Note: The TTC has made some changes as of August 30 2014. The headways discussed below don’t change, but instead of 123(B) and 123A alternating AM Peak/Midday/PM Peak, the 123C and new 123D alternate. See this post for more information. Also, the 123 branch was relettered to become the 123B branch earlier in the summer; see this post for more information.
The Shorncliffe 123/123C bus route provides service from Long Branch loop and Brown’s Line to Sherway Gardens and Kipling subway station. It’s the best way to the Bloor subway from western Long Branch and Alderwood, especially if you’re going to connect with the many other routes running to Kipling station, such as the express buses to the airport (192 Airport Rocket), Humber College north campus (191 Highway 27 Rocket), Kipling and Martin Grove buses, etc.
But how long do you have to wait for a 123 bus to show up? The answer is, probably longer than you did two years ago, and a lot longer if you are travelling during the day, Monday through Friday.
Here are weekday (Monday-Friday) headways (how far apart the buses come, in minutes) for 123 service via Brown’s Line to Long Branch loop, taken from TTC’s officially published service stats. A shorter headway time means the buses come more often.
Year/Month AM Peak Midday PM Peak Early Eve Late Eve
2008 Sep. 15’00” 9’00” 18’00” 12’30” 22’00”
2012 Jan. 15’00” 9’00” 18’00” 12’30” 15’00”
2014 Jan. 18’00” 18’00” 18’00” 12’30” 15’00”
Between 2008 and 2012, late evening service improved a lot. Thank you TTC!
But compared to service we had in 2012, in 2014 we’re waiting three extra minutes for a Shorncliffe 123 buse in the AM peak (morning rush hour), and Midday (roughly 9 AM to 3 PM), our wait for a bus is double–eighteen minutes instead of nine minutes–because the buses come only half as often.
What happened? Half the buses now turn back at Sherway Gardens–the 123A branch. These buses never make it south of Evans Ave. and don’t serve South Etobicoke. You may notice that the service is a lot better in the evening than it is in the morning rush, daytime, and afternoon rush. That’s because all Shorncliffe buses in the early and late evening still run to Long Branch loop.
If you are tired of waiting for the 123 Shorncliffe, what can you do? Let the TTC know that you want better service to South Etobicoke. If riders don’t speak up, it’s possible that evening service to Long Branch loop may also be cut in half to ‘save money’ and ‘be efficient’. If the TTC and the local Councillor know that the 123 Shorncliffe bus is well-used, this will prevent cuts and maybe even restore some of the service that we used to get in South Etobicoke only a few years ago.
I was looking at your Bus 1213B schedule. What I found out is that there a huge number of 123D’s but no 123B busses except 3. There is no N0 123B shown for the am service. This morning I waited for 40 minutes at East Mall and Evans before the bus came. What kind of Service is that? Your schedule for 123B looks like it was drawn up by a retarded 12 year old.
Can you fix the damn thing so I can figure out when the bus is coming?
Totally disgusted,
Ted Lebar.
Hi Theodore;
You have to make a complaint to the TTC. SETAC does not make up the schedule, though sometimes we wish we did. SETAC pushes for better service by talking with the TTC, the local politicians, and whoever else we think could help. You should also send a note to your local councillor, since this change may have been done without any notice or consultation.
The TTC has changed the Shorncliffe 123 bus around, but they haven’t publicised it on the stop poles as far as we’ve seen. The default bus to Long Branch is now the 123C, and it alternates with the 123D.
If you are riding from East Mall to Kipling station, take the 123D. If you are trying to get south on Brown’s Line, this change means that you will either have to walk to Brown’s Line and Evans to catch a 123C, or ride a 123D to Sherway Gardens and then wait for the next 123C bus. It does mean that your transit options on East Mall have been limited.
For more details, SETAC has an article about this change.