Toronto Transit Commission

Toronto Transit Commission ROBLOX (TTC), or TTC Roblox, is one of the platform's longest running transport groups. This group operated for nine years, being the base of many groups and had one of the largest amounts of members. It was founded in 2011 by ZackMartin24, and later managed by Lex_RD, who was originally known as BUSESVI and the group was always kept up to date, with constant updates to its vehicles. The group also had high standards, with minimum attendance and consistent uniform policies.

TTC Roblox shut down on September 23, 2019 due to an exploit and poor management. On July 14th, 2021, the group was transferred to a new owner, Robloxian.

Due to leaked legacy maps being released, there are many free drive maps and groups today.

Note: This group is not affiliated with the real life Toronto Transit Commission.

Founding and ZackMartin24 ownership
TTC on ROBLOX started in 2011 by ZackMartin24 (at the time WorldTradeCenter24). He edited models of buses in the Roblox public domain with TTC logos.

In 2011, user fastman12 developed a fictional map with working subway trains. The map consisted of a "looped" version of the Yonge-University-Spadina (YUS) Line with trains made by Kelvin98. The place gained popularity among transit enthusiasts at the time.

In December 2011, fastman12 left Roblox & gave his account away. theawesomeSC4sim was recognized by WorldTradeCenter24, who created models of MiWay & Brampton Transit buses & shelters. He then asked him to build a new YUS Line. WorldTradeCenter24 was amazed by theawesomeSC4sim's work & praised him for the "realistic black tunnels" & "immense details he put in every station".

In July 2012, the line theawesomeSC4sim created was cut short despite being almost complete with stations running from Wilson all the way to Finch Station. Logistical reasons preventing the line from opening to the public, although many users were able to see, drive & test out the new line during its construction.

In September 2012, TTC Roblox went on a hiatus, since theawesomeSC4sim went to develop for Toby Transit Commission. New attempts at rebuilding the line came to fruition but did not end up being complete by theawesomeSC4sim due to logistical reasons.

BUSESVI Ownership
In August 2014, user BUSESVI (now Lex_RD) worked with championvsloser122 (now ChampDeLaBlox) to develop a new chassis and began to open better maps/divisions. A map opened in August 31, 2014 with a free model map & Champ's buses. These were first applied to their 7000-series and 7100-series Orion Vs, using "slider" type displays. Later on, low-floor buses and articulated units joined the fleet, using similar technology. Unlike its real life counterpart, TTC also demonstrated various models, adding a fictional element to the fleet. BUSESVI took ownership of the group in November 2014.

Through 2014 to 2015, the 7000 and 7100-series Orion Vs began to retire. At the same time, the group attempted to run streetcar and subway service, which failed and was put on hold for a few years until being reinstated.

In 2015, the group implemented the first-generation dynamic steering chassis onto its 2014 NovaBUS LFS and its 1996 Orion V. These models, requiring special training from the simpler chassis underpinning other buses also had the fill-in 2 line display with CS1, meaning that drivers also had to know the public relations messages, route names and destinations. These units eventually became the industry standard long after they left the group, as other agencies use these buses on a regular basis due to their adaptability. For standard buses, they received easier to operate slider displays. At the same time, the first-generation articulated buses retired and would not return for a few years. The group also opened its Queensway Division the same year, closing the outdated Malvern Division.

The end of high floor bus operation was also marked in 2015, with unit 9411, a 1996 Orion V taking a lap around Wilson Division with fans before being downloaded to heritage unit status. The real life equivalent ended up spending two years parked in a yard before leaving the agency for preservation under a private owner. In fact, also in real life, a few of the 7000-series Orion Vs are under private ownership.

For 2016, drivers were also subject to a new dispatch system. Operators are randomly assigned buses and routes like in real life, using a script to also show people their waiting time and the number of trips they had to complete in either direction. Staff who were unable to arrive punctually for dispatch were given the likelihood of driving as relief operators. Drivers would also be dispatched in a few groups to make gaps and prevent congestion. This system was kept in use until the VISION system was implemented.

In March 2016, the NovaBUS LFS was updated to operate with keyboard controls and multi-colour coded displays, also featuring dynamic doors and steering. Keyboard-controlled buses eventually were phased onto rebuilt units as buses were refitted with coded displays and such controls. These allowed for operation of lights, doors and other features including starting and stopping the engine, which could allow for more realistic operations. Unit 9411 remained as the agency's only high floor bus, only used as a heritage unit to help make gaps. Eventually, the dynamic-steering model was replaced with the same chassis other vehicles were using for the next year and a half.

September 2016 marked the end of the New Flyer buses in game, with rebuilt 1999 New Flyer D40LF's (the 7300-series) being retired. A few units were sold to MacKinley Island Transit Authority and saw service until 2017, being renumbered as 653-656 while the remainder were scrapped. (In real life, NFI XE40s did enter service by late 2019 but those were never simulated on Roblox).

Eventually, the TTC adopted a new livery in 2017, coinciding with the return of streetcar service on route 509. These included Canadian Light Rail Vehicles, a Peter Witt and 4-section Bombardier Flexity Outlooks (they were planned to be 5 sections). Subway service later resumed in late 2017 with the re-opening of Line 4, with all-new T1 car bodies. Eventually, Line 1 service was reinstated after a three-year hiatus. In December of 2017, the group updated some its divisions to remain in line with the Toronto-York-Spadina Subway Extension, which saw major changes to the northwest of the city.

The group later re-adopted dynamic steering in early 2018 after a short changeover to arcade-style buses, replacing them with newer, more realistic bodies. The VISION system was also introduced by this time for all bus drivers, required drivers to complete a pre-trip inspection and log in to a vehicle's computer before starting duty. This would ensure all vehicles dispatched would be sent out were fit for service, preventing complaints about malfunctions. In addition, the updates allowed for realistic operations, including working announcements and display systems. VISION further allowed drivers to check run information as needed. If the computer was not correctly logged in or the pre-trip completion was left incomplete, the vehicle would be anchored and be unable to move; this also required drivers to have an operator ID to move the vehicle. As a result, the VISION system helped prevent vehicle theft (prior to the system, anyone could hop into an unattended vehicle and possibly steal it).

As development improved, realistic interiors returned to the Roblox system, first installed on newly developed buses. These models would be essential for future development, as every bus, including the hybrids had realistic interiors and controls for operators, including the use of animated doors. In addition, electric buses were also tested, specifically the New Flyer XE40, Proterra BE40 and the BYD K9. While all three models were built for the real life system and entered service as a pilot, these never made it onto to Roblox system under Lex_RD's ownership.

In May 2018, an exploit hit operations and as a precaution, all operations were shut down. In mid-2018, mandatory PGS and Filtering Enabled updates required the system to entire hiatus. Operations resumed in September with subway service on line 4, then streetcars and finally with reworked buses. Around the same time, the NovaBUS LFS hybrids entered service for most routes that were simulated.

By June 2019, development made Toronto Transit Commission's services almost simulate real life ones, with a mostly NovaBUS LFS fleet. Subway operations were also kept running, with the Yonge portion of Line 1 completed and Line 4 being converted to Toronto Rockets in July 2019, less than two months before closure.

In August 2019, an exploit critically damaged the group, with at least two divisions and vehicles leaked. Entire maps were found under different Roblox accounts, including those marked for "free drive". In addition, entire computer systems including the VISION system were also leaked. To make the vehicles usable, operator IDs were also leaked, which resulted in a major security issue for the group. However, the maps that were leaked were mainly bus divisions, although the 509 Harbourfront and both subway maps were also leaked but were not made public as free drive maps, due to the complexities needed to operate them.

At this point, Lex_RD was very inactive in the community and was failing to manage the group. Members described him to not care as much as he used to about the group, and that he would also mistreat many of his employees. This made the group lose members altogether. Despite these allegations, he failed to address his mistakes or to maintain the group. As a result, the main developer stepped down in September 2019, making the entire service fleet unsupported. Lex_RD discretely shut down the group through an announcement over Discord on September 23, 2019. The Discord server became a public transit discussion server, moving to focus on real life transit systems (mainly the TTC in real life). The group's Twitter and Instagram pages were not part of the change; instead they were made inactive and are no longer visible to the public (the Twitter page was deleted). As for the group's places, they remain inactive but Lex has likely left Roblox for good.

When the group shut down, this had a ripple effect on other Roblox transit groups due to the amount of members out of work- with TTC having been one of the largest transit groups on the platform in North America. Some users left the platform and resigned from their positions at other agencies, which led to employment issues. For other members, they were able to maintain positions at other groups they were employed in. However, some leaked maps are still operational as of 2020 with vehicles where they were left off, with some being available to the public for free drive despite major issues with vehicle systems.

For eight solid years, the group has influenced many operations across the North American Roblox community (as with the real life equivalent). Some Roblox groups use the shield and run format, by assigning drivers runs when they arrive at the place, while specifications for buses are similar for many groups. Even though ICTS (Line 3) operations were never covered by the group, such operations were filled in by various fictional groups and new companies over the last few years. The group's legacy can also be found with more TTC-based maps showing up on Roblox, as users want to create maps for others to experience (free drive or not).

TTC's shutdown later influenced Toronto Transportation Systems to form under ResistanceYT, along with The Brimley Tripper division focusing on routes 21, 128 and 903 servicing the Brimley Road corridor, then later succeeded by the fictional Thorncliffe Park division covering routes 8 and 81.

Leaked Legacy Asset Groups (2019-present)
After the group shutdown in September 2019, many people started creating their TTC styled groups using leaked assets (now known as the legacy assets) to experience the original TTC group once more. Although many of these groups existed as both free and trained drive groups, many of them shut down after the games broke due to a lack of updates.

In June 2021, yom_3i (known as imnotwesleylee and 7_wdd) started operations using the group's legacy assets. This group started with the Birchmount Division and the 85/985 maps, which were most up to date at the time. Another group under evo_cative was also started. Parts of Line 5 were added to the map after this date in imnotwesleylee's version of the group. Moreover, this unofficial group was constantly updated being under the management of former Fairview Transit HRs and developers, with ex-YTC buses also added for use as fleet expansion. As of late 2021, the group also reopened the Wilson Division, then Malvern. Most runs are usually held at Wilson or Malvern due to them having a larger amount of Orion models.

Since yom_3i's maps are constantly updated and operating, it is generally considered the official successor to Lex_RD's group by the community and transit fans.

As for trainswing's group, the divisions started out with random salvageable vehicles and the Line 4 subway, although this group did not survive as well due to constant conflicts from yom_3i's group and a sanction issued against them. Following these sanctions, which led to people being banned from yom_3i's group simply for being in it, many people left the other, simply because of the influence of 7_wdd's group. Due to the conflicts, trainswing's group went inactive for almost a year and resurfaced in April 2022, with a partially updated Arrow Road map and Line 1 map. However, the bus divisions still use any vehicle available to simulate RAD operations.

However, both 7_wdd and trainswing did have permission from Lex_RD to use the legacy assets as debunked from a Discord post.

Robloxian Ownership
On July 14, 2021, Robloxian took over ownership of the original TTC group. There were plans to set up new assets alongside creating a new experience but they have been shelved for now. Effectively, the group was also succeeded by 7_wdd's operation in the first place.

Did you know?

 * Most operations on Roblox simulated the actual system in real life, on a scaled down level (for performance and time purposes).
 * While real life TTC operators are normally assigned to one division and rank up; in Roblox, bus drivers could attend any run involving operating buses or other vehicles they were qualified to operate, yet allowing for more flexibility.