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Toronto Transportation Commission

December 29, 2023

Not to be confused with Toronto Transit Commission.

Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) was the public transit operator in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, beginning in 1921. It operated buses, streetcars and the island ferries. The system was renamed the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in 1954.

Toronto Transportation Commission bus, circa 1923

History edit

Main article: History of the Toronto Transit Commission

Toronto's first public transportation company was the Williams Omnibus Bus Line and owned by undertaker Burt Williams. The franchise carried passengers in horse-drawn stagecoaches along Yonge Street between the St. Lawrence Market and the village of Yorkville for sixpence in 1849. The city granted the first franchise for a street railway in 1861 to Alexander Easton under the franchise of Toronto Street Railways (TSR) and Metropolitan Street Railway of Toronto (MSR) in 1885. In 1891, the franchise was passed onto William Mackenzie's Toronto Railway Company for 30 years. Outside of the city there were a number of other operators, including:

Prior to the establishment of the TTC, the City of Toronto operated its own system under the Toronto Civic Railways (TCR). However, the TCR routes were operating in areas not served by the private TRC. In 1920, a Provincial Act created the Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) and, in 1921, the Commission took over and amalgamated nine existing fare systems within the city limits. Between 1921 and 1953, the TTC added 35 new routes in the city and extended 20 more. It also operated 23 suburban routes on a service-for-cost basis. It abandoned money-losing radial railway line (known as 'interurbans' elsewhere in the continent), North Yonge Railways.

The Great Depression and the Second World War both placed heavy burdens on the ability of municipalities to finance themselves. During most of the 1930s, municipal governments had to cope with general welfare costs and assistance to the unemployed. The TTC realized that improvements had to be made despite the depression and in 1936 purchased the first of the newly developed PCC streetcars. The war put an end to the depression and increased migration from rural to urban areas. After the war, municipalities faced the problem of extending services to accommodate the increased population. Ironically, the one municipal service that prospered during the war years was public transit; employers had to stagger work hours in order to avoid overcrowding the streetcars. Toronto continued their program of purchasing PCC cars, running the world's largest fleet, including many obtained second-hand from U.S. cities that abandoned streetcar service.

With the creation of Metro Toronto in 1954 and the building of the Yonge subway line, the Toronto Transportation Commission was renamed the Toronto Transit Commission.

Streetcar edit

The Toronto Transportation Commission was mainly a streetcar operator and this remained the core operations before 1954:

All remaining Toronto Railway Company cars as of 1921 and all Toronto Civic Railways cars as of 1921 was absorbed into the TTC. Some older wooden cars were retired due to wear and replaced by Peter Witt orders.

Product list and details (date information from TTC)
Make/Model Description Fleet size Year acquired Year retired Notes
Preston Car Company / Birney Safety Car Single truck double-end car 25 1921 1926–1927: 11 cars total sold with 3 to Cornwall Street Railway (all scrapped in 1949);[1] 8 sold to Nova Scotia Tramways and Power Company Limited (all scrapped in 1949);[2] 1940–1941: remaining 14 cars sold to two batches to Halifax, 8 in 1940 and 6 in 1941) Ex-TCR
Canada Car and Foundry / Brill Peter Witts – Large with trailers Single end double-truck electric streetcar 575 1921–1923 1965 Small Peter Witt 2766 retained for private charters
Canada Car and Foundry / Ottawa Car Company Peter Witts – Small Witts Single end double-truck electric streetcar N/A N/A N/A
St. Louis Car Company and CCF President's Conference Committee Car A1 Single end double-truck electric streetcar N/A N/A N/A
St. Louis Car Company PCC A2–8 Single end double-truck electric streetcar N/A N/A N/A
St. Louis Car Company PCC A9–10 Single end double-truck electric streetcar N/A N/A N/A Ex-Cincinnati
St. Louis Car Company PCC A11 Single end double-truck electric streetcar N/A N/A N/A Ex-Cleveland
St. Louis Car Company PCC A12 Single end double-truck electric streetcar N/A N/A N/A Ex-Louisville
St. Louis Car Company PCC A13 Single end double-truck electric streetcar N/A 1953 N/A Ex-Birmingham

Buses edit

Buses are a large part of the TTC operations today, but before the 1960s they played a lesser role to streetcar operations. Bus service in Toronto started in 1921, but it was not until the creation of the TTC that buses become a part of public transit. There were a few independent bus operators that continued to provide inter-urban bus services:

  • Hollinger Bus Lines (East York and Scarborough 1921–1954)
  • Danforth Bus Lines (Scarborough, North York and York 1926–1954)
  • West York Coach Lines (York, Etobicoke and Malton 1946–1954)
  • Roseland Bus Lines (York, Weston-Woodbridge 1925–1954)

Here is a list of historic and current buses used by the old TTC:

Product list and details (date information from TTC)
Make/Model Description Fleet size Year acquired Year retired Notes
AEC 404 Double-decker bus 1 1922 1940s? Upper level was removed in 1925
Fifth Avenue Bus Company L and J Double-decker bus 4 – L, 6 – J 1921, 1922 1940s? 1 preserved at Canada Science and Technology Museum
Pierce Arrow Z Diesel bus 2 1922 1940s?
Tilling-Stevens TS4 Diesel bus 1 1922 1940s?
Veteran K Diesel bus 1 1927 1940s?
White Motor Company 50A Diesel bus 6 1924 1940s?
White Motor Company 50A Diesel bus 5, 10 1927, 1929 1940s? 1929 purchase from Highway Queen Bus Lines; 2 sent to Gray Coach
White Motor Company 50B Diesel bus 5 1927 1940s?
Packard ED Diesel bus 1 1922 1940s?
Yellow Coach Y-Z (227, 229) Diesel bus 5, 6 1925 1940s?
Yellow Coach Y Diesel bus 1 1925 1940s?
Yellow Coach Y-O-254 Diesel bus 1 1927 1940s?
Yellow Coach Z-AQ-273 Diesel bus 4 1926 1940s?
Yellow Coach Y-U-316 Diesel bus 3 1927 1940s?

Suburban and inter-urban buses edit

Gray Coach Lines was suburban bus operator founded in 1927 by the Toronto Transit Commission. Gray Coach used inter-urban coaches to link Toronto to outlying areas throughout Southern Ontario. In addition, Gray Coach operated tour bus operations in association with Gray Line tours. The main terminal was at the Toronto Bus Terminal on Elizabeth Street, downtown.

Here is a list of historic and current buses used by the Gray Coach:

Product list and details (date information from TTC)
Make/Model Description Fleet size Year acquired Year retired Notes
AEC/CCC Ranger Coach Suburban coach 4 1932–1933 N/A Later to Gray Coach
GM Highway Parlour Coach PD4104 Suburban coach 7 1950s N/A Later to Gray Coach

Trolley bus lines edit

 
One of TTC's 151 Flyer E700A trolley buses, 1987

The TTC once operated trolley buses on 10 routes, mostly on downtown routes and a few in the northern limits of the City of Toronto. The first route began operation with four buses on June 19, 1922, from a shed on Merton St. This early trolley coach operation was replaced by a streetcar line. In later years, many of these routes replaced streetcar routes, using the old overhead power system which was adapted to dipole service. The buses consisted of a standard bus platform with electric motors with two trolley poles connected to electrical lines above.

Routes served by trolley buses included:

  • 4 Annette
  • 6 Bay
  • 40 Junction
  • 47 Lansdowne
  • 61 Nortown (later 61/103)
  • 63 Ossington
  • 74 Mt. Pleasant
  • 89 Weston
  • 97 Yonge
Trolley bus types and details[3]
Make/Model Description Fleet size Year acquired Year retired Notes
Packard/Canadian Brill ED 4 1922 (New) 1925 Retired and sold as scrap 1928; #23 survived and now at Halton County Railway Museum in Rockwood, Ontario.
Canadian Car & Foundry–Brill T44-T1, T44-T2 and T44-T3 85 1947–1948 (New) 1970–1971 Rebuilt as Western Flyer E700s (with completely new bodies)
CCF–Brill T48A 40 new; 5 secondhand from Ottawa 1953; ex-Ottawa units 1951 40 new; ex-Ottawa units 1959 1970–1971 Rebuilt as Western Flyer E700s (with completely new bodies)
Marmon-Herrington TC48-T5 15, all ex-Cincinnati 1948 (1953) 1971

Island Ferry edit

Main article: Toronto Island ferries

In 1926, the City of Toronto purchased the ferry services operated by the Toronto Ferry Company. The fleet was transferred to the TTC, which engaged in a modernization program, retiring the smaller older vessels, and purchasing modern, diesel-powered ferries which still provide the backbone of modern service to the Islands.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Cornwall, Cornwall Street Railway — Roster".
  2. ^ "Once Upon a Tram: The Halifax Street Railway | SkyriseCities".
  3. ^ Porter, Harry; and Stanley F.X. Worris (1979). Trolleybus Bulletin No. 109: Databook II, pp. 52–53. North American Trackless Trolley Association (defunct).
  • The TTC Story by Mike Filey
  • Not A One Horse Town by Mike Filey
  • Reflections & Recollections Transfer Points January 2005
  • Independents Take Over – TTC Goes Metro Wide Transfer Points August–September 2004
  • Toronto Transit Commission Goes Metro Wide Transfer Point December 2004
  • TTC Archives

External links edit

  • Official TTC site
  • News, history and discussion
  • Transit Toronto – Trolley Buses
  • Transit Toronto Buses
  • Transit Toronto Streetcar
  • Gray Coach Roster
  • Toronto Ferries
  • Tom's North American Trolleybuses – Toronto page
Preceded by Public Transit in Toronto
1921–1954 		Succeeded by

December 29, 2023
toronto, transportation, commission, confused, with, toronto, transit, commission, this, article, includes, list, general, references, lacks, sufficient, corresponding, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, citati. Not to be confused with Toronto Transit Commission This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations February 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Toronto Transportation Commission TTC was the public transit operator in Toronto Ontario Canada beginning in 1921 It operated buses streetcars and the island ferries The system was renamed the Toronto Transit Commission TTC in 1954 Toronto Transportation Commission bus circa 1923 Contents 1 History 2 Streetcar 3 Buses 4 Suburban and inter urban buses 5 Trolley bus lines 6 Island Ferry 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksHistory editMain article History of the Toronto Transit Commission Toronto s first public transportation company was the Williams Omnibus Bus Line and owned by undertaker Burt Williams The franchise carried passengers in horse drawn stagecoaches along Yonge Street between the St Lawrence Market and the village of Yorkville for sixpence in 1849 The city granted the first franchise for a street railway in 1861 to Alexander Easton under the franchise of Toronto Street Railways TSR and Metropolitan Street Railway of Toronto MSR in 1885 In 1891 the franchise was passed onto William Mackenzie s Toronto Railway Company for 30 years Outside of the city there were a number of other operators including Toronto and York Radial Railway Toronto Suburban RailwayPrior to the establishment of the TTC the City of Toronto operated its own system under the Toronto Civic Railways TCR However the TCR routes were operating in areas not served by the private TRC In 1920 a Provincial Act created the Toronto Transportation Commission TTC and in 1921 the Commission took over and amalgamated nine existing fare systems within the city limits Between 1921 and 1953 the TTC added 35 new routes in the city and extended 20 more It also operated 23 suburban routes on a service for cost basis It abandoned money losing radial railway line known as interurbans elsewhere in the continent North Yonge Railways The Great Depression and the Second World War both placed heavy burdens on the ability of municipalities to finance themselves During most of the 1930s municipal governments had to cope with general welfare costs and assistance to the unemployed The TTC realized that improvements had to be made despite the depression and in 1936 purchased the first of the newly developed PCC streetcars The war put an end to the depression and increased migration from rural to urban areas After the war municipalities faced the problem of extending services to accommodate the increased population Ironically the one municipal service that prospered during the war years was public transit employers had to stagger work hours in order to avoid overcrowding the streetcars Toronto continued their program of purchasing PCC cars running the world s largest fleet including many obtained second hand from U S cities that abandoned streetcar service With the creation of Metro Toronto in 1954 and the building of the Yonge subway line the Toronto Transportation Commission was renamed the Toronto Transit Commission Streetcar editThe Toronto Transportation Commission was mainly a streetcar operator and this remained the core operations before 1954 All remaining Toronto Railway Company cars as of 1921 and all Toronto Civic Railways cars as of 1921 was absorbed into the TTC Some older wooden cars were retired due to wear and replaced by Peter Witt orders Product list and details date information from TTC Make Model Description Fleet size Year acquired Year retired NotesPreston Car Company Birney Safety Car Single truck double end car 25 1921 1926 1927 11 cars total sold with 3 to Cornwall Street Railway all scrapped in 1949 1 8 sold to Nova Scotia Tramways and Power Company Limited all scrapped in 1949 2 1940 1941 remaining 14 cars sold to two batches to Halifax 8 in 1940 and 6 in 1941 Ex TCRCanada Car and Foundry Brill Peter Witts Large with trailers Single end double truck electric streetcar 575 1921 1923 1965 Small Peter Witt 2766 retained for private chartersCanada Car and Foundry Ottawa Car Company Peter Witts Small Witts Single end double truck electric streetcar N A N A N ASt Louis Car Company and CCF President s Conference Committee Car A1 Single end double truck electric streetcar N A N A N ASt Louis Car Company PCC A2 8 Single end double truck electric streetcar N A N A N ASt Louis Car Company PCC A9 10 Single end double truck electric streetcar N A N A N A Ex CincinnatiSt Louis Car Company PCC A11 Single end double truck electric streetcar N A N A N A Ex ClevelandSt Louis Car Company PCC A12 Single end double truck electric streetcar N A N A N A Ex LouisvilleSt Louis Car Company PCC A13 Single end double truck electric streetcar N A 1953 N A Ex BirminghamBuses editBuses are a large part of the TTC operations today but before the 1960s they played a lesser role to streetcar operations Bus service in Toronto started in 1921 but it was not until the creation of the TTC that buses become a part of public transit There were a few independent bus operators that continued to provide inter urban bus services Hollinger Bus Lines East York and Scarborough 1921 1954 Danforth Bus Lines Scarborough North York and York 1926 1954 West York Coach Lines York Etobicoke and Malton 1946 1954 Roseland Bus Lines York Weston Woodbridge 1925 1954 Here is a list of historic and current buses used by the old TTC Product list and details date information from TTC Make Model Description Fleet size Year acquired Year retired NotesAEC 404 Double decker bus 1 1922 1940s Upper level was removed in 1925Fifth Avenue Bus Company L and J Double decker bus 4 L 6 J 1921 1922 1940s 1 preserved at Canada Science and Technology MuseumPierce Arrow Z Diesel bus 2 1922 1940s Tilling Stevens TS4 Diesel bus 1 1922 1940s Veteran K Diesel bus 1 1927 1940s White Motor Company 50A Diesel bus 6 1924 1940s White Motor Company 50A Diesel bus 5 10 1927 1929 1940s 1929 purchase from Highway Queen Bus Lines 2 sent to Gray CoachWhite Motor Company 50B Diesel bus 5 1927 1940s Packard ED Diesel bus 1 1922 1940s Yellow Coach Y Z 227 229 Diesel bus 5 6 1925 1940s Yellow Coach Y Diesel bus 1 1925 1940s Yellow Coach Y O 254 Diesel bus 1 1927 1940s Yellow Coach Z AQ 273 Diesel bus 4 1926 1940s Yellow Coach Y U 316 Diesel bus 3 1927 1940s Suburban and inter urban buses editGray Coach Lines was suburban bus operator founded in 1927 by the Toronto Transit Commission Gray Coach used inter urban coaches to link Toronto to outlying areas throughout Southern Ontario In addition Gray Coach operated tour bus operations in association with Gray Line tours The main terminal was at the Toronto Bus Terminal on Elizabeth Street downtown Here is a list of historic and current buses used by the Gray Coach Product list and details date information from TTC Make Model Description Fleet size Year acquired Year retired NotesAEC CCC Ranger Coach Suburban coach 4 1932 1933 N A Later to Gray CoachGM Highway Parlour Coach PD4104 Suburban coach 7 1950s N A Later to Gray CoachTrolley bus lines edit nbsp One of TTC s 151 Flyer E700A trolley buses 1987The TTC once operated trolley buses on 10 routes mostly on downtown routes and a few in the northern limits of the City of Toronto The first route began operation with four buses on June 19 1922 from a shed on Merton St This early trolley coach operation was replaced by a streetcar line In later years many of these routes replaced streetcar routes using the old overhead power system which was adapted to dipole service The buses consisted of a standard bus platform with electric motors with two trolley poles connected to electrical lines above Routes served by trolley buses included 4 Annette 6 Bay 40 Junction 47 Lansdowne 61 Nortown later 61 103 63 Ossington 74 Mt Pleasant 89 Weston 97 YongeTrolley bus types and details 3 Make Model Description Fleet size Year acquired Year retired NotesPackard Canadian Brill ED 4 1922 New 1925 Retired and sold as scrap 1928 23 survived and now at Halton County Railway Museum in Rockwood Ontario Canadian Car amp Foundry Brill T44 T1 T44 T2 and T44 T3 85 1947 1948 New 1970 1971 Rebuilt as Western Flyer E700s with completely new bodies CCF Brill T48A 40 new 5 secondhand from Ottawa 1953 ex Ottawa units 1951 40 new ex Ottawa units 1959 1970 1971 Rebuilt as Western Flyer E700s with completely new bodies Marmon Herrington TC48 T5 15 all ex Cincinnati 1948 1953 1971Island Ferry editMain article Toronto Island ferries In 1926 the City of Toronto purchased the ferry services operated by the Toronto Ferry Company The fleet was transferred to the TTC which engaged in a modernization program retiring the smaller older vessels and purchasing modern diesel powered ferries which still provide the backbone of modern service to the Islands See also editToronto Transit CommissionReferences edit Cornwall Cornwall Street Railway Roster Once Upon a Tram The Halifax Street Railway SkyriseCities Porter Harry and Stanley F X Worris 1979 Trolleybus Bulletin No 109 Databook II pp 52 53 North American Trackless Trolley Association defunct The TTC Story by Mike Filey Not A One Horse Town by Mike Filey Reflections amp Recollections Transfer Points January 2005 Independents Take Over TTC Goes Metro Wide Transfer Points August September 2004 Toronto Transit Commission Goes Metro Wide Transfer Point December 2004 TTC ArchivesExternal links editOfficial TTC site News history and discussion Transit Toronto Trolley Buses Transit Toronto Buses Transit Toronto Streetcar Gray Coach Roster Toronto Ferries Tom s North American Trolleybuses Toronto pagePreceded byToronto Civic Railways and Toronto Railway Company Public Transit in Toronto1921 1954 Succeeded byrenamed Toronto Transit Commission Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Toronto Transportation Commission amp oldid 1150105026, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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