TORONTO, October 1, 2026 – The Scarborough Busway officially began service on September 30. The new dedicated bus corridor was converted from part of the former TTC Line 3 route. It is about four kilometres long and connects Kennedy Station with Ellesmere Station, with more than 100,000 riders expected to use it each week.
With the new corridor now open, buses can avoid some regular road traffic. The TTC expects the trip from Kennedy Station to Scarborough Centre Station to take about 15 minutes, saving about seven minutes one way compared with the former Line 3 replacement buses that operated on regular roads.
The Busway starts at Kennedy Station and runs along the former Line 3 rail corridor. Stops along the route include Tara Ave./Mooregate Ave., Lawrence East Station and Ellesmere Station. After leaving the dedicated corridor, buses continue toward Scarborough Town Centre through bus-priority measures on Ellesmere Road.
With the opening of the new corridor, several routes have been adjusted to operate on the Busway, including 38 Highland Creek, 129 McCowan North, 131 Nugget, 133 Neilson, 154 Curran Hall, as well as routes 903, 904, 938 and 939.
These routes no longer travel via Kennedy Road and Midland Avenue as they did before. Riders who still need to access stops along those two roads can continue using 43 Kennedy and 57 Midland.
After Line 3 stopped operating in 2023, the TTC had been using buses on regular roads to provide replacement service. During morning and afternoon rush hours, vehicles were often affected by traffic congestion. The new Busway allows some buses to return to the former rail corridor and operate separately from regular traffic, reducing delays caused by road congestion.
The TTC said buses carry fewer passengers per vehicle than the former Line 3 trains, and that demand will be managed through multiple routes and higher service frequency.
The Scarborough Busway is a transitional transit facility. Ontario is building the Scarborough Subway Extension, and once the subway extension opens, rapid transit connections between Scarborough and other parts of Toronto will be further adjusted.
Before the subway extension is completed, the Busway will serve as an important transit link between Kennedy Station, Scarborough Town Centre and nearby communities.
For Scarborough residents, whether the new corridor can consistently shorten commute times and improve bus reliability during peak hours will become the most direct measure of the rider experience in the coming months.
（LJI by Yuanyuan）
