results on wait times, missed trips, crowding and travel times so riders can see whether service is improving. TTC Service and Reliability

Nathen Mazri

"Faster transit, not ideology. Ward 1 depends heavily on buses, and residents should not lose hours of their lives waiting or sitting in congestion. I support RapidTO and network-wide transit priority where evidence demonstrates meaningful improvements, while evaluating parking removal, turn restrictions and lane changes individually based on safety, accessibility, businesses and neighbourhood impacts. Measure before and after. Keep what works. Fix what doesn’t."