Transit in northwest Toronto has changed significantly.
The opening of Line 6 Finch West created a new rapid-transit connection across the Finch Avenue West corridor, while several TTC bus routes were reorganized to connect riders with the new line.
But a rapid-transit line alone does not determine whether a resident’s daily trip works well.
For many Ward 7 residents, the real journey still depends on a combination of:
Walking to a stop
Waiting for a bus
Making one or more transfers
Connecting to Line 6 or Line 1
Crossing major streets
Reaching the final destination
That raises an important local question:
Where are bus connections, reliability and access to transit still falling short?
Jane Street Remains One of the Most Important Corridors to Watch
Jane Street is one of the clearest examples.
The City of Toronto and TTC are currently studying transit-priority improvements on Jane Street between Steeles Avenue West and Eglinton Avenue West through the RapidTO program.
The City says the corridor was prioritized because of its high transit ridership, long travel times and importance as a connection between major transit lines.
The 35 Jane and 935 Jane Express are among the TTC’s heavily used bus services.
That means reliability on Jane Street affects more than one neighbourhood.
It can affect residents trying to reach schools, work, Line 1, Line 5, Line 6 connections and other destinations across northwest Toronto.
Residents Have Already Identified Reliability as a Major Concern
Public consultation for the Jane Street RapidTO project provides useful evidence about what participating riders are experiencing.
In the City’s 2025 consultation survey:
70% of respondents identified more reliable bus service as a priority.
65% identified reduced commute times for transit riders as important.
Participants also raised concerns about:
Long waits
Slow buses
Overcrowding
Bus reliability
Bus capacity
And the potential accessibility impact of removing some stops.
These findings do not represent every Ward 7 resident.
But they provide documented evidence that reliability and access remain active concerns among people who participated in the Jane Street consultation.
Buses Still Spend Significant Time in Mixed Traffic
One reason Jane Street remains important is congestion.
The City’s evaluation of RapidTO options estimated that, without additional transit priority, buses would continue operating in mixed traffic and experiencing congestion-related delays.
For the Jane Street study corridor, the City’s baseline modelling estimated approximately:
33 minutes in the morning peak
and
36 minutes in the afternoon peak
for bus travel between Steeles Avenue West and Eglinton Avenue West.
The City’s recommended priority-bus-lane concept estimated that those times could fall to approximately 27 minutes in the morning peak and 31 minutes in the afternoon peak.
Those are modelled estimates, not guaranteed future travel times.
But they demonstrate how much congestion can influence a bus journey along the corridor.
RapidTO Improvements Are Still Being Developed
The Jane Street RapidTO project is not simply a completed bus-lane project that residents can already evaluate.
The City says the consultation phase has continued while the design is refined.
That means an important question remains:
When will riders see the proposed reliability improvements on the street?
Until new transit-priority measures are implemented, residents using Jane Street remain dependent largely on buses moving through regular traffic conditions.
More Buses May Still Be Part of the Answer
Road design is only one part of bus reliability.
During Jane Street consultations, some residents argued that dedicated lanes alone would not solve crowding or capacity problems.
Participants asked for:
More frequent buses
Additional buses during busy periods
Reduced waiting times
And better management of crowding.
This distinction matters.
A bus may move faster through traffic but still leave riders waiting if service frequency is insufficient.
Similarly, frequent buses can still become unreliable if several vehicles become delayed together.
Improving a corridor may therefore require both street-level transit priority and service-level improvements.
Bus Bunching Is Another Reliability Problem
Bus bunching happens when two or more buses travelling on the same route arrive very close together after riders have waited longer than expected.
Feedback gathered through the TTC’s 2026 Annual Network Plan process included reports of bus bunching and overcrowding on Jane Street.
Participants identified several locations where they experienced slow operation, including areas around:
Jane Street and Wilson Avenue
Jane Street and Lawrence Avenue West
Black Creek Drive
And parts of the corridor south of Wilson Avenue.
Some respondents also asked for more frequent service and stronger transit priority.
These are public consultation responses rather than independently measured performance statistics.
But they help identify locations where riders believe further investigation is needed.
Express Service Does Not Always Feel Express
The same TTC consultation also recorded comments about the 935 Jane Express.
Some respondents said they wanted the express route to operate more frequently and for longer periods.
Others said the difference between the local and express trip sometimes felt too small, with local and express buses occasionally reaching destinations within similar timeframes.
Again, these are rider reports rather than a system-wide performance finding.
But they raise a practical question:
How much time should an express service actually save before riders experience it as a meaningful improvement?
That is something Toronto Everyday can continue following as service patterns change.
Line 6 Has Improved the Finch West Corridor
There has also been significant progress.
Line 6 Finch West now provides an 11-kilometre rapid-transit connection between Finch West Station and Humber College Station.
The service operates until approximately 1 a.m. daily, with overnight bus service continuing after LRT operations end.
In September 2026, the TTC announced additional improvements intended to provide faster travel times, more frequent service and improved reliability on Line 6.
Earlier operational changes had already reduced average Line 6 round-trip times during the afternoon peak by approximately 30 minutes, according to the TTC’s July 2026 CEO report.
Those are meaningful improvements.
But Line 6 is only one part of a resident’s journey.
The First and Last Part of the Trip Still Matters
A rapid-transit station is useful only if residents can conveniently reach it.
Someone may live several blocks away from Finch Avenue West.
They may need a local bus first.
They may need to cross a major road.
They may use a wheelchair or mobility device.
They may be travelling with children or carrying groceries.
They may travel late at night when local bus frequencies are different.
For these residents, the most important part of the journey may not be the LRT itself.
It may be the connection to the LRT.
The City’s Jane Finch Mobility and Transit Integration Strategy specifically identifies the need to improve connections to rapid transit, local buses, walking, cycling and neighbourhood destinations.
The 119 Torbarrie Shows How Time-Limited Service Can Affect Connections
The 119 Torbarrie provides a useful example of how route design can affect access.
The route was restructured to create stronger connections with Line 6 and to replace portions of previous Finch West bus service.
However, the route is currently identified by the TTC as a limited-service route.
The 119A operates during weekday midday periods, while the 119B operates during weekday peak periods.
That does not mean the route is inadequate for every rider.
But it means residents whose travel falls outside those operating periods may need to use a different connection.
For shift workers, evening travellers or weekend riders, time-of-day availability can be just as important as where a bus line appears on a map.
The Bus Network Has Been Reorganized Around Line 6
The opening of Line 6 also changed the surrounding bus network.
TTC modified several routes before and after the LRT began operating.
For example, portions of the former Finch West bus network were replaced or reorganized, while routes including 119 Torbarrie were adjusted to improve access to Line 6.
Network restructuring can improve some journeys while creating additional transfers for others.
That is why the best way to evaluate the changes is not simply to ask:
“Is there now an LRT?”
Instead ask:
How many transfers does this particular trip require now?
Is the total journey faster?
Is the connection reliable?
Does the service operate when the resident needs it?
Those are measurable questions.
Connections at Humber College Have Become More Important
Humber College Station has also become a major regional connection point.
The TTC says passengers can currently connect there with GO Transit, Brampton Transit, MiWay and York Region Transit services.
That strengthens regional connectivity.
But good regional connections also depend on coordination between:
Arrival times
Transfer walking distances
Service frequencies
Fare systems
And hours of operation
For riders making longer trips beyond Toronto, missed connections can add significant time to the journey.
Access to the Bus Stop Matters as Much as the Bus
Transit accessibility does not begin when someone boards a vehicle.
It begins on the sidewalk.
A rider may encounter:
A damaged sidewalk
A missing sidewalk connection
Snow or ice
A difficult curb ramp
A construction detour
A long distance to the next crossing
An inaccessible stop location
Or a busy road separating them from the station
The Jane Street RapidTO consultation highlighted this issue directly.
Some participants were concerned that removing or relocating stops could particularly affect:
Seniors
People using mobility devices
Children
and other riders who may have difficulty walking longer distances.
That means transit planning has to balance faster service with reasonable access to stops.
Fewer Stops Can Make Buses Faster — But Increase Walking
This is one of the most difficult transit trade-offs.
Removing closely spaced stops can reduce the amount of time buses spend stopping and starting.
That may improve travel times.
But it can also increase walking distance.
For an able-bodied rider, another two or three minutes of walking may seem minor.
For someone with limited mobility, carrying groceries or travelling in difficult weather, that additional distance may matter much more.
Toronto’s own Jane Street evaluation considered this trade-off when assessing transit-priority options and potential stop changes.
There is no single answer that works for every passenger.
That is why accessibility impacts should be measured alongside speed improvements.
Some Other Northwest Bus Routes Have Also Faced Capacity Concerns
Older TTC operational feedback also provides context for nearby routes.
In the TTC’s 2025 Annual Service Plan operator engagement:
The 96 Wilson was identified by operators as needing additional evening and weekend buses because of crowding.
The 108 Driftwood was identified as needing additional running time to help maintain reliability.
The 165 Weston Road North was identified as needing additional evening and weekend buses to accommodate crowding and passenger demand.
These comments were collected during the 2025 planning process, so they should not automatically be treated as proof that the same conditions remain unchanged in September 2026.
They are useful as historical benchmarks.
Toronto Everyday can compare them with current schedules, current rider experiences and future TTC service changes.
September 2026 Brought More Service Adjustments
The TTC continues to adjust service based on ridership and operating conditions.
Effective September 6, 2026, the TTC introduced frequency adjustments on several routes relevant to northwest Toronto, including:
35 Jane
36 Finch West
165 Weston Road North
935 Jane Express
and other services.
A schedule adjustment is not automatically evidence of either better or worse service.
The important next step is to compare the revised schedule with rider experience and actual reliability.
What Should Better Transit Connections Look Like?
For Ward 7 residents, improvement can be measured using practical questions.
Bus Frequency
How long are residents waiting?
Does the service frequency match demand?
Reliability
Do buses arrive at reasonably consistent intervals?
Are riders regularly seeing multiple buses together after long waits?
Transfers
How many transfers are required for common local trips?
Are connections timed reasonably?
Access
Can residents safely and comfortably reach the stop?
Accessibility
Can seniors and residents with mobility needs use the full journey?
Travel Time
Has a new transit connection actually reduced total trip time?
Evening and Weekend Service
Does the network work only during weekday commuting hours, or does it also serve residents travelling at other times?
Capacity
Can passengers board the arriving bus, or is overcrowding creating additional waits?
These measures give residents and transit planners something specific to examine.
What Can Residents Document?
Residents experiencing recurring transit problems can record:
Route number
Stop number or intersection
Direction
Date and time
Expected arrival time
Actual wait time
Whether multiple buses arrived together
Whether the bus was too crowded to board
Transfer connection
Accessibility problem
Total trip time
A single late bus does not prove that an entire route is unreliable.
But repeated observations can identify a pattern worth investigating.
Where Does Ward 7 Still Need Attention?
Current records suggest several areas worth continuing to monitor rather than declaring resolved:
Jane Street bus speed and reliability
Crowding on high-demand routes
Bus bunching
Frequency outside peak periods
Connections between neighbourhood routes and Line 6
Time-limited routes such as 119 Torbarrie
Walking distance to stops
Accessibility when stops are relocated or removed
Evening and weekend connectivity
How well current route changes work in practice
Some of these concerns already have projects or service adjustments underway.
Others may require additional TTC analysis, City street changes or further public consultation.
New Transit Is Only Useful If Residents Can Reach It Reliably
Line 6 Finch West is a major addition to northwest Toronto’s transportation network.
But the success of the transit system around it will depend on more than the LRT itself.
Residents still need buses that arrive reliably.
They need transfers that work.
They need safe routes to stations.
They need service outside peak commuting hours.
And they need stops they can physically reach.
That is why the next phase of Ward 7 transit coverage should focus not only on what infrastructure has been built, but on how complete journeys actually work for residents.
Toronto Everyday will continue following bus service, Line 6 connections, Jane Street transit improvements and accessibility issues affecting Ward 7.
Is there a bus route, transfer or transit stop in Ward 7 where you regularly experience delays, crowding or difficult access? Follow Toronto Everyday on Facebook and join the local conversation.
Source: Toronto Everyday News (https://www.facebook.com/torontoeverydayupdate)