When it comes to the TTC, who doesn’t have something to complain about?
Toronto residents at a town hall meeting, hosted by the Amalgamated Transit Union on Sunday, were more than happy to share their thoughts on the recent behaviour shown by the TTC. And I was excited to take in the spectacle.
It’s no secret the TTC is a hard-working system — with its napping ticket collectors and bus drivers who take breaks at the most inconvenient times.
Unfortunately, the town hall meeting failed to comment on those specific grievances that have the public so enthralled. With the recent chain of unusual events, the TTC has tried to get back in good graces with the public. That was the goal, after all, of Sunday’s meeting that saw city figures like Adam Giambrone and Rob Ford make special appearances.
A panel of bus drivers and TTC operators assembled on stage to discuss the difficult decisions they face on a daily basis.
Fare evasion was a “difficult decision” topic that kept popping up as a sore subject for TTC operators. Paul Campbell, one member of the on-stage TTC panel, explained that the decision to let someone ride without a proper fare is a “tough call.”
And to think I thought you couldn’t ride a bus in Toronto without the proper fare.
It’s a rare day when riding the TTC is a better-than-average experience. It is highly unusual a rider will leave a bus or subway commute smiling.
Frankly, riding the TTC has become a part-time job Torontonians have been forced to take.
Granted, working for the TTC nowadays requires a brave effort. It takes a certain calibre of person to work in a profession with a vast majority of the public on a daily basis. For the amount of money it’s costing Torontonians to :ride the rocket,” I think that the TTC needs to work a lot more on customer service.
If Sunday’s town hall meeting was any indication, riders will continue to despise the TTC unless serious changes are made to the system as a whole.
It’s been said public transit is the lifeblood of our city. I think it’s about time riders stop suffering with a transit system that doesn’t live up to mediocre expectations.