Service Standards Review

We are reviewing and updating our Service Standards. TTC’s Service Standards set out the rules, guidelines and criteria we use to plan, monitor and evaluate transit services. They provide objectivity, clarity and consistency to the transit planning process and are designed to ensure the TTC meets its responsibility of providing service effectively and efficiently.

The Service Standards have two major goals:

• Maximize mobility: provide service in the right places, at the right times
• Efficient and cost effective: ensure that service is affordable to TTC customers and citizens

The standards are a TTC Board-approved framework for achieving these goals and are applied at every level of service planning.

The Service Standards address five areas:

1. Network design – how routes are designed and where they go
2. Service quality – when service is provided and how frequent, crowded and reliable it is
3. Performance targets – service productivity and effectiveness
4. Service changes and warrants – how service is modified and when new services are introduced
5. Service evaluation – how service is monitored and evaluated on an on-going basis

About the Review of the Service Standards

From time to time, TTC reviews and updates its Service Standards to reflect evolving trends and customer needs and expectations, with the most recent wholesale review in 2015 and more minor changes in 2020, 2023, and 2024.

The TTC Strategic Planning Committee directed staff to undertake a comprehensive review at the September 4, 2025, Strategic Planning Committee meeting.

The goal of the 2026 review is to update the standards to ensure the way TTC plans, monitors, reports on, and adjusts service meets our customers’ expectations. We are also striving to:

• bring more transparency to how we plan, deliver, and monitor service delivery
• add and adjust standards or metrics to support service delivery and decision-making
• ensure the updated standards consider the perspectives and experiences of front-line staff
• better reflect and communicate customer’s day-to-day experiences in using transit

Engagement process

Between March 2026 and early 2027, the TTC is engaging customers, staff, and the broader public to help inform the Service Standards Review.

Initial consultation in the first half of 2026 included a customer research survey in March and pre-engagement conversations with transit advocates in May. Combined, these helped TTC better understand customer preferences, priorities, and perspectives to consider through the Service Standards Review. The rest of the engagement approach follows a two-round process.

Round One – Test emerging focus areas
June – August 2026

The focus of Round One is to:

• Introduce and explain what Service Standards are, how they’re developed, why they matter, and how they affect customers’ day-to-day experience on transit
• Share key findings from the background review and emerging focus areas for change
• Seek feedback on emerging focus areas being considered

Engagement will include:

• Planning Advisory Group meeting, participants include transit advocates, community groups, and organizations with an interest in TTC service planning
• Frontline staff focus groups, including bus and streetcar operators, subway operators, bus and streetcar supervisors, subway supervisors, station supervisors, transit control staff, and customer service staff
• Customer focus groups, including women, shift workers, customers with low-income, frequent TTC customer, and non-customers/lapsed customers
• Public survey

Round Two – Present proposed updates
Winter 2026

The focus of Round Two is to share and seek feedback on the proposed updates to the Service Standards before they are presented to the TTC Board, and to ensure they are communicated clearly.

Engagement will include:

• Planning Advisory Group meeting
• Frontline staff focus group
• Customer focus groups
• Public survey

If you would like to be added to the contact list to receive updates about the Service Standards Review, email planning@ttc.ca