TTC Riders Can Expect Big Changes Due To Staffing Shortages & Here's What You Need To Know
A subway line, streetcar and 57 bus routes will be affected starting next week.
This month, the TTC will make sweeping changes to its transit schedule to anticipate staffing shortages caused by its new COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
According to the agency's website, the changes, which come into effect on November 21, 2021, are the direct result of "operator workforce shortages" and are expected to cause significant delays on subway lines and streetcar/bus routes.
The vast majority of the transit delays will pertain to buses with 57 routes affected. However, the Bloor-Danforth Line and 512 St. Clair streetcar will also be altered — and daytime commuters can expect to add one minute, and one to two minutes to their wait times respectively.
Nighttime subway riders could reportedly see their wait time extend from anywhere to six to eight minutes.
Meanwhile, bus routes such as 28 Bayview South, 10 Van Horne, 68 St. Andrews, and 49 Bloor West will see their schedules significantly reduced during the day from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes.
"Provisions have been made to protect service on the busiest corridors in the system during the busiest periods. November schedules will continue into December, with some minor adjustments," an excerpt from the report reads.
Several other routes including 97 Yonge, 74 Mt. Pleasant, 89 Weston, 61 Avenue Road North and 50 Burnhamthorpe will also see service reductions.
The TTC announced back in October that its new mandatory vaccination policy would begin on November 20, resulting in anyone not vaccinated by December 31 being fired.
When the mandatory vaccination policy was announced in mid-October, 85% of TTC employees shared their vaccination status, with 89% of those fully vaccinated.
TTC CEO Rick Leary also issued a statement showing support for the changes and the agency's plans to fix service disruptions.
"We are moving quickly to hire operators and backfill job openings, and we will begin returning service to budgeted levels as soon as possible," he said in a press release last month.