In their effort to equip 100% of Toronto's buses with bike racks by 2010, the TTC has announced that beginning Sunday, 19 more bus routes will become bicycle friendly. This will bring the fleet of bike rack equipped buses to 43.

What started as a pilot project a couple years ago, with just a few select (mostly north-south) routes, is now expanding to be an option accessible to riders in many parts of the city, heading in any direction. Although bikes are allowed on all TTC vehicles, the bus bicycle racks are the only option during the rush periods.

The new routes are as follows:

35 Jane
36 Finch West
41 Keele
46 Martin Grove
60 Steeles West
79 Scarlett Rd
84 Sheppard West
99 Arrow Rd
101 Parc Downsview Park
106 York University
108 Downsview
120 Calvington
130 Middlefield
131 Nugget
132 Milner
191 Highway 27 Rocket
308 Finch East
309 Finch West
313 Jane

These added routes follow the same rules as the existing ones. Each bus will hold two bikes and during the rush period if a bus already has two bikes on it then you must wait until the next one. Outside the rush period additional bikes can be brought on the bus with the driver's ok. You cannot lock your bicycle to the rack, but you can have a lock on your bike (i.e. frame and wheel). There is no additional fare for use of the rack.

Using the bicycle racks is pretty easy, and the TTC also has an instructional video.

The existing routes include:

7 Bathurst
14 Glencairn
9 Dufferin
38 Highland Creek
39 Finch East
47 Lansdowne
53 Steeles East
61 Avenue Rd North
63 Ossington
85 Sheppard East
98 Willowdale-Senlac
105 Dufferin North
109 Ranee
125 Drewry
129 McCowan North
133 Neilson
134 Progress
161 Rogers Rd
193 Exhibition Rocket
310 Bathurst
316 Ossington
329 Dufferin
353 Steeles East
385 Sheppard East

Photo by Bitpicture.