Service continues to be maintained at roughly 80% of normal levels.
TTC
In April, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) announced several cost-saving measures aimed at maintaining critically important transit service in the city while reducing costs. As a part of that phased plan, 450 TTC employees have been temporarily laid-off effective immediately.
“The TTC, like many other businesses, services and residents across the GTA, is faced with a challenging financial situation right now. The decision to lay people off was made only after exploring every possibility — it was a last resort,” said TTC CEO Rick Leary. “We will continue to take care of the impacted employees as best we can during this difficult time and I look forward to the day when TTC ridership rebounds and we’re able to welcome them back.”
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The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an 80% drop in ridership and a loss of $90 million in monthly revenue — money that is essential to sustain operations. In addition to the layoffs, the TTC has also implemented the following cost-saving measures:
Significant reductions in expenditures including reviewing current vacancies and forgoing hiring all seasonal hires.
Pausing all salary increases for non-unionized employees.
As well as assessing all capital project expenditures.
Service continues to be maintained at roughly 80% of normal levels. Focus remains on servicing priority routes within the bus network. Service will continue to be monitored closely as the city gradually reopens and more customers return to regular or semi-regular transit use.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.
