New bus

New bus-only roadway on former Scarborough RT route will shorten commute times: TTC

Scarborough commuters advocated for years for busway so transit could avoid traffic

A look at Scarborough’s new busway

Some Scarborough commuters will have their travel time shortened, the TTC says, thanks to the Wednesday opening of the new Scarborough Busway.

The former Line 3 Scarborough Rapid Transit corridor has been transformed into a four kilometre bus-only roadway with new sidewalks, lights and bus shelters, the TTC said on its website.

Commuters can expect travel times reduced by about seven minutes between the Scarborough Centre and Kennedy Station, it said, with added stops along the roadway at Tara Avenue, Lawrence Avenue E. and Ellesmere Road.

The bus-only route replaces the former Scarborough rapid transit line that derailed in 2023.

"A lot went into ensuring the busway was safe and ready for customers to travel on, including extensive testing and working closely with city agencies," said the transit organization.

Nine bus routes will make use of the busway and service on the replacement Line 3 bus route will operate solely on the new roadway, the TTC said.

Scarborough commuters fought and advocated for years for the busway, especially after the project was stalled without enough funding from the previous city council, said August Puranauth, campaign manager of advocacy group TTCriders, in a news release.

"We kept the pressure up when the Scarborough RT derailed in 2023. Three years later, we get to celebrate the success of that advocacy," he said.

TTCriders said the bus-only road was a priority in the 2023 mayoral by-election and that the project finally got funding in 2024.

The busway has become even more crucial to commuters given the Scarborough subway extension's opening has been delayed from 2030 to 2033, the group said. They hope it will serve as an example of how bus corridors can speed up transit by lifting people out of traffic.

Riders 'thoroughly enjoyed' new busway: TTC CEO

Transit rider Gavin Fernando said Wednesday the ride on the busway was "definitely a lot quicker" by about five to 10 minutes.

"I really liked how it's separated from the road," he said, adding he travels through the corridor everyday.

"I'm kind of disappointed that they can't really overtake each other, but it's definitely a step forward."

Fritz Manguerra said the new, smooth roadway "felt like a Formula One track" and was fun to experience.

"I feel like, from a driver's perspective, it did unclog a lot of the lanes, especially with all the buses coming in during rush hour," he said.

Manguerra said he is hopeful that the subway extension will open up in the next few years and the busway doesn't replace that project.

Operators and TTC customers have so far shared that they "thoroughly enjoyed" the new busway, said TTC CEO Mandeep Lali at Kennedy Station.

He said the roadway is operating smoothly as planned and takes 15 minutes one-way to get through the entire stretch of the busway.

Lali said the transit organization has pop-up stations open today to get commuter feedback as people ride the busway for the first time.

Arrthy Thayaparan is a writer at CBC Toronto with interests in health, climate, education and community stories. You can contact her at arrthy.thayaparan@cbc.ca.