The TTC will institute several service changes for the 2026/27 Holiday period running from December 20 to January 2, 2027.
The difference in service level can be seen in the number of peak buses AM and PM for the 2025 holiday period and the corresponding 2026 period. There are fewer peak buses and scheduled hours in the 2026 Holiday period compared to 2025, and the drop from the late Fall schedules is more substantial this year.
The numbers are summarized below, and details are in tables following the “more” break.
| 2025 | 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AM Peak Buses | |||
| November/Fall 2 Period | 1,447 | 1,471 | 24 |
| December/Holiday Period | 1,438 | 1,346 | -82 |
| PM Peak Buses | |||
| November/Fall 2 Period | 1,585 | 1,583 | -2 |
| December/Holiday Period | 1,546 | 1,479 | -67 |
| Weekly Scheduled Hours | |||
| November/Fall 2 Period | 200,894 | 199,236 | -1,658 |
| December/Holiday Period | 194,944 | 188,604 | -6,340 |
Some of the changes are typical seasonal responses to lower demand both from commuter and student trips. However, a disquieting phrase in the descriptions for many of these changes is “due to workforce considerations”. This raises the question of whether the shortage of operators is temporary and will be reversed, or if we are seeing longer term service cuts due to budget-driven understaffing.
I asked the TTC about this and they advised that there is a lot of vacation time concentrated in the holiday period. Services will be restored in January.
Overall Service Reductions
The scheduled hours per week drops considerably in the Holiday period compared to November, and compared to 2025.
(Note that in 2026, schedule board periods have been renamed on a seasonal basis rather than using month names. “December” and “Holiday” are equivalent.)
Buses
The reduction relative to the Fall schedules (the “Change in Service” columns below) is much larger in 2026 than in 2025.
Streetcars
The change in streetcar peak vehicles is largely due to withdrawal of the Run as Directed cars and the rollback of the 5′ headway implemented on 505 Dundas in November. There is also a small reduction from the 506 Carlton diversion ending.
Rapid Transit Service
In the November schedules, crew step backs were implemented on Line 2 BD at both Kennedy and Kipling Stations. Extra travel time was added to schedules in the late evening. These changes will be reversed in the Holiday schedules due to workforce considerations. Service levels are not changed.
Streetcar Service
Temporary additional service was implemented on 505 Dundas in November to use up surplus operators at Leslie Barns. This extra service will be removed during all time periods.
The diversion for sewer and track replacement on College/Carlton will end, and 306/506 Carlton service will revert to its standard route. The 306C/506C shuttle buses will be removed. As of November 5, buses were already following the standard route at Yonge, and streetcars will likely go back to normal when overhead upgrades in the area are finished. The actual schedule change will take effect on December 20.
Run as Directed (RAD) crews will be dropped over the holidays for workforce considerations.
Bus Service
All school trips serving secondary schools will be dropped, as usual, for the holiday period when the schools are closed.
12 Kingston Road service will be reduced in peak periods and early evenings weekdays, on Saturday afternoons, and on Sunday early evenings.
13 Avenue Road service will be revised by removal of the 13B Gerrard branch on weekday middays, and late evening service on the 13A Queen’s Park branch will no longer operate late evenings. This change co-incides with the completion of accessibility work at Museum Station where the elevator will be operational.
24 Victoria Park will see reduced service weekday early morning, PM peak and early evening; weekend afternoon and early evening.
37 Islington will see reduced service on weekends.
38 Highland Creek and 938 Highland Creek Express will be adjusted due to reduced traffic to UTSC. Weekday 938 express service will be dropped for the holidays, and local service on the 38 local will be improved.
39 Finch East service will be reduced on weekends.
41 Keele and 941 Keele Express weekday service will be adjusted. The express service will be dropped, and the local service will be improved in peak periods top partly compensate. Local 41 service will be reduced in the midday and early evening weekdays, and during all periods except late evening on weekends.
42 Cummer service will be reduced weekday peaks and daytime, all day Saturday, and Sunday daytime.
43 Kennedy service will be reduced during most periods on weekends. 943 Kennedy Express service will be suspended.
44 Kipling South and 944 Kipling South Express will be adjusted. The express service wil be dropped, and the local service improved weekdays through the peaks and midday to partially compensate.
47 Lansdowne service will be reduced weekdays from the AM peak through to early evening, on Saturdays through the daytime and early evening, and on Sunday afternoons.
59 Maple Leaf service will be reduced in peak periods.
60 Steeles West service will be reduced weekday peaks and midday; Saturday early morning, afternoon and early evening.
61 Avenue Road service will be reduced weekdays in the PM peak, Saturday morning and afternoon, and Sunday afternoon.
63 Ossington will operate on a summer schedule with reduced service in most periods compared to the Fall schedules.
70 O’Connor will see reduced service during the peaks, daytime and early evening weekdays and Saturdays, and on Sunday afternoons.
80 Queensway service will be reduced on Saturday afternoons, and on Sundays all day through to the early evening.
84 Sheppard West will see reduced service during almost all daytime and early evening periods throughout the week.
89 Weston service will be reduced on Saturday afternoons and early evenings.
90 Vaughan service will be reduced during almost all periods.
95/995 York Mills will have added trips in the early evening on weekdays, and in the morning and
afternoon on weekends. This will partly compensate for the suspension of 995 York Mills Express service on weekday evenings and on weekends.
96 Wilson will have reduced service in all weekday periods except late evenings.
98 Willowdale-Senlac peak period service will be reduced.
99 Arrow Rd will have no change in service levels, but times will be adjusted to blend with 84 Sheppard West.
101 Downsview Park will lose a 101B Stanley Greene tripper in the PM peak.
105 Dufferin North will have reduced service in the early morning and in the PM peak.
106 Sentinel will have reduced service in the PM peak and on Saturday late afternoons.
109 Ranee will have less service weekday midday, Saturday mornigs and afternoons, and Sunday afternoons.
112 West Mall will have less service during most off-peak periods weekdays and weekends.
118 Thistledown will have less service during peak periods.
125 Drewry will have less service in the AM peak.
165 Weston Road North will have less service during peak periods.
830 Henry Kelsey-Middlefield service will be suspended.
906 Airport-Humber College Express service will be suspended Saturday early mornings, and evenings on both Saturdays and Sundays.
924 Victoria Park Express PM peak service will be revised to begin at 3pm rather than 2pm.
927 Highway 27 Express service will lose all school trippers, and service will be reduced in almost all periods.
953 Steeles East Express peak period service will be dropped.
960 Steeles West Express service will be reduced on weekday midday and pm peak, and on Saturday afternoons.
985 Sheppard East service will be dropped.
989 Weston Express service will be dropped in the weekdays early morning. Service will now start at 7am.
Details of Service Designs
Destination Sign Changes
2026.12.20 Destination Sign Changes
Holiday Period Special Schedules
| Fri Dec 18 | Regular weekday service |
| Sat Dec 19 | Regular Saturday service |
| Sun Dec 20 | Start of Holiday period. Seasonal reductions begin. |
| Mon Dec 21 | Regular weekday service with seasonal cuts. School trips removed from schedules. |
| Tue-Wed Dec 22-24 | Regular weekday service with seasonal cuts. |
| Fri Dec 25 | Christmas Day. Sunday service. Most routes begin at 8am. |
| Sat Dec 26 | Boxing Day. Holiday service. A small number of Run-as-directed buses will operate depending on workforce availability. Two buses are scheduled from Arrow, McNicoll and Queensway divisions between 11am and 10pm. |
| Sun Dec 27 | Sunday service. |
| Mon-Wed Dec 28-30 | Regular weekday service with seasonal cuts. |
| Thu Dec 31 | Regular weekday service on most routes. Subway service adjusted to give more capacity in the evening, and service will run until about 3am (see below). Surface route hours will be extended to meet later last train times. 16 RAD buses are scheduled from 4am on Dec 31 to 6am on Jan 1, with additional buses depending on workforce availability. |
| Fri Jan 1 | Sunday service. Most routes will begin at 8am. |
| Sat Jan 2 | Saturday service. |
| Sun Jan 3 | First day of Winter schedules. Holiday service cuts restored (details TBA). |
| Mon Jan 4 | Weekday service with cuts restored (TBA). School trips resume. |
New Year’s Eve
Rapid transit service levels and hours will be adjusted on New Year’s Eve. The details are in the spreadsheet linked later in the article.
Last train times will be adjusted on all routes.
| Line | Station | Last Train Departure | Last Train Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Yonge-University | Union to Finch | 2:31 | |
| Union to VMC | 2:27 | 3:02 | |
| Finch | 2:00 | 3:02 | |
| VMC | 1:50 | 3:10 | |
| 2 Bloor-Danforth | Kipling | 2:15 | 3:08 |
| Yonge to Kennedy | 2:40 | ||
| Yonge to Kipling | 2:39 | ||
| Kennedy | 2:18 | 3:02 | |
| 4 Sheppard | Sheppard-Yonge | 2:57 | 3:17 |
| Don Mills | 3:09 | 3:05 | |
| 5 Eglinton | Mount Dennis | 3:00 | 3:51 |
| Kennedy | 3:05 | 3:45 | |
| 6 Finch | Humber College | 3:46 | 3:43 |
| Finch West | 3:05 | 4:22 |
Subway Service Designs for New Year’s Eve
