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59 MAPLE LEAF Route History

 TTC crest TTC crest
By Jeffery Kay
From Transfer Points, Vol. XXII, No. , November 1996

A history of transit services operating in the Lawrence West corridor was printed in the May 1996 issue of TRANSFER POINTS. Unfortunately, much of the detail about the 59 MAPLE LEAF route was excluded. This article corrects the oversight by providing the full history of the route.

route map

January 6th, 1975

A new experimental service using Rek Vee Industries' Club Car minibuses begins operation in a residential area of North York. Buses operate from an on-street loop in Weston (south on Rosemount, west on John, north on Weston Road and east on King) via Rosemount, Church, Maple Leaf and Culford, looping south of Lawrence via east on Flamborough, south on Keele and west on Gulliver. No route number was officially assigned to this new service, which operated every 20 minutes at peak hours with two buses and every 30 minutes midday with one bus. Buses carried a dash card to show the route.
 MAPLE LEAF   KEELE 
 WESTON RD. 
Monday through Friday, 12 hours/day

January 30th, 1978

Coincident with the opening of the Spadina Subway, 40-foot buses are used over an extended route. Buses run from Lawrence West Station via Lawrence, Culford, Maple Leaf, Church and Weston Road, looping east on John, south on South Station and west on Lawrence. Service south of Lawrence is now provided by a new branch of the 52 LAWRENCE route. The number 59 is officially assigned to MAPLE LEAF.
 MAPLE LEAF   59   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, 12 hours/day

February 8th, 1982

Monday through Friday evening service introduced.
 MAPLE LEAF   59   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, 18 hours/day

June 27th, 1983

A new rush hour branch is introduced to serve the Gary Drive area. Buses run from Lawrence West Station via Lawrence, Cuford, Maple Leaf, and Church to just west of Jane, then via Pine, Woodward, Dalbeattie, Gary and Oak to Weston Road. Buses loop on the west side of Weston Road via Cardell and Fairglen.
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA CHURCH 		  59   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, 18 hours/day
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA GARY DR. 		  59A   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, rush hours only

route map

November 25th, 1984

Branch 59A buses now run via Uphill and Pelmo between Church and Gary Drive.
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA CHURCH 		  59   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, 18 hours/day
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA GARY DR. 		  59A   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, rush hours only

January 11th, 1986

Saturday service introduced.
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA CHURCH 		  59   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, 18 hours/day
Saturday, 12 hours/day
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA GARY DR. 		  59A   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, rush hours only

April 20th, 1987

59A buses now loop east of Weston Road via Pellatt and Sainsbury. At a later date these streets were combined and renamed Knob Hill Drive.
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA CHURCH 		  59   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, 18 hours/day
Saturday, 12 hours/day
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA GARY DR. 		  59A   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, rush hours only

January 13th, 1990

Saturday evening service introduced.
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA CHURCH 		  59   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Saturday, 18 hours/day
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA GARY DR. 		  59A   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, rush hours only

October 13th, 1991

Saturday evening service (after 8:00 p.m.) discontinued.
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA CHURCH 		  59   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, 18 hours/day
Saturday, 12 hours/day
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA GARY DR. 		  59A   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, rush hours only

November 24th, 1991

Gary Drive rush hour service extended north to provide a new service into the Tandridge Cres area. Buses run from Lawrence West Station over the regular 59A route to Weston & Oak, then run north on Weston, northwest on Albion and east on Arcot, looping clockwise via Tandridge Crescent. Buses return via Arcot, Albion, Weston, Oak, Gary and the remainder of the route to Lawrence West Station.
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA CHURCH 		  59   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, 18 hours/day
Saturday, 12 hours/day
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA GARY DR. 		  59B   TANDRIDGE CRES. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, rush hours only

February 13th, 1994

Service to Tandrige Crescent replaced by the new 96C branch of the WILSON route. Rush hour service on Gary Drive once again terminates at Weston Road, looping west on Oak, north on Weston, then east and south on Knob Hill Drive.
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA CHURCH 		  59   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, 18 hours/day
Saturday, 12 hours/day
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA GARY DR. 		  59A   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, rush hours only

February 18th, 1996

Due to reduced government subsidies, services are reduced system wide, including the elimination of midday and evening service after 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and all Saturday service on the MAPLE LEAF route.
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA CHURCH 		  59   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, rush hours only
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA GARY DR. 		  59A   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, rush hours only

October 6th, 1996

Monday through Friday midday service is restored as an extension of the old 52C LAWRENCE WEST Culford branch. The new 59C route operates from Lawrence Station via Lawrence Avenue West, Lawrence West Station, Lawrence, Benton, Sheffield, Ingram, Gulliver, Cufford, Maple Leaf, Church and Weston Road. There is no 59 MAPLE LEAF service on Lawrence between Culford and Benton at these times.
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA CHURCH 		  59   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, rush hours only
 MAPLE LEAF 
 VIA GARY DR. 		  59A   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE WEST STN. 
Monday through Friday, rush hours only
 MAPLE LEAF   59C   WESTON RD. 
 LAWRENCE STN. 
Monday through Friday, mid-day

Note: If the date of a change is shown in grey, it may have been introduced earlier. Any readers who can confirm the date should send a note to the author at jeffrey_kay@hotmail.com, or via regular mail care of the Toronto Transportation Society

P.O. Box 5187, Station "A"
Toronto, Ontario
M5W 1N5

Approximate hours of operation:

  • 18 hours/day: 6:00 a.m. to midnight
  • 15 hours/day: 6:00 a.m. to 9pm
  • 12 hours/day: 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

    •  

    The above information is drawn from Toronto Transit Commission maps, TTC Headlights--now called Rider News--and pocket timetables in both the Toronto Transportation Society's and the author's collection.

    A number of other route histories are nearing completion, but they lack a map. If you can help by drafting a map, either by hand or by computer, please contact Jeffrey Kay at jeffrey_kay@hotmail.com.

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