March 2009

The TTC introduced 13 more accessible bus routes last month. They were: 48 Rathburn, 50 Burnhamthorpe, 66 Prince Edward, 68 Warden, 80 Queensway, 83 Jones, 102 Markham Rd., 143 Downtown/Beach Express, 144 Downtown/Don Valley Express, 169 Huntingwood, 224 Victoria Park North, 322 Coxwell and 324 Victoria Park. With these additions, close to 80 per cent of TTC bus routes (140 of 168 routes) are wheelchair and scooter friendly.

The routes are served by accessible kneeling buses, which are equipped with a flip-ramp. They can be identified by blue lights on either side of the front destination sign, and the blue international wheelchair symbol displayed above the front right bumper next to the entrance door.

Fully accessible buses have two wheelchair/scooter positions. These buses are purchased with the financial assistance of the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario.

“We’ve always been committed to making the TTC the easier way for everyone,” says Operations General Manager Rick Cornacchia. “Our accessible bus fleet has grown to more than 1,500 vehicles, our new accessible subway trains, the Toronto Rockets, start arriving in 2010, and Toronto’s next generation streetcars will be ordered soon.”