I’ve walked past TTC stops with printed paper taped to the pole explaining why the route is on temporary changed or is suspended. You have to squint to read it.
That’s the state of real-time transit information for most Toronto residents. A taped piece of paper.
Two systems, two trips, no connection
When something breaks in Toronto, a pothole, a broken street light, a damaged sidewalk, you report it to 311. When a TTC route gets diverted or suspended, TTC publishes a service alert on their website.
For a resident, these have never been in one place.
You check TTC for delays. You check 311 for street problems. Two separate trips, two separate systems, every time you want to understand what’s happening on your own street.
TTC is a separate agency from the City. While 311 tracks infrastructure, TTC tracks service disruptions. Neither feeds the other publicly and you’re the one who has to connect the dots.
What changed
SolveTO’s map now shows all 9,393 TTC stops across the city. When a route has an active service alert, the stops on that route turn red on the map. Tap any stop and you see exactly what’s happening, which routes serve it, what the alert says, and since when. This alert updates every two minutes, in Toronto time.
But the part I care about most isn’t the map layer. It’s this: if you tap a stop and see a problem, a damaged bench, a missing schedule, graffiti, a broken shelter, you can report it right there. That report goes to both 311 and TTC Customer Service directly.
Before this, a report about a bus stop filed through SolveTO went to 311 only. TTC, who actually owns the stops and stations, never received a copy. Now they do.
For people running businesses on the strip
Transit disruptions affect foot traffic. A diversion that moves Route 501 two blocks over changes where people walk, where they find you, whether your lunch crowd shows up.
Business Improvement Area managers on SolveTO now get a TTC alerts section in their weekly email digest, what’s disrupted, which routes, since when. Not buried in a TTC alert page. In the same place they already track street conditions in their area.
A piece of paper taped to a pole
People deserve better than that. They deserve to know what’s happening on their street, infrastructure problems and transit disruptions in one place, with one way to report either.
This isn’t a transit app. It’s not a replacement for anything. It’s just a clearer picture of the street you actually live on.
