A C$550-million (US$418-million) investment in new vehicles and transit system upgrades, made possible by Toronto’s City Building Fund, was approved by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Board.
“This is a great day,” said TTC CEO Rick Leary. “This plan will see hundreds of new energy-efficient and zero-emission buses carrying TTC customers starting in two years to replace our aging fleet, advance the city’s climate change goals, improve the customer experience while promoting economic prosperity and the social vibrancy of the city.”
As part of the Fleet Procurement Strategy and Plan the TTC Board gave the go-ahead to purchase:
- 600 new buses - 300 hybrids picking up passengers starting in 2022 and 300 new e-buses that – pending the results of the TTC's head-to-head study - would roll out starting in 2023.
- 70 new Wheel-Trans buses starting in 2022.
- 13 more streetcars starting in 2023 with a commitment to buy 47 more if the other governments are willing to come to the table to support transit.
“This is a positive step forward for the future of Toronto transit. Investing in new vehicles and necessary upgrades will make sure our TTC is operating at its best and moving as many people as possible,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory. “The plan approved by the board starts making those investments in key areas. Now it is also extremely important that Toronto’s investments are in short order matched by the federal and provincial governments who both understand the importance of investing in transit, investing in Canadian-built vehicles and investing in our post-COVID future.”
The plan also funds the start of work needed to purchase 80 new subway trains for Lines 1 and 2 to accommodate expansion and an upgraded signaling system on Line 2.
