The shuttle route on locals streets within West Rouge is to be determined.

The West Rouge neighbourhood is located in the south-east corner of Scarborough, roughly bounded by Lake Ontario to the south, the Rouge River to the east, Port Union Road to the west and Kingston Road to the north

If you require assistance in accessing any materials on this page, please contact Jason Diceman .

We also hosted a public consultation drop-in event on October 2, 2019, in the West Rouge Community Centre, where 39 residents attended and discussed the project with team members.

An online survey was provided from September 13 to October 31, 2019. We received more than 400 responses, including 134 from residents who live in the West Rouge neighbourhood.

We look forward to continued public engagement and consultation starting in the spring of 2020. Subscribe below to receive email updates and consultation invitations.

Learn about the proposed plan and route options in our information panels for public consultation.

The proposed plan is in the early stages, with many decisions still to be made. We want to connect with local residents to make sure this plan can work for the neighbourhood.

The primary public information about the project are included in the information panels above. The content of this page is intended to provide additional details.

Project Rationale

Automated vehicles offer exciting opportunities for transit providers and transit users. The City of Toronto, TTC and Metrolinx are working together to explore and understand how this technology can make it easier for people to access transit.

The project partners want to understand the value of an automated shuttle service in the transit and transportation system so that they can make decisions about the use of this and similar technologies in the future. The project partners also want to understand how users and community members respond to this type of service, and provide an opportunity for the public to learn more about automated vehicles.

There is currently no intention to make this project permanent.

Business Case

The trial is intended for research purposes and not designed for cost-recovery. The trial is intended to generate knowledge about the potential for this kind of technology to be integrated into the transit system over the long term.

Project Partners

The Automated Shuttle Trial is jointly delivered by the City of Toronto, TTC and Metrolinx. The City, TTC and Metrolinx make decisions together about the design and implementation of the temporary trial.

Funding

The trial is funded by a contribution from Transport Canada through the Program to Advance Connectivity and Automation in the Transportation System (ACATS), as well as funding from the City of Toronto. The project partners (City of Toronto, TTC and Metrolinx) are also contributing in-kind support, such as staff time and other resources.

Transport Canada is providing a contribution of $365,000 for service preparation, delivery and evaluation. Total value of the project including in-kind support is estimated to be $1.153 million.

Previous AV Shuttle Projects in Canada

There have been hundreds of other shuttle demonstrations and trials around the world and in Canada (including in Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Candiac, and Montreal). However, this will be the first for Toronto and the only trial in Canada that has been conducted in partnership with transit agencies and which seeks to understand the specific potential of automated shuttles in the transit system.

Automated Vehicles in the City of Toronto Streets

Through the Ontario Automated Vehicle Pilot program, administered by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, organizations can apply for a permit to test automated vehicles on Ontario public roads, including in the City of Toronto. This program has been in effect since 2016. The selected service provider will be responsible for ensuring that a permit is obtained under this program.

Defining Success

For the City and its partner agencies, success would include:

Developing a greater understanding of: The automated shuttle technology and its application in “first-mile, last-mile” applications and other use cases, The potential for integration of this type of service to fill gaps in the existing transit system Whether this type of service could offer a benefit to customers in the long term.

Generating regular use of the shuttle by residents and gathering feedback on customer experiences

Encouraging increased public awareness in the use of automation

Making Toronto even more attractive for economic activity in the area of automated transit vehicle technology

We look forward to hearing from the public about other measures of success.

Beyond the Trial

At this time, there is no intention to make this temporary trial permanent, nor to scale up automated shuttle services across the transit system without further analysis. During and after the trial, the City and its partners will conduct a full evaluation of the technology and its potential for integration into the transit system and other possible applications. This will include identifying future work and research that needs to be completed to continue preparing for this technology. More information on the City’s forthcoming Automated Vehicles Tactical Plan.

The City, TTC and Metrolinx have no intention of purchasing the shuttle vehicle.

Why We Chose West Rouge Neighbourhood

To select the preferred location, the City, TTC and Metrolinx began by developing selection criteria. They were:

Route fills a current unmet need in the transit system Outside of the existing TTC 400-metre service area

Close proximity to a major transit hub

Route is able to meet the technological limitations of the anticipated shuttle technology

Acceptable grade, no rail crossings, pick-up/drop-off areas available, storage/charging areas available Total route distance <5km (allows approximately 30-min headways with 1 shuttle) Mixed-traffic environment with low traffic volume



Route possesses preferred location characteristics

Identify whether in a Neighbourhood Improvement Area Avoid School Zones Ability to avoid or coordinate with planned capital projects/road works Ability to clearly communicate to potential customers



Using these criteria, the team generated a list of potential locations within the City of Toronto and evaluated them against the criteria. West Rouge was the best candidate for meeting the project needs, and we hope residents will welcome this trial public service in their neighbourhood.

Defining “Outside of the existing 400-metre TTC service area”

The TTC has a service coverage standard that states: “The base network of transit services is designed so that 90% of the population and employment is within a 400 metre (5 minute) walk of transit service, seven days a week.” There are small pockets of the City that fall outside of this standard. For this trial, we wanted to target these geographical gaps.

No Changes to Existing Bus Transit Service in the Area

No changes will be made to existing TTC and Durham Region Transit (DRT) bus services connecting to Rouge Hill GO.

How We Are Consulting with the Community

The public consultation for this project will be a continuous process over several phases.

Phase 1 included a public online survey from September 13 to October 31, 2019 and a drop-in event on October 2, 2019.

A summary report of the Phase 1 Public Consultation will be published in the coming weeks.

The project team is also engaging with local stakeholder groups early and often.

Further public outreach and surveys will be conducted once the launch date is confirmed. Consultation with shuttle users, residents, and other Torontonians will be an important component of the project during and after implementation.

Whether or not you live in or near West Rouge, we encourage you to write to us at automatedvehicles@toronto.ca, and to subscribe below to stay tuned for future opportunities to participate.