Compiled by James Bow
With information from Mike’s Transit Stop
Additional information by Jeffrey Kay

May 13, 1991

Operation begins on a new route replacing the portion of the 19 CHURCH service operating on Front, Spadina and Queen’s Quay. Buses on the 121 FRONT ESPLANADE service operates from the loop at the southwest corner of King and Parliament via south on Parliament, west on Front, south on Berkeley, west on the Esplanade, north on Yonge, west on Front, south on Spadina and west on Queen’s Quay, looping via Queen’s Quay, Stadium Road, Lake Shore Boulevard and Bathurst Street. Service operates weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

April 12, 1993

Eastbound buses now continue eastbound on Front across Yonge, then south on Scott, and east on Esplanade.

January 8, 1995

Saturday service added, with buses operating every twenty minutes from Bathurst Quay to Parliament from 6 a.m to 5:20 p.m.

May 7, 1995

Service is extended west of Bathurst Quay via Lakeshore and Remembrance Drive to Ontario Place, returning east on an internal road at Ontario Place, east on Lake Shore and south on Bathurst, and over the regular route to Parliament. The extension operates from 10am to 10pm. Early evening and Sunday service added between Union Station and Ontario Place.

June 18, 1995

Service to Ontario Place improved by adding short turn service between Ontario Place and Union Station. This is a partial replacement for the 511 BATHURST streetcar that is replaced by buses during construction of the National Trade Centre and a new streetcar loop under the Gardiner Expressway. 121B service continued daily until midnight but was not on the official schedule.

August 18, 1995-September 4, 1995

Express service provided during the Canadian National Exhibition between Union Station and the TTC terminal at the CNE off Newfoundland Drive between the Marine Museum and the Automotive Building. Normally service is provided by Route 521 streetcars between downtown and the CNE, but the streetcar loop is being relocated due to construction of the National Trade Centre.

September 5, 1995

Express service discontinued with the close of the CNE. The Ontario Place extension continues as 511 Bathurst cars run to Fleet Loop only during construction of the new Exhibition East Loop. The routing of the Ontario Place extension is north on Stadium, west on Lake Shore, south and Weston Remembrance Drive to Ontario Place, and then north and west on the internal roadways, across Lake Shore, north on Ontario Drive, east on Princes’ Blvd., through Princes’ Gate, south on Strachan, east on Lake Shore and south on Bathurst.

May 12, 1996

Service again extended to Ontario Place, every day from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

June 16, 1996

For the summer, later service is operated 7 days a week until approximately 11 p.m.

September 3, 1996

Service on a new rush-hour (121C) branch established, with buses extending south and east from Parliament via east Lake Shore Boulevard, south on Cherry and east on Commissioners Street to the Lake Shore Garage (located just west of Leslie Street). Service replaces rush hour service on the portion of the 72 PAPE route operating west of Cherry and Villiers.

Seasonal service to the Exhibition and Ontario Place also comes to a close. Service on the 121A and 121B branches no longer needed as full service has been re-established on the 511 BATHURST streetcar to the newly opened Exhibition loop.

May 4, 1997-September 1, 1997

Seasonal extension to Ontario Place restored, using a new branch providing additional service between Ontario Place and Yonge Street, during evenings and all day Sundays, until 11 p.m. Buses loop at Ontario place via west on Lake Shore Boulevard from Stadium, west on Remembrance, west on an internal road, north across Lake Shore, north on Ontario, east on Princes’, south on Srachan, east on Lake Shore and south on Bathurst. During the afternoon rush hour, service is split at Union Station. Buses on the 121B branch loop downtown via east on Front, south on Scott, west on the Esplanade, north on Yonge and west on Front to Ontario Place while buses on the 121D branch loop downtown via west on Front, north on York, west on Wellington, south on Simcoe and East on Front to Commissioners. During the CNE, buses return from Ontario Place by heading east on Lake Shore Boulevard instead of heading through the Exhibition grounds.

September 2, 1997

Service restored to pre-summer operation, same as was offered in September 1996.

May 3, 1998

The seasonal extension to Ontario Place resumes, operating from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sundays and holidays only. Buses on the 121A and 121B branches loop at Ontario Place via west on Lake Shore, south on Ontario Place Drive (the new southern extension of Newfoundland Drive), west on Remembrance Drive to Ontario Place, then heading north and west on internal roadways, crossing Lake Shore Boulevard at Ontario Drive, following Ontario Drive to Princes’ Boulevard, running east on Princes’, south on Strachan, east on Lake Shore and south on Bathurst. As the hours of operation at Ontario Place was reduced in May and June, the TTC service was adjusted accordingly.

Buses on the 121A branch operate over the full route from Ontario Place to Parliament on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. while buses on the 121B branch operate only to Union Station (looping at Yonge Street via east on Front, south Scott, west on the Esplanade and north on Yonge), during early Saturday evenings and all day Sundays.

June 14, 1998-September 7, 1998

The Ontario Place extension now operates seven days a week from 10 a.m. to about midnight. Service on this route now operates as it did in the summer of 1997. During the CNE buses return from Ontario Place east on Lake Shore Blvd, and south on Bathurst.

May 2, 1999-June 12, 1999

The Saturday, Sunday and Holiday extended service to Ontario Place is reintroduced, and operates the same as the May 1998 Board Period.

June 13, 1999-September 6, 1999

The Ontario Place extension now operates seven days a week 10 am to about midnight. Service on this route now operates as it did in the June and July Board Periods of 1997. During the CNE buses return from Ontario Place east on Lake Shore Blvd, and south on Bathurst.

February 14, 2000

Service on 121C branch modified to provide service to the developing Distillery District. Instead of buses operating south on Parliament and east on Lake Shore Boulevard to Cherry, buses now operate south on Parliament to Mill, east on Mill to Cherry and south on Cherry to rejoin the route.

April 30, 2000

The Saturday, Sunday and Holiday extended service to Ontario Place is reintroduced, and operates the same as the May 1998 Board Period.

June 11, 2000

The Ontario Place extension now operates seven days a week from 10 a.m. to about midnight. Service on this route now operates as it did in the June and July Board Periods of 1997.

Saturday, July 22, 2000

Last day of service. West of Union station, service replaced by the new 509 HARBOURFRONT streetcar service. East of Union station, service replaced by an extension of the 72 PAPE bus on weekdays, and by an extension of 65 PARLIAMENT on Saturdays. Service is discontinued on Commissioners between Carlaw and the Lakeshore Garage and on Front Street between Spadina and Bay.

Service to the areas west of Union station would be restored again in a different form almost 16 years later with the launch of the 121 FORT YORK-ESPLANADE route on June 19, 2016.

121 Front-Esplanade Image Archive

	TTC GM "New Look" bus #8311 crosses Yonge Street on Front in 121 FRONT-ESPLANADE service. This shot was taken circa September 1992 by Richard Glaze
	TTC Nova LFS demonstrator bus #1001 was under charter with the Toronto Transportation Society on Saturday, July 22, 2000 when it was captured by Rob Hutchinson at Queens Quay and Stadium Road. In honour of the last day of 121 FRONT-ESPLANADE service, a FRONT-ESPLANADE exposure has been put up.
	Rob Hutchison managed to stick on board TTC GM Classic bus #6223 as it looped through Lakeshore Garage in service on 121 FRONT-ESPLANADE in this early 2000 shot.
	TTC GM Classic bus #6223 is seen here bearing a Sympatico High Speed Internet wrap at King and Parliament loop on Saturday, July 22, 2000, the last day of 121 FRONT-ESPLANADE service. Photo by Rob Hutchinson.
	TTC GM Classic bus #6237 prepares to turn from westbound Front onto southbound Spadina, in service on the 121 FRONT-ESPLANADE route. It's July 2000, and the route is days from ending. Photo by Rob Hutchinson.
	TTC GMC "Classic" bus #6249 prepares to pull out of Parliament Loop at the east end of the 121 FRONT-ESPLANADE bus on June 22, 2000, wearing a wrap for Apple's new iMacs. This photograph was taken by John F. Bromley and is courtesy the John Knight collection.

• Flyer on service changes effective February 14, 2000
• Flyer on service changes effective April 30, 2000