Your Future Journey – Frequently Asked Questions

The launch of the New Ways to Bus network is planned to follow the opening of O-Train Lines 2 and 4 in the south, connecting that part of the city by rail and opening up new convenient connections across the city.

Before we launch the new network, we will communicate any changes well in advance so that you have time to adjust your routines and plan for your future trips. On our New Ways to Bus webpage, you can currently find high-level information about the new network, view the network and frequent route maps, individual route maps and descriptions, an explanation of bus service types and how we’re updating on-street information, blog posts, and more. In the coming weeks, you’ll start to notice changes to signs at bus stops, social media posts, ads and Community Bus outreach sessions at transit hubs and community destinations near you. Watch for this information so you can stay informed on the latest updates.

Customers will generally see a shift from downtown-focused bus routes to routes that improve connections to community hubs, key destinations, and O-Train stations.

Some customers will have to go farther to reach a bus stop or take an extra transfer, and others will be closer to a new bus stop or benefit from a more direct trip to their destination. Some customers will also have shorter travel times, while others may have longer travel times.

Use the New Ways to Bus Travel Planner to preview your future weekday and weekend trips in the new network, with schedules available for bus routes and O-Train Line 1, 2 and 4.

Yes, with thousands of bus stops requiring changes, we need to begin updating this information early so it’s ready in time for the launch of the new bus network.

In the coming weeks, you will notice changes to signs or maps at bus stops. Future bus stop flags will be installed but covered until the new network is ready for use. These new signs will have a Future Network label to indicate their purpose.

Your current bus service will remain the same and signs and maps for the new bus network will be covered or have stickers and notices to indicate that they aren’t in effect yet.

Covered signs will be unveiled right before the new network comes into effect.

With more than 125 bus routes being changed, replaced, or newly introduced, every neighbourhood and most customers will see changes to their trip when we launch the new network. Our full list of route changes is visible on our website, where you’ll find additional information on replacement service, connections to the O-Train, maps, and more.

Some routes will be retired due to low ridership and to improve connections to new routes and the O-Train. Retired routes will be replaced by alternative service nearby, so you’ll still have access to transit.

You can now preview your future trip on the new network from start to finish with our New Ways to Bus Travel Planner. This exciting new resource uses typical weekday and weekend schedules for bus routes and O-Train Line 1, 2, and 4 to provide customized travel plans for your future trips in the new network. Soon, a preview of the future network will also be made available on the Transit app.

Additionally, you can view the future network map, frequent route map, and review changes to individual routes on our New Ways to Bus website.

The current bus network was designed to carry 100 million passengers each year. With recent ridership trends, we’re currently on track to carry around 75 million in 2024.

With 25 million fewer riders resulting in lower revenue, the current network is not sustainable and is falling short of our customers’ expectations and our own bus reliability goal of 99.5 per cent. It’s clear that customer travel patterns have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, and that our service needs to evolve alongside our customers. The New Ways to Bus network responds to these changes and was based on the results of the 2023 Bus Route Review.

To help concentrate our resources where they’re needed most, the new network will use adjusted bus routes and schedules that compliment an increase of train service hours with Lines 2 and 4. With these changes, many customers will see a wide variety of improvements, such as:

• More frequent service on many important routes in all parts of the city.
• Service redirected from certain streets with low ridership.
• Improved connections between community hubs in neighbourhoods.
• Improved capacity on buses that connect customers from neighbourhoods to downtown.
• Routes designed to be more efficient, taking advantage of O-Train Lines 1, 2 and 4.
• Some routes adjusted to end at Transitway and O-Train Stations instead of in residential areas, improving our ability to provide support with extra buses and drivers when needed.

There will be no direct impact to Para Transpo service when we launch the New Ways to Bus network. Customers that use Para Transpo in addition to conventional service should review the future changes to the bus network to make sure that they are familiar with how their connections to conventional bus service and the O-Train may change.