Item - 2026.TTC16.3

The TTC Board:

1. Received this report for information.

2. Directed Staff to review acceleration options for the Islington Station Easier Access project to recover time from unforeseen underground site conditions in regards to Toronto Hydro and utility works. Options to include: incentivization with the Contractor to mitigate schedule delays, including reviewing additional staging options to complete Right of Way (ROW) work under Islington Avenue with Toronto Hydro, to provide an accessible path to a new Islington Station entrance as soon as possible (Q2 2027 or earlier).

The 2026 Accessibility Plan Status Report (Status Report) describes the TTC’s progress toward achieving the objectives of the 2024-2028 TTC 5-Year Accessibility Plan (5YAP), and it fulfills provincially legislated requirements in the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) to prepare an annual status report on the progress of measures taken to implement the 5YAP, and steps taken to comply with the IASR. The Status Report also includes updates on the Wheel-Trans Transformation Program and Easier Access Program for a comprehensive update on accessibility initiatives.

The 5YAP identified 46 specific initiatives to improve the accessibility of TTC services and facilities for customers by the end of 2028. By the end of 2026, it is expected that eight of these initiatives will have been completed, with a further 21 in progress and four not yet started. The remaining 13 initiatives are ongoing, comprising regular review, planning, and design activities that are not intended to have a set end date.

Significant 5YAP accomplishments that have been or are expected to be achieved by the end of 2026 include:

• Completing Easier Access Program construction at four additional subway stations (College, Museum, Spadina, and King), at which time a total of 68 of 70 (97%) subway stations will be accessible.
• Ongoing construction of new accessible third-party entrances to York Mills, Sheppard-Yonge and St Patrick Stations.
• Replacing old red bench seating on Line 1 and Line 2 trains with new bench seating that includes integrated back and armrests.
• Installing upgraded platform edge tiles to reduce the gap between subway trains and platforms at seven station platforms; 32 stations have been completed so far and four stations with horizontal and vertical platform edge tiles are planned to be completed in 2026.
• A pilot to equip Customer Service Agents with digital tablets at Union, TMU, and Bloor-Yonge Stations, to better support interactions with customers, including wayfinding and multilingual translation support.
• An e-paper and digital signage pilot, which will allow customers to access real-time service information in both visual and audible formats at surface stops, and new digital signage at the Bathurst and King Station entrances, and at the Fleet Hub for the FIFA World Cup. The pilot includes approximately 75 surface stops along different routes.
• A vendor has been selected for a new Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system for Wheel-Trans.
• A vendor has been selected to replace the Mobile Data Terminal/Automatic Vehicle Location (MDT/AVL) system for Wheel-Trans.
• Begin developing an implementation plan for the accessibility audit of built environment elements of TTC employee facilities.

Attachment 2 provides further details on 5YAP initiatives and accomplishments to date.

Adoption of the recommendations in this report does not result in any incremental capital funding implications beyond what has been approved in the TTC’s 2026-2035 Capital Budget and Plan.

The TTC continues to work to provide a barrier-free transit system in support of the AODA’s goal for an accessible Ontario. Life-to-date costs to the end of 2025 for several projects in support of this goal are summarized in Table 1, and total $1,323.37 million. To continue work on these projects and achieve a modern, inclusive, and accessible transit system for all, funding of $679.28 million has been approved in the TTC’s 2026-2035 Capital Budget and Plan. These projects, described in Table 1, will improve the accessibility of TTC facilities and services for all customers.

Table 1: Total Approved Investment in Accessibility Projects
TTC’s 2026-2035 Capital Budget and Plan

Based on feedback from customers and ACAT, the 5YAP recommends developing further initiatives not currently funded or included in the TTC Operating Budget or 10-Year Capital Plan to support the realization of the TTC 2024-2028 Corporate Plan’s strategic objectives. The TTC will develop business cases for these initiatives and include them for consideration during upcoming Capital Budget processes.

Wheel-Trans Transformation Program (WTTP)

The WTTP is expected to be on budget with an estimated final cost of $49.76 million, comprising of life-to-date costs to the end of 2025 of $37.51 million and funding of $12.25 million budgeted between 2026 and 2027.

Funds for the WTTP are included in the TTC’s 2026-2035 Capital Budget and Plan.

The WTTP was part of the list of projects approved for the Federal Public Transportation Infrastructure Fund (PTIF), with the receipt of $9.8 million in PTIF funding from 2017 to 2020.

Based on long-term, continued growing demand for accessible transit services, the WTTP has been essential in avoiding significant operating costs, estimated at $52.7 million in 2025 and a cumulative total of $220.7 million from 2017-2025. This estimate is based on FOS rides, which use a combination of Wheel-Trans and accessible-conventional services for customers to reach their destinations, as well as an estimate of rides taken entirely on the accessible-conventional system by Wheel-Trans customers.

Finally, the Wheel-Trans Contact Centre overflow model has significantly reduced call wait times and abandoned call rates. In addition, the contract with TELUS has provided an estimated cost avoidance of $17.9 million from 2020-2025 for the TTC.

In response to motions resulting from the 5YAP, the TTC has launched a study to identify opportunities to maximize the effectiveness of TTC investments in providing accessible transportation services to customers with disabilities. The study includes an analysis of approaches other transit authorities may be employing to meet the increasing demand and associated costs of specialized transit services. In addition, the funding model for Wheel-Trans is being considered in context of broader intergovernmental discussions about sustainable funding for public transit.

The Status Report has no financial impact beyond that which was approved (in the TTC’s 2026 Operating Budget and 2026-2035 Capital Budget and Plan) by the Board on January 7, 2026 and by City Council on February 10, 2026.

The Interim Chief Financial Officer has reviewed the Status Report and agrees with the financial impact information.