The TTC says ridership reached a post-pandemic high

If it's been feeling busier during your commutes on the TTC, it's because there has been an uptick in ridership.

During the first week of September, the Toronto Transit Commission told CTV News Toronto that 2.66 million riders boarded local transit each day—a post-pandemic high since the last week of March 2024. The overall demand jumped by six per cent during this same time last year, the TTC said.

"We've been seeing people return to transit in lots of ways in lots of parts of the city, so on bus, streetcar, and subway, they're back, and we're seeing it both downtown and some more of the suburban areas. So, by almost every measure, ridership continues to grow," Josh Colle, chief strategy and customer officer at the TTC, told CTV News Toronto's Natalie Johnson in an interview.

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Out of all modes of public transportation, the TTC said weekday boardings were highest across its bus routes, with 1.30 million commuters per day. Comparatively, the streetcar saw 230,000 and the subway had 1.13 million riders.

Streetcars saw the highest demand in ridership compared to 2023, jumping by 10 per cent, while the demand for buses and subways increased by three per cent and nine per cent, respectively.

"Congestion in Toronto is a real problem and I'm appealing to those that are considering if they have a choice to take public transit, I want you to choose TTC, the better way," Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said during a news conference in August.

The transit agency points to the return to school as a probable reason why more Torontonians are taking transit for their weekday commutes.

"The commencement of (the Toronto District School Board), (the Toronto District Catholic School Board) and post-secondary classes this week results in 14 per cent increase in weekday customer demand compared to the previous week, which brought demand back up to levels prior to summer," the TTC said in a statement.

The rise in ridership comes as the commission boosted its service on Sept. 1, with total service hours reaching 97 per cent of what it was pre-pandemic.

Earlier this month, the mayor said the city's congestion management plan has so far been successful in easing gridlock, pointing to improving travel times in some of Toronto's most congested areas.

"We do know that the economic impact of congestion – $11 billion a year – is severe, which is why we've been working relentlessly and tirelessly to improve the traffic and find ways to get people moving faster," Chow said during a Sept. 12 news conference at Front Street and Spadina Avenue.

Trumpeting quicker travel times across King Street, Spadina Avenue, and King Street – all routes that have caught the ire of commuters – the mayor said the city's efforts to ease congestion "are working."

With files from CTV News Toronto's Natalie Johnson and CP24's Joshua Freeman