Although many TTC surface routes are notoriously slow — especially when coupled with adverse weather conditions, rush hour traffic, and construction — three specific routes stand out among the rest for their consistently unreliable service. 

In a mock awards ceremony at City Hall on Wednesday, volunteers dressed as marathon runners received medals for Toronto's slowest bus routes among those where RapidTO improvements were promised. 

Rankings included the 29 Dufferin in 1st place, 35 Jane in 2nd, 60 Steeles West in 3rd, and the 39 Finch East in 4th. The "awards ceremony" comes just a week before a report is set to be debated at the Executive Committee about Toronto's plan to install more bus lanes. 

According to a report by transit advocacy group, TTCRiders and Toronto Environmental Alliance, the implementation of more dedicated surface bus lanes in Toronto has been delayed for nearly three years. 

We just gave awards to Toronto's slowest bus routes, where "RapidTO" improvements were promised.

🥇1st place: Dufferin
🥈2nd place: Jane
🥉3rd place: Steeles West

It's time to speed up Toronto's plan for bus lanes and transit priority!

Read more: https://t.co/PHGkHozQJU #TTC pic.twitter.com/Vl6UnvTjRC

— TTCriders (@ttcriders) January 24, 2024

The groups note that surface routes are "significantly slower" and less reliable than the agency's underground routes, with the TTC's 2024 Budget Notes even showing that regular surface transit routes (specifically buses and streetcars) are not meeting the agency's reliability targets. 

"This leaves riders chronically late for work or school, and undermines the City's ability to meet climate goals by shifting drivers to a reliable transit system," the report notes. 

According to the groups, the RapidTO Surface Transit Network Plan being debated next week proposes moving ahead with studies and consultation along three bus routes, namely Finch East, Lawrence East, and Dufferin, but does not propose clear timelines for implementation of bus lane or other transit priority measures.

"It's time to put the 'rapid' in RapidTO," said How-Sen Chong, Toronto Environmental Alliance climate campaigner. 

"There's no excuse to delay the next four priority routes of RapidTO: Steeles West, Finch East, Lawrence East, and Dufferin. We need studies on these four routes to be complete in 2024. And it means that we need paint on the ground by the end of the year." 

The TTC bus on Jane continues to be plagued with overcrowding https://t.co/KoKbpNCVJI #Toronto #TTC

— blogTO (@blogTO) October 26, 2020

City councillor Josh Matlow also noted that thousands of residents across under-serviced neighbourhoods and York University students rely on the Steeles bus, one of the routes found to have the slowest service.

"The current plan leaves all of them stuck in traffic," Matlow said. 

"Whenever I need to take the Dufferin bus from Parkdale to Wilson Station, it is painfully slow," York University student and TTCriders volunteer Elton Campbell added. 

Someone wants to fix one of Toronto's most notoriously overcrowded bus routes https://t.co/N2qQ1eLfeo #Toronto #TTC

— blogTO (@blogTO) September 13, 2022

"I was not surprised to learn how slow the Dufferin bus is, but I am surprised that City Council is not planning to move faster to make quick improvements to Toronto buses." 

Rebeena Subadar from Jane Finch Action Against Poverty also noted that a designated bus lane on Jane Street is years overdue. 

"Residents along Jane Street have been consulted again and again, but we have not seen action. We are calling on City Council to speed up their plan to give buses priority in Toronto, and make sure that bus lanes do not come at the expense of accessibility," Subadar said. 

"Listen to the community about keeping the bus stops that we rely on."