The TTC and Toronto Paramedics have partnered together to repurpose decommissioned transit buses for emergency medical transport, the city announced Tuesday evening.

To continue supporting the medical needs of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Toronto has repurposed five decommissioned TTC buses to safely transport both ambulatory (walking and standing) and stretcher-bound patients including those on ventilators.

“This project by the TTC and [Toronto] Paramedics, brought together at wartime speed, responds to an urgent need and will help the ill and vulnerable in Toronto immediately,” Mayor John Tory said in a news release. “We are all working together to do our part in stopping the spread of this deadly virus and take care of everyone in our community.”

Each bus can transport three stretcher-bound patients, eight to ten ambulatory patients (dependant on spacing for physical distancing), plus three paramedics and one driver. The buses will be driven by TTC drivers with paramedics seeing to medical needs of patients.

These vehicles will provide a variety of multi-patient options, including inter-facility patient transfers, the provision of a staging area for large incidents, and shelter for facility evacuations.

The modifications to three of the buses were completed yesterday and they will soon begin responding to calls as needed. Modifications to two other buses are currently underway.

“Partnering with the TTC has given paramedics additional capacity to help those who need emergency transportation and respond to the continuing spread of the virus in our congregate facilities. This great idea from the TTC and Toronto Paramedic Services is commendable and serves as an example of what we can accomplish by working together,” said Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson in a news release.

Toronto Paramedic Services is the largest municipal ambulance service in Canada, responding to more than 400,000 calls for emergency service each year, while the TTC serves up to 500 million customers each year and has grown to become one of the most visible and vital public service organizations in the Greater Toronto Area.

Raneem Alozzi is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @r_alozzi

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