News Health & Safety
TTC to expand its mask giveaway program with focus on bus network

TORONTO — The Toronto Transit Commission says it’s going to expand its mask giveaway program next week with a focus on its bus network.

The TTC announced earlier this month that it would be recalling the remaining 179 employees that were laid off at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It says that 26 of those returning employees will rotate through the 25 busiest spots on the bus network in shifts on weekdays when ridership is highest.

They will receive training and be equipped with personal protective equipment to ensure safe distribution.

The TTC reports that ridership on its bus network is now up to 50 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

An audit conducted by the TTC shows that mask adoption is at 98 per cent across the system with 91 per cent of customers wearing them properly.