Compiled by James Bow
With assistance by Mike Vainchtein

Background

Since 1928, service along Lake Shore Boulevard through the old village of Mimico was handled by streetcar. Service on first the LAKE SHORE and then the LONG BRANCH lines was enough to both serve the local residential, commercial and industrial development, but also to connect the area to the City of Toronto via Humber loop.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, however, the area started to change. The old industries shut down or moved out, and land along the lake, especially near Park Lawn Drive, came under intense development pressure. What had been a strip of inexpensive hotels quickly transformed into a dense development of new condominiums.

In addition to this redevelopment, congestion on Queen Street, inadequate service management as well as service cuts increased frustrations with the local 501 QUEEN streetcar. As the TTC had successfully experimented with premium express downtown bus routes in the past, as well as the new 508 LAKE SHORE streetcar, proposals came forward for a new premium express service serving Lake Shore Boulevard to the Humber River and running express to Downtown Toronto.

Initially TTC staff rebuffed such suggestions, noting that ridership was likely to be low and subsidy requirements high. In late March 2006, a condominium developer proposed setting up a private express bus service, prompting fears of a “two-tier transit system” in Toronto. However, the initiative fizzled when it became clear that the service was unprofitable.

The failure of the private venture did not cool demands for a TTC run premium express service and, in the summer of 2009, the TTC commissioners directed the commission to install such a new service on a trial basis.

October 19, 2009

Service begins on the 145 DOWNTOWN/HUMBER BAY EXPRESS, a premium express service connecting Lake Shore Boulevard West with downtown Toronto.

In the morning rush hour, buses operate from the intersection of Lake Shore Boulevard and Kipling via east on Lake Shore, east on Fleet, north on Bathurst, east on Adelaide, north on Jarvis, weston Richmond, south on Bathurst, west on Lake Shore Boulevard, west and south on the Lake Shore Boulevard off-ramp, east on Lake Shore Boulevard, south, west and north on Marine Parade Drive to Lake Shore Boulevard.

From Lake Shore Boulevard at Park Lawn Road/Marine Parade Drive, buses operate via east on Lake Shore, east on Fleet, north on Bathurst, east on Adelaide, north on Jarvis and west on Richmond to Bathurst Street.

In the afternoon rush hour, some buses operate from Adelaide and Peter via east on Adelaide, north on Jarvis, west on Richmond, south on Bathurst, west on Lake Shore, west and south on the Lake Shore Boulevard off-ramp, east on Lake Shore, west south and north on Marine Parade Drive to Lake Shore Boulevard. Additional buses continue west from Marine Parade Drive along Lake Shore to Kipling.

Buses serve all stops on Marine Parade Drive and all stops on Lake Shore Boulevard between Kipling Avenue and Humber Loop, and run express between Humber Loop and Bathurst Street and Fleet Street, stopping only at Windermere Avenue, Ellis Avenue, and Colborne Lodge Drive. Downtown, buses serve all stops downtown from Bathurst and Fleet to Richmond Street and Bathurst Street. All buses are accessible, and bike rack service is provided.

Fares on this service are the regular fare plus either $2.25 cash, additional token or express sticker on a monthly Metropass ($32.00) for adults, $1.50 cash, additional student/senior ticket or express sticker on a monthly Metropass (also $32.00) for students and seniors, or $0.50 cash or additional child ticket for children. Transfers are available from the express revise to all other TTC routes. Customers travelling from all other TTC routes must show a transfer and pay the premium.

Approximate departure times are as follows:

Depart       Depart       Arrive        Depart       Arrive       Arrive
Kipling      Park Lawn    Adelaide      Richmond     Park Lawn    Kipling
                          & Bay         & Bay  
6:30 a.m.    6:44 a.m.    7:14 a.m.  -  4:17 p.m.    4:57 p.m.    .-.-.-.-.
7:00 a.m.    7:14 a.m.    7:44 a.m.  -  4:47 p.m.    5:27 p.m.    .-.-.-.-.
7:30 a.m.    7:44 a.m.    8:14 a.m.  -  5:17 p.m.    5:57 p.m.    .-.-.-.-.
.-.-.-.-.    7:58 a.m.    8:29 a.m.  -  5:47 p.m.    6:26 p.m.    6:46 p.m.
.-.-.-.-.    8:28 a.m.    8:59 a.m.  -  6:17 p.m.    6:56 p.m.    7:16 p.m.
.-.-.-.-.    .-.-.-.-.    .-.-.-.-.  -  6:47 p.m.    7:26 p.m.    7:46 p.m.

October 19, 2009

Because of a TTC track rehabilitation project on Bathurst Street, south of Front Street, buses are temporarily diverted via Spadina Avenue in both directions for several weeks in October and November 2009.

November 22, 2010

Service speeded up, with trip times changed. 145A runs that operate to and from Park Lawn Road only are extended to operate to and from Royal York Road. On or before this date, local service eliminated between the Bathurst/Fleet intersection and Adelaide and Peter, and between Richmond and John and the Bathurst/Fleet intersection.

Depart       Depart       Arrive        Depart       Arrive       Arrive
Kipling      Royal        Adelaide      Adelaide     Royal        Kipling
             York         & Jarvis      & Peter      York
6:30 a.m.    6:33 a.m.    7:05 a.m.  -  4:15 p.m.    5:00 p.m.    .-.-.-.-.
7:00 a.m.    7:03 a.m.    7:35 a.m.  -  4:45 p.m.    5:30 p.m.    .-.-.-.-.
7:30 a.m.    7:33 a.m.    8:05 a.m.  -  5:15 p.m.    6:00 p.m.    .-.-.-.-.
.-.-.-.-.    7:48 a.m.    8:23 a.m.  -  5:45 p.m.    6:30 p.m.    6:40 p.m.
.-.-.-.-.    8:18 a.m.    8:53 a.m.  -  6:15 p.m.    7:00 p.m.    7:10 p.m.
.-.-.-.-.    .-.-.-.-.    .-.-.-.-.  -  6:45 p.m.    7:30 p.m.    7:40 p.m.

February 14, 2011

Running times lengthened in the morning rush hour to reflect actual traffic conditions. The route continues to operate five trips using three buses.

145 Downtown / Humber Bay Express Image Archive

	An official TTC map of 145 DOWNTOWN / HUMBER BAY EXPRESS services, effective June 20, 2011.
	TTC Orion bus VII 8068 is caught on its way to Royal York Road at the corner of Richmond and Yonge Streets. The route is seeing decent demand as most of the seats are occupied. Photo by Roman Fomin on January 14, 2013.
	Orion VII DOWNTOWN EXPRESS bus 8069 slowly crowls eastward on Adelaide Street East during heavy snow storm of February 8, 2013. Photo by Roman Fomin.