TORONTO | Public Transport [Archive] - Page 4

Skybean

November 19th, 2009, 02:17 AM

Thousands caught in commuter chaos
Police have closed Yonge St. between Charles St., south of Bloor, and Davenport Ave., north of Bloor

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TTC passengers line up for northbound shuttle buses at Bloor Station.
DAVID COOPER/TORONTO STAR

TTC chair Adam Giambrone appeared at Yonge and Bloor on Wednesday evening and apologized to riders - many of whom approached him personally to complain - but said the TTC is doing its best to cope with the mistake of a "third-party contractor."

He said the number of shuttle buses going up and down Yonge St. between the closed stations was increased from 50 to 70 or 80 and they became much more efficient once police closed parts of Yonge north and south of Bloor to speed their passage.

But, he added, "we cannot replace 30,000 people an hour moving on the subway. You just can't move that many people up Yonge St. on buses. That's why we have a subway."

"Tonight's a complete write-off," but the TTC hopes to have full service resumed in time for Thursday morning rush hour, he said.

Engineers are assessing damage at the Jackes Ave. site where a contractor made a series of cuts in the tunnel line.

"Nothing's collapsed but you always play it safe on these things," he said.

Giambrone said that going after the contractor for TTC staff overtime and other costs associated with the disruption will be considered later. He said it's not the first time something like this has happened, noting that a couple of years ago a hotel repairing its parking deck cut through the tunnel liner near Museum Station.

TTC repair crews are working hard to fix a section of the Yonge subway line pierced by a road saw in time for tomorrow's rush hour.

"We're hopeful it will be (open in the morning). I can't say for sure. That's what our plan is, that's all I can say at this point," TTC spokesman Brad Ross said just before 6 p.m.

An estimated 1,000 people are lined up at Bloor and Yonge Sts., waiting for shuttle buses that can't keep up with the flood of people spilling out of Bloor station. Police have put up yellow tape to separate the waiting commuters from regular pedestrians trying to navigate the crowded sidewalk.

Police have closed Yonge St. between Charles St., south of Bloor, and Davenport Ave., north of Bloor, to regular traffic to ease passage for the 50 shuttle buses pressed into service. That has left east-west streets that are getting diverted traffic, including Davenport, with total gridlock.

The disruption began at 2:30 p.m. and is affecting as many as 300,000 commuters, with no service at the Davisville, St. Clair, Summerhill and Rosedale stations. Bus stops along the closed route are all packed with people and the sidewalks are crowded with commuters who decided to walk.

"Why didn't I drive today," shouted an exasperated man trying to find his way into a line in the amorphous mob clamouring for a spot on one of the packed shuttles on the Eglinton station bus platform.

Hundreds of people crowded onto the platform, where special shuttles were heading southbound on Yonge.

"It's shameful," said Cora McPhail, who was scrambling with her 80-year-old mother, Maria Volkhamer, to catch the Rockettes at the Air Canada Centre.

The show started in less than an hour, so McPhail was stressed.

And angry. She said there was no mention of the disruption when she and her mother got on the subway at Finch.

"If they had told us at Finch, I would have drove. I had my car parked there."

Ross told reporters just before 5 p.m. that buses were being pulled off other routes to act as shuttles up and down Yonge St., but commuters should think of other options. He noted a bus can hold about 60 people compared to a subway train holding 1,600.

"You can't rely on (the shuttles) if you really need to get somewhere. You'll have to find alternatives," he said.

Most of the city's cab companies were reporting a 20-minute minimum wait in the area affected by the subway closure. Taxis were "pretty scarce" according to one operator.

The TTC said the damage to the tunnel was caused by a "third-party contractor" doing work on Jackes Ave. near Yonge St. and south of St. Clair station.

The Star's Brendan Kennedy visited the scene and said the only construction crew visible belonged to Link-Line, on contract to Enbridge. Workers were busy drilling and paving Wednesday evening.

Asked if the crew was responsible for the TTC tunnel damage, a foreman, who would not give his name, said it was a TTC issue and he didn't know what the reporter was talking about.

"There's no accident," he said.

On its website, Link-Line refers to itself as the "largest Canadian-owned natural gas distribution contractor in Ontario."

Debbie Boukydis, a spokeswoman for Enbridge, couldn't confirm their contractor was involved in the incident.

"I do know that Link-Line was relocating a main in the area, but we're waiting to hear the same as everybody else," she said.

Link-Line could not be reached for comment.

The disruption comes one day after city councillors hiked fares effective in the New Year, fuelling anger among those left stranded and waiting for shuttle buses.

Sam O'Connor, after waiting in a crowd for about a half-hour, hoping to get a shuttle bus north from Bloor to Sheppard station, fumed: "I don't feel good about the TTC. The service is not getting better.

"We've got to pay $3 (starting Jan. 3) and take a shuttle? I'm not happy."

A 71-year-old pedestrian was struck and seriously injured at Yonge and Eglinton during the rush hour, causing further traffic delays.

Hamid Ghaemi, heading home to Richmond Hill from his job at Ryerson University, said he has been taking the TTC to Yonge and Finch Ave., for 23 years.

"Get (TTC chair) Adam Giambrone to quit," Ghaemi said. "This is absolutely ridiculous. There are daily breakdowns, daily delays ... All I've seen is more riders and less efficient service."

Phil Clerk, 54, got on the subway at St. George station, travelled down to Union, and later went north intending to go to a doctor's appointment near Davisville station. He said at no point did he hear an announcement about a disruption until he was kicked off at Bloor, adding he was cancelling the doctor's appointment and walking home to Bloor and Spadina Ave.

"I'm already late. I was thinking of walking but it's what, a 30 or 40-minute walk? My doctor's office will be closed," he said.

The TTC was suggesting as subway alternatives the 512 St. Clair streetcar from St. Clair Station to St. Clair West Station and the 32 Eglinton West bus from Eglinton Station to Eglinton West Station.

Aludia Philp, who lives at Nielson Rd. and Finch Ave. in Scarborough, is regretting her decision to take the TTC downtown to fight a parking ticket instead of driving.

"How am I going to get home now? It's a long, long way."

Dale Blackwood had to cancel a meeting at Sheppard Centre.

"I'm not going – there's no way. This is crazy. It's ridiculous."

Tonya Malcolm, a downtown office worker normally has a 90-minute commute to Finch station and then a bus to Markham Rd. in Scarborough. She couldn't guess when she'll get home tonight after waiting 15 minutes at Yonge and Bloor, watching a shuttle bus on the south side that haven't moved.

"This really sucks. Can you imagine raising the fare to $3 for this?," she said.

At St. Clair station, Anthony Clayton, 27, and Brett Strong, 26, both students at the nearby National Institute of Broadcasting, were stranded outside their classroom.

They watched as packed shuttle buses zoomed by every minute or so, too full to pick up more than a few passengers at a time.

"I'm considering strapping myself to the top of one of those buses so I can get to Finch," Clayton said.

When told the problem may keep the subway shut through Thursday morning, Clayton and Strong both sighed.

"I guess I'll try to find a ride somehow," Strong said. "I'll have to ride my bike," Clayton said. "But that's a long way."

Jessica Martin, a communications adviser for the TTC, said earlier this afternoon: "We are sending our TTC engineers to look at the situation and once they determine it is safe we will resume service."

With files from Katie Daubs

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/727602--thousands-caught-in-commuter-chaos?bn=1

UD2

November 19th, 2009, 07:12 PM

The Tramways in Paris(except T2, which was built in an existing rail ROW). Lyon, Zurich.....

Only you, Miketoronto, and a few others who seem to forget about the people who actually live along the transit corridor and do not park at the terminal stations, or are willing to take a bus to a station 2 km away. Either way, the Sheppard Line as been fast-tracked for completion! Good news.

... yup Good news, I'm happy... as we all should be.

trainrover

November 19th, 2009, 07:35 PM

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/727602--thousands-caught-in-commuter-chaos?bn=1
I don't understand why the newspaper gets all caught up at reporting so many passengers with where they were headed...it really detracts from the root of the problem and makes people out to be country bumpkins or whatnot when in fact they are not...that part of their reporting's totally redundant after already having reported that (tens) of thousands of folks were stranded; I mean, what else is a reader to expect? Just like the Gazette downstream here, I'd say the Star oughtta smarten up.

Electrify

November 20th, 2009, 06:00 AM

The Tramways in Paris(except T2, which was built in an existing rail ROW). Lyon, Zurich.....
If we ignore the fact that the area these trams run through is slightly more dense than northeast Scaborough, these routes play second fiddle to the metro and RER services. The difference between "LRT" and "streetcar ROW" is that one is the backbone to the transit infrastructure, while the other is designed for local commutes and to funnel people to the backbone services. YES, I am aware that technically it is all "light rail transit," but many cities refer to their "streetcar/tramways" differently from their "LRT" services.

Also take note that these cities have FAR more established "rapid transit" services compared to Toronto. The TTC offers very good local transit service, and right now the priority should be on improving longer distance transit.

Only you, Miketoronto, and a few others who seem to forget about the people who actually live along the transit corridor and do not park at the terminal stations, or are willing to take a bus to a station 2 km away. Either way, the Sheppard Line as been fast-tracked for completion! Good news.

And you seem to forget that Toronto shares more in common with LA than it does with Paris. When it can take over an hour by transit to make a commute that can take 20 minutes by car, it is clear that something is wrong (unless Toronto's transit goal is to provide service only to teenagers and low income people, which is more in line with a small city or town than with a major urban center).

Also, for the Sheppard LRT/tramway, I proposed stops every 1 kilometer on average (so the halfway point between stops would be on average 500m). This is a good difference to satisfy local needs, while ensuring a quality travel speed.

UD2

November 20th, 2009, 05:36 PM

If we ignore the fact that the area these trams run through is slightly more dense than northeast Scaborough, these routes play second fiddle to the metro and RER services. The difference between "LRT" and "streetcar ROW" is that one is the backbone to the transit infrastructure, while the other is designed for local commutes and to funnel people to the backbone services. YES, I am aware that technically it is all "light rail transit," but many cities refer to their "streetcar/tramways" differently from their "LRT" services.

Also take note that these cities have FAR more established "rapid transit" services compared to Toronto. The TTC offers very good local transit service, and right now the priority should be on improving longer distance transit.

And you seem to forget that Toronto shares more in common with LA than it does with Paris. When it can take over an hour by transit to make a commute that can take 20 minutes by car, it is clear that something is wrong (unless Toronto's transit goal is to provide service only to teenagers and low income people, which is more in line with a small city or town than with a major urban center).

Also, for the Sheppard LRT/tramway, I proposed stops every 1 kilometer on average (so the halfway point between stops would be on average 500m). This is a good difference to satisfy local needs, while ensuring a quality travel speed.

then by all means... go out and make it happen.

gogogo...

otherwise I'll still be happy with my 800 meter stops... I think it'll be great. 5 minute walk max to the next LRT stop from anypoint on the street I think is the perfect distance.

Electrify

November 20th, 2009, 06:06 PM

the stops are going to be 400m apart...

JustinB

November 20th, 2009, 07:18 PM

I do not know what to say. It's the same song, and there is no point in repeating myself.

Sheppard's going to get built, people will use it.

The TTC, and Metrolinx thinks the station spacing will attract the most riders, and I'll take their word over your assumptions.

hkskyline

December 11th, 2009, 05:43 PM

The 10-second solution
11 December 2009
The Toronto Star

A few seconds saved can mean a lot, and not just in the 200-metre dash. The Toronto Transit Commission has successfully shaved about 10 seconds from subway "dwell time" at its Bloor station, and that could get thousands of commuters to work more quickly.

It all comes down to passenger flow: if people move faster to get on and off, the train spends less time in the station and, consequently, more time in motion transporting riders where they need to go. For the TTC, a 10-second reduction in train standing time at Bloor station means it can move up to three additional trains through this notoriously jammed location in a typical rush hour.

That's the outcome of a recent two-week crowd control pilot project, and TTC officials have rightly decided to make their temporary experiment a permanent feature at Bloor. The system's 10-second solution turns out to be deceptively simple: cordons have been installed to better channel passengers, and a few staff are on hand shepherding commuters to less crowded sections of the platform.

This basic approach could increase capacity by 3, 4 or even 5 per cent, according to TTC chair Adam Giambrone, all without buying a single new subway car. "That's huge," he concluded.

The much criticized TTC needs more bright ideas like this.

hkskyline

December 18th, 2009, 12:46 PM

A transit station set to bring a taste of Europe to the heart of Vaughan
Proposed terminal designed to be the gateway to revitalized, reimagined city core
16 December 2009
The Globe and Mail

It's a transit junkie's field of dreams – a subway station designed to serve a dense, vibrant urban centre that doesn't yet exist.

The conceptual design for the Vaughan station, the approval for which the Toronto Transit Commission is set to vote on today, looks extremely out of place.

And that's the idea.

Right now, the area destined for the Vaughan Corporate Centre Station is a flat, low-density haven for big-box stores. The $177-million station, designed by Grimshaw architects features a glass-ceilinged “X” where the building's four entrances converge. It's meant to let in natural light, make the station easily navigable, less of a target for crime and to create a distinctive architectural footprint. The TTC is working with Toronto artist Paul Raff to include public art around the station.

And it's meant to be the gateway to Vaughan's revisioned, high-density urban core – a catalyst of “transit-oriented development” vaunted as the utopian solution to urban sprawl.

“European” is the word Vaughan Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco uses.

“[Commuters] can come out of the subway, they can go and get their groceries, they can go to work, to their homes, or they can do whatever,” she said. “It's a very pedestrian-oriented type of downtown. Very European: Bicycle paths, walking trails, that kind of thing.”

She wants to see a metropolitan centre mixing residences, green space and businesses that would take advantage of the “knock-out” panels in the station's design that would allow it to meld seamlessly into future store fronts.

The station is still in the nascent stages, its designers emphasize.

But the ambitious design is an essential antecedent to urban revitalization, says TTC architect David Lawson.

“It sounds cliché, but a world-class city has to pre-build the infrastructure as it grows.”

Urban planners have sworn by the concept of developing urban centres around transit nodes for years, says Ryerson University urban planning professor David Amborski. But the city's latest, ambitious transit expansion is the region's first real shot at making it work.

“You need to make an appropriate number of users to make the transit system run effectively,” Prof. Amborski said. “You need to have the ability to entice people to get out of their cars.”

trainrover

December 18th, 2009, 09:14 PM

^^ article reminded me of the 1920s era poster-size photos of the 4-track el trailblazing into clearcut Queens -- more American than Euro, Globe! :colgate:

Skybean

January 10th, 2010, 04:56 AM

If nature calls at TTC's Kennedy Station, don't answer
'Stinging stench' at station is not transitory
By Jack Lakey The Fixer
Published On Sat Jan 09 2010

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Public washrooms at Kennedy subway station fail the nose test. (Jan. 8, 2010)
JACK LAKEY/TORONTO STAR

No one expects to find the scent of lavender potpourri filling a public washroom, but the Kennedy subway station facilities are at the absolute opposite end of the scale.

No other washrooms in all of the GTA welcome more people daily than those in TTC stations, and readers have been complaining regularly about them for years.

Kapilan Yohanathan emailed his disgust at the Kennedy washrooms, saying: "Every single day I notice the men's room is just plain dirty. This is a health risk."

Yohanathan said he complained once to a station supervisor, who "coolly" told him the room would be cleaned up. On his return trip through the station, he says it was even worse.

"If you pass by it, you get the stinging stench of urine in your nostrils," said Yohanathan, adding the problem goes beyond repugnance "with the new strains of viral diseases out and about."

"I've travelled to many countries in the world and was critical of their washrooms, but this is the worst."

Yohanathan's vivid denunciation was enough to convince, but on Friday we did our duty and went, uh, to nose into the matter ourselves.

Wow. Nearing the side-by-side men's and women's, we caught a whiff from 10 metres away of feeble air freshener overwhelmed by many calls of nature. The complaint was not overstated.

Pity the poor souls given the miserable task of cleaning such high-traffic public sites; how could they ever stay ahead of the mess?

STATUS: We were aware from previous cases that public washrooms pose a problem not easily fixed, but we called the TTC's Jennifer Martins to report it. Martins said she'd get back to us.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/fixer/article/748487--if-nature-calls-at-ttc-s-kennedy-station-don-t-answer

Skybean

January 22nd, 2010, 07:11 PM

Skybean

January 28th, 2010, 07:49 AM

We’re sorry, says the TTC
‘There’s a higher expectation today and the TTC needs to line up to that expectation’
Published On Wed Jan 27 2010

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A mishap on the Yonge line in November sent TTC passengers into the streets to line up for shuttle buses.
DAVID COOPER/TORONTO STAR
Tess Kalinowski
Transportation Reporter

Calling its recent crisis a “wake-up call” the TTC has announced a series of measures it says will raise the bar on customer service across the transit system.

The changes range from a rider “bill of rights” and new technology to communicate better with passengers, to customer service training for staff and even a review of their uniforms.

They’re meant to raise the bar on the transit system’s customer service after two months of consistently bad news for the TTC. A significant fare increase, a disastrous subway disruption, token shortages and highly publicized photos of sleeping employees have resulted in what TTC chief general manager Gary Webster called “a feeding frenzy” of criticism.

“There’s a higher expectation today and the TTC needs to line up to that expectation,” said TTC chair Adam Giambrone.

He also issued an apology for the “missteps of the last couple of months.”

Details of a previously announced advisory panel, including private sector customer service experts, won’t be available until next week, said Giambrone.

Meantime, he said, “I expect TTC staff will act quickly to restore the customers’ confidence.”

TTC chief general manager Gary Webster acknowledged that the technological changes cited at a city hall press conference Wednesday might be the easier part of the customer service equation.

“The most challenging part of our job is the people side. Some of the real challenges are the one-on-one interfaces of our employees,” he said.

Among the customer service improvements outlined Wednesday were:

• 50 new fare vending machines to make sure there’s alleviation from the monthly line-ups for passes across the system

• Improved customer assistance and more emergency transfers when there are major subway delays.

• Text messaging from all 800 streetcar stops by July to let riders know when the next couple of cars are expected to arrive

• Video screens at station entrances and collector booths with system status

• New microphones in the collector booths

• A 24/7 customer assistance and complaints line

• More TTC ambassadors at stations to help direct riders

• An overhaul of customer service training and performance evaluations for all 13,000 TTC employees.

The TTC received 31,532 complaints last year. The top two complaints were 5,513 for surface vehicle delays and 3,851 complaints about discourteous employees.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ttc/article/756688--we-re-sorry-says-the-ttc

hkskyline

January 29th, 2010, 02:42 AM

Workers' mindsets need to change. Is it so hard to understand such that you need to train people the fact you shouldn't sleep on the job and you face the customer with the least bit of courtesy?

These are the kinds of incidents that should prompt questions on why don't we privatize the workers. Holding them to private sector standards should force a major turnaround.

yin_yang

January 30th, 2010, 10:06 PM

Former rider that has been walking/driving everywhere for the past two years. Why not privatize and subsidize? That is one thing I wouldn't mind Harper getting his nose into.

deasine

January 30th, 2010, 10:19 PM

You think the TTC Union would let you? I don't think there is a need to privatize everything... even contracting out some of the services would be good enough.

Skybean

February 4th, 2010, 01:40 AM

TTC driver’s coffee break caught on video

Published On Wed Feb 03 2010
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Tess Kalinowski Transportation reporter

Transit officials are investigating after a bus driver is caught on video spending seven minutes in a doughnut shop while his late-night riders wait.

The TTC is investigating and once again apologizing after an employee was caught on video taking a lengthy, unscheduled break.

Reuven Politi posted a dark, grainy video he shot Jan. 29 after being repeatedly delayed on the bus he takes up Bathurst St. on the way home from his job as a security guard in North York.

The 310 Blue Night bus usually stops at Finch and Bathurst at 2:46 a.m., where Politi gets on, and at Wilson Ave. the driver often leaves the bus, according to Politi.

The seven-minute video shows the driver exiting the bus and entering a doughnut shop, where he uses the restroom and then buys a drink. The bus is left idling, the door open. When a rider complains about the delay, the driver can be seen putting his finger to his lips in a gesture meant to silence her.

Politi said he only posted the video early Wednesday after politely asking the driver Tuesday night not to take his accustomed break when the bus was already 15 minutes late. According to Politi, the operator replied, “This is the 21st century, kid, not the ’60s; I can do whatever I want.”

Politi alleges that, after the driver again left riders shivering on the bus while he went into the doughnut shop, he confronted Politi on his return and dared him to complain. Politi said the operator gave his bus and badge numbers and told him that the union would protect his job. Politi alleges that the driver swore at him and noted that the video camera in the bus was recording the whole incident.

The TTC’s security images wouldn’t be used in an investigation of the driver because those cameras are only accessible by police and the operator’s conduct is an internal personnel matter, said TTC spokesman Brad Ross.

Like similar incidents, including recent photographs of subway collectors caught snoozing on the job, this one will be thoroughly investigated, he said, adding that he immediately brought the video to the attention of the TTC’s top executives.

“It is not acceptable for a TTC operator to leave passengers on a running bus to get a coffee,” he said. “Our operators and collectors are public servants. They deal directly with customers ... in the jobs they do. They need to think about the passenger who is waiting on the bus at 3 a.m. while they’re taking seven minutes to get a coffee.

“To those customers, we apologize. We have a lot of work to do here,” said Ross, adding that the TTC needs to bolster the supervision of frontline staff.

Politi, who moved to Toronto six months ago from Israel via Copenhagen, takes three buses to work each night, including one York Region Transit bus. Although he is irked by the driver’s regular unscheduled breaks on the 310, and can’t understand why TTC riders leave their buses so dirty, transit here is otherwise excellent, he said.

“It’s the best transportation. I can go on TTC to any place in Toronto.”

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/760176--ttc-driver-s-coffee-break-caught-on-video?bn=1

urbanfan89

February 4th, 2010, 02:44 AM

I saw a subway driver read a novel while driving the train and leaving the door open. I got out my cellphone camera to record him but he noticed.

Too bad he noticed.

sumisu

February 4th, 2010, 05:25 AM

I'm sure they're all looking out for big brother right now!

hkskyline

February 4th, 2010, 05:54 AM

I saw a subway driver read a novel while driving the train and leaving the door open. I got out my cellphone camera to record him but he noticed.

Too bad he noticed.

The driver has no authority to take the video from you. You can still report it and send it to the Star for a news item. :)

Skybean

February 8th, 2010, 03:23 PM

TTC workers urged to fight back
Facebook group hints at work-to-rule campaign

Brendan Kennedy and Adrian Morrow
Staff Reporters

Toronto transit workers—tired of the public-relations thrashing they have taken over the past few weeks from discontented riders—are showing signs they will fight back.

Rumours are swirling on the Internet of a potential work-to-rule campaign by TTC employees after a Facebook group was launched for transit operators to share “suggestions on how to fight back to the recent photo and video harassment from passengers just looking to make trouble for us.”

The group, “Toronto Transit Operators against public harassment,” also encourages transit workers to post their own photos of passengers who break the rules.

The group’s membership is now restricted, but media reports over the weekend refer to a post made by a woman named Ruth at 8 p.m. Sunday, suggesting a possible work-to-rule campaign.

“Reminder to work to rule on Monday. Check out ATU site,” the post allegedly stated.

The Amalgamated Transit Union’s website has no information about any work-to-rule campaign, but parts of the site are restricted to members only.

The Facebook group was created after TTC management issued a terse memo to staff over the weekend, decrying the “complacency and malaise” within the organization and demanding that workers be held accountable when they demonstrate poor customer service.

In a statement to all staff, TTC chief general manager Gary Webster wrote that he is getting “increasingly tired of defending the reputation of the TTC; tired of explaining what is acceptable and what is not.”

Webster goes on to express his frustration that, two weeks after management demanded better customer service from front-line workers, the organization is still under fire for photos and videos showing TTC workers slacking off.

He says that expectations need to be clear and that customers deserve better for their fare.

The note to staff comes after a slew of customer complaints related to lacklustre performance by TTC workers, sparked by a video shot on a cellphone camera last month that showed a collector asleep in his booth at the McCowan subway station.

TTC spokesman Brad Ross the commission will no longer be commenting on such individual photos and videos, but Webster didn’t mince words in sharing his opinions with TTC staff.

“We are in the customer service business, but some of the behaviour our customers have encountered recently would suggest otherwise,” Webster wrote in his statement to staff. “Our customers pay a fare and the city provides hundreds of millions of dollars every year to the TTC. This public transit agency belongs to the very people we serve.

“As chief general manager, I am ultimately accountable to our customers. As employees, you – and you alone – are accountable for your actions,” he added.

“The culture of complacency and malaise that has seeped into our organization will end,” Webster vowed. “I hold all of management responsible to make this happen. Reviews and plans are under way to address systemic issues regarding customer service, but real change starts with you.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/762105--ttc-workers-urged-to-fight-back?bn=1

When will the TTC operators learn that riders are not trying to "make trouble". They are trying to make trouble for themslves by sleeping on the job, taking breaks while on the job and being rude to the customer. If none of this is done, there is nothing to post to YouTube.

Behaviour 'unacceptable,' TTC manager tells employees

Letter comes after incident involving a driver who confronted passenger filming on bus

Toronto — The Canadian Press Published on Saturday, Feb. 06, 2010 11:08PM EST Last updated on Monday, Feb. 08, 2010 1:13AM EST

The chief general manager of the Toronto Transit Commission has sent a second notice to all employees stating he is tired of “unacceptable behaviour” and a “culture of complacency.”

The letter comes after the latest incident involving a TTC driver who confronted a passenger shooting video on a cellphone.

CP24 reports the driver shut the bus down after the passenger refused to turn off his phone.

In the letter, Gary Webster says employees need to be accountable for their poor performance.

The TTC recently apologized to riders after a photograph surfaced of a subway collector caught napping on the job.

Another transit driver was suspended after video showed the driver taking an unauthorized break.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/behaviour-unacceptable-ttc-manager-tells-employees/article1458997/

hkskyline

February 8th, 2010, 03:59 PM

Work to rule to support inappropriate behaviour on the job?

Skybean

February 8th, 2010, 06:58 PM

Work to rule to support inappropriate behaviour on the job?

Yes, and honestly, it is difficult to tell if there has been work to rule imposed....even if it was, the level of service would be the same. :lol:

TTC work-to-rule pitch fizzles

Brendan Kennedy and Adrian Morrow
Staff Reporters

A work-to-rule campaign proposed by some TTC workers appears to have fizzled, but the city’s transit union says its members remain frustrated at “having to work under the microscope.”

“We’ve got 13 and 14-year-olds that feel that they have an entitlement to film our operators in the performance of their duties, and that’s not acceptable,” said Bob Kinnear, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, which represents Toronto’s transit workers.

Rumours of a TTC work-to-rule campaign started Sunday with posts made on a Facebook group after a stern memo from TTC management criticized the “culture of complacency and malaise” in the organization.

The note to staff came after a slew of customer complaints related to lacklustre performance by TTC workers, sparked by a photo shot on a cellphone camera last month that showed a collector asleep in his booth at the McCowan subway station.

Adding to the beleaguered transit system’s troubles, a bus driver was suspended indefinitely last week, pending an internal investigation, after a YouTube video shot by a frustrated rider showed the man taking a seven-minute coffee and washroom break while driving the 310 Blue Night bus south on Bathurst.

The TTC says it ran “problem-free” Monday morning, and there were no reports of any employees “working to rule.”

Kinnear said the call for working to rule was not initiated by the union, but by individual members who are frustrated by how they are being treated by TTC management and the public.

He said he had not heard of any specific work-to-rule actions occurring Monday.

The Facebook group, “Toronto Transit Operators against public harassment,” was formed to give TTC workers the opportunity to share “suggestions on how to fight back to the recent photo and video harassment from passengers just looking to make trouble for us,” according to its description. It also encourages transit workers to post their own photos of passengers who break the rules.

“Reminder to work to rule on Monday. Check out ATU site,” stated a post on the group’s wall, according to media reports.

The Amalgamated Transit Union’s Toronto website had no information about any work-to-rule campaign, but parts of the site are restricted to members only.

The Facebook group was created after TTC chief general manager Gary Webster sent a terse memo to staff over the weekend, demanding that workers be held accountable when they demonstrate poor customer service.

In a statement to all staff, Webster wrote that he is getting “increasingly tired of defending the reputation of the TTC; tired of explaining what is acceptable and what is not.”

Webster goes on to express his frustration that, two weeks after management demanded better customer service from front-line workers, the organization is still under fire for photos and videos showing TTC workers slacking off.

He says that expectations need to be clear and that customers deserve better for their fare.

“We are in the customer service business, but some of the behaviour our customers have encountered recently would suggest otherwise,” Webster wrote. “Our customers pay a fare and the city provides hundreds of millions of dollars every year to the TTC. This public transit agency belongs to the very people we serve.

“As chief general manager, I am ultimately accountable to our customers. As employees, you – and you alone – are accountable for your actions,” he added.

“The culture of complacency and malaise that has seeped into our organization will end,” Webster vowed. “I hold all of management responsible to make this happen. Reviews and plans are under way to address systemic issues regarding customer service, but real change starts with you.

Kinnear said Webster’s memo makes it appear as if “he has given up.”

“He seems to be putting all the problems and all the ills of the TTC on the backs of the frontline employees, when that’s just not reflective of what’s going on out there,” Kinnear said.

He added that Webster has a responsibility to defend the TTC.

“We do recognize that improvements have to be made, but for the (chief general manager) to simply put the onus on the frontline employees is irresponsible as far as we’re concerned.”

Kinnear said the union will be holding a news conference Tuesday morning, but he would not elaborate on the details.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/762105--ttc-work-to-rule-pitch-fizzles?bn=1#article

sumisu

February 9th, 2010, 01:00 AM

Wrong Skybean, if work to rule were imposed, there would be an improvement in service!

Skybean

February 9th, 2010, 05:54 AM

Wrong Skybean, if work to rule were imposed, there would be an improvement in service!

I suppose there would be less sleeping on the job... finally TTC operators would get to work ;)

trainrover

February 15th, 2010, 08:54 PM

^^ maybe the staff's acquired that syndrome that causes sufferers to involuntarily fall asleep sometime since the day he was hired.....ain't it puzzling how that was even remotely newsworthy?

WrightTurn

February 25th, 2010, 06:32 PM

I wouldn't "slag" you over it...I just think it's a bad analogy to use for the city at large. New York's subway system is a hell of a lot worse.
KGB

Do you mean aesthetically or in terms of providing service?

Skybean

March 6th, 2010, 12:38 AM

TTC learning from Philly's transit revival
U.S. city offers lessons on how to turn around a system plagued with problems, rider complaints

Published On Fri Mar 05 2010

Tess Kalinowski Transportation Reporter

Complaints about old-fashioned tokens, dirty stations and surly service aren't unique to the TTC.

Officials at Philadelphia's SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) system were hearing them long before Torontonians began publishing pictures of sleeping subway collectors.

But when Joe Casey became general manager of SEPTA two years ago, he decided it was time riders knew their gripes had been heard by those at the top of the system, which includes regional rail similar to GO Transit, as well as buses, trolleys and a subway.

Casey's innovations – from making information kiosks more visible in stations to creating "quiet cars" on the regional rail – have transformed some of SEPTA's harshest critics into constructive allies.

"Communication, cleanliness, convenience and courtesy – those were the areas that our customers ranked us as lower in our customer surveys," he said.

Toronto officials, plagued with similar complaints, have been in touch with Philadelphia in their search for solutions, said Gary Webster, the TTC's chief general manager.

To transform SEPTA's culture, Casey named a general manager of customer service, Kim Heinle, who has a background in the hospitality industry. They introduced weekly classes in customer service for transit workers.

The system still gets just as many complaints – and Casey admits it's hard to gauge the success of that program. But on the other side of the equation, in two years, customer commendations have doubled.

SEPTA tries to follow up with customers on complaints and compliments within two days. Employees receive gift cards as rewards for good service. Managers also regularly visit train and bus stations to survey customer satisfaction.

Administrators assist on the front lines during service disruptions, and everyone's job review has a customer-service performance goal. Even retirees have been tapped to help assist riders at major community events.

SEPTA is also introducing some of the technology the TTC is trying to expedite in the wake of its recent troubles, including next-bus-arrival notifications. A proposal for a smart fare card is expected to roll out in the spring.

"Joe (Casey) is a commuter. He's ridden the railroad for years so he sees the system from a commuter's perspective," said Matthew Mitchell of the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers. The group, which lobbies for transit funding and accessible service, used to have a more adversarial relationship with SEPTA.

Although the group is still critical, Mitchell says, "We don't have to make a public stink about things to get action."

When he got the job, Casey said he was going to clean up the system. Before a single cleaner had been deployed, people were congratulating him on the improvement.

"We had a negative image before I took over," he said. "That's slowly changing, but a lot of it is image."

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ttc/article/775339--ttc-learning-from-philly-s-transit-revival?bn=1

Skybean

March 7th, 2010, 04:56 PM

TTC paid executive's friend $50,000
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Kevin Donovan Staff Reporter
A senior Toronto Transit Commission official helped his long-time female friend – an amateur photographer – get a plum contract taking photos of public meetings and proposed building sites.

Project manager John Cursio recommended Robin Thoen for the job, then personally approved payments of public money to her totalling at least $50,000 over the past year. One of Cursio's grown children worked part-time for Thoen editing photos during this period.

The TTC said Cursio is in a conflict of interest and never should have recommended Thoen for the work. Senior transit officials are investigating. Though Thoen received payments, there is no contract setting out the terms of the job.

Cursio has been off work since the Star raised these matters with him and the TTC just over a week ago.

"That's a personal matter," Cursio said when asked by the Star about his relationship with Thoen and payments of public money to her. "You do what you have to do," Cursio said, before recommending the Star contact TTC public relations.

Thoen has not responded to questions about her contract or the relationship with Cursio. As to the photo contract, she told the Star she has no idea what the pictures are used for. "I don't know what they do with the photos," Thoen said.

"I go to the sites. They want before and after shots. I am sorry, I really don't have much information on this."

Cursio, who is married and lives in Etobicoke, has allegedly lived a double life for years, according to people who have socialized with him. They said Cursio participated in many discussions about renovation plans at Thoen's former East York residence and frequently hosted social occasions with her. The people who have socialized with him work in contracting jobs and fear they would lose government contracts if they spoke on the record.

Cursio is a veteran civil servant, who has been with the TTC since the spring of 2008. Prior to that he was at the Ontario Realty Corporation, a Crown agency that owns and manages Ontario government property. He met Thoen in the early 2000s and the two struck up a relationship.

The relationship was an open secret among some contractors and ORC officials. In 2004 Thoen purchased a home on Dunkirk Rd. in East York for $230,000 and Cursio often stayed there. Cursio and Thoen frequently entertained contractors at the home. During this time he helped Thoen plan the renovation of the home, which Thoen sold in 2008 for $705,000. She then purchased a house in Etobicoke for $710,000 on a quiet court, just over one kilometre from Cursio's matrimonial home.

At the TTC, Cursio is the project manager overseeing part of the ambitious new Transit City project to build eight new Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines to neighbourhoods not served by rapid public transit. His main responsibility is managing the design and construction of three massive "carhouses" to maintain and store new LRT vehicles.

As a senior official with Transit City, Cursio is supposed to sign a "conflict of interest declaration," which he and other officials are reminded of every few months by email. TTC spokesman Brad Ross said he cannot say for certain that Cursio signed the document.

The policy asks senior staff to declare any association they have with consultants or contractors who will receive payments of public money, not sign any invoices or cheques, and remove themselves from the conflict, said Ross.

In 2008, the TTC issued a tender call looking for a technical consulting company to design the carhouses. Cursio played a key role in evaluating bids for the project, which was awarded in December 2008 to design company AECOM Canada. AECOM will be paid about $8 million to plan the carhouses, and Cursio as project manager is one of three people who approves payments to subcontractors hired by AECOM.

Shortly after AECOM won the bid, Cursio was at a meeting with AECOM officials. Cursio told AECOM that "we need professional photography" on this project, said TTC spokesman Ross. The bid documents provided by AECOM do not list photography as work they are to do for the TTC.

According to Ross, AECOM officials at the meeting asked if Cursio had a recommendation. Cursio recommended West Point Photography.

Ontario records show that West Point Photography was only a few months old at the time, incorporated in August 2008, based out of Thoen's new home in Etobicoke. On her website, Thoen features numerous photographs of what she describes as "creative studies." Among the photos: dogs, shells in water, "water birds," and an orchid.

"Robin's creative photography is an eclectic array of focus that include abstract works, portraitures and studio art," her website states. A second section of the website describes her experience in construction photography. "Tracking the progress of construction projects is a specialty that West Point Photography has pursued for over many years," the website states, describing the fledgling company.

The TTC's Ross, who has been looking into the allegations of conflict of interest, said there is no written contract between AECOM and West Point. He said that between May 2009 and the present, Cursio approved payments to West Point of at least $50,000.

Thoen has taken photos of potential construction sites and streetscapes and also has photographed ratepayers at public meetings the TTC has held. At one recent meeting, over the proposed site near Lake Shore Blvd. and Leslie St., Cursio and Thoen were present and residents and community journalists who attended say Thoen took numerous pictures of residents critical of the TTC plans.

"A lot of people were concerned about the photographer," said Leslieville resident Caron Court, who attended the meeting to object to the plan that will have the rail line running close to her home. "We did not understand why she was taking our picture." Court said she argued with Cursio at the meeting, and described him as "rude and arrogant."

AECOM would not discuss the matter with the Star. In a written statement, communications manager Laura Soucek said AECOM "is not aware of any association between Mr. Cursio and West Point Photography."

Soucek said West Point was selected "after following a thorough assessment and evaluation process" and AECOM did not feel it was under "any obligation to use" the company. The Star pointed out West Point's slim resumé and AECOM's Soucek then said "we undertook what we believed to be an appropriate level of due diligence prior to retaining West Point."

When the Star first approached Cursio last week, he said, "West Point is doing a contract for us through AECOM" and would not answer further questions. The Star informed him it was investigating allegations of conflict of interest.

Next, the Star contacted the TTC and asked if officials there were aware of the Cursio-Thoen connection.

TTC officials, including a lawyer, met with Cursio, who denied any connection with Thoen, but did say they "have had lunch," Ross said.

After the Star did further research, and posed numerous questions to Cursio through the TTC, Cursio's story changed a bit.

"He has had coffee in her home," said Ross, after speaking with Cursio. Ross said Cursio also said, after being asked about his children working for Thoen, that his daughter had worked for her over a summer period.

Ross said Cursio had also recently tried to get Thoen a full-time job as a community liaison for the TTC, but hiring officials did not select her.

"We have told Mr. Cursio that this conflict should have been declared" and he should not have signed any documents relating to the West Point payments.

Cursio has now told his boss at the TTC that he will not answer any more questions.

"We are looking at all invoices from West Point now and we want to make sure (the TTC) got value for its money," Ross said.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ttc/article/776171--ttc-paid-executive-s-friend-50-000?bn=1

hkskyline

March 8th, 2010, 03:59 PM

Time to get the auditor general in there!

allurban

March 10th, 2010, 08:00 AM

Time to get the auditor general in there!He got fired and the photographer was told that her services were no longer needed.

Cheers, m

Skybean

April 12th, 2010, 03:48 AM

TTC listens as riders vent
‘Operators do slack off a lot,’ TTC employee says
Published On Sun Apr 11 2010

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/9642/f0e288d04661b65c5e87cf7.jpg

Tess Kalinowski Transportation Reporter

Anger brought them together.

But when the TTC's union met face-to-face with riders at a town hall Sunday, there were few signs of the animosity that badly strained riders' relationship with frontline transit workers a couple of months back.

The first of three meetings organized by the transit workers' union proved that “the frustration we've been hearing about over the last few months isn't necessarily directed only at the frontline employees,” said Bob Kinnear, president of Local 113 of the Amalgamated Transit Union.

“Yes there have been disappointing incidences, which the union does not condone in any way. But I think there's been some clarity that it's the underlying issues with service and lack thereof that more important issues,” he said.

The meetings were organized when anger at transit workers boiled over earlier this year. Already annoyed by a fare hike and token shortages, riders were outraged by published photos of a sleeping subway collector and video of a bus driver taking an unauthorized coffee break.

The 480-seat auditorium at Downsview Secondary School was more than half full as riders waited turns at the microphone to ask about why buses and streetcars don't arrive on schedule and why, after a long wait, they turn up in bunches.

They wanted to know:

• Who ordered new buses with a step up to the back so that strollers block access to the rear?

• Why doesn't the TTC order people to take off bulky backpacks?

• Why don't fare vending machines work?

• And why do buses seem to pull away when drivers can see someone running toward them?

The union spokespeople on the panel moderated by talk radio host John Tory, were apologetic.

The normally defiant Kinnear, who had earlier this year warned riders against abusing drivers and threatening to take transit workers' pictures, acknowledged that his members had a role to play in the customer service crisis.

He started the meeting by recalling his own frustration as a subway collector when a rider seeking directions couldn't understand what he was being told through the speaker.

Kinnear said he opened the door to his booth and pointed to a sign.

“Can't you read?” he asked the rider.

Kinnear said he's never forgotten the customer's apology because he couldn't read.

“We can take some responsibility for the dissatisfaction of frontline customer service,” he conceded.

“Operators do slack off a lot,” driver John Bethune told the audience, later stressing, “I didn't say anything that wasn't true.”

“TTC management need to go back to train us so we can do the job properly,” panelist and driver Anthony Wallace said after the meeting. “We need to make sure we serve the public to the best of our ability.”

While riders praised the union for organizing the meeting, several said they were frustrated because TTC management wasn't allowed to respond to many of the broader queries.

“It would have been a more productive meeting,” said Wilson bus rider Claudette Passby.

“The union leader is good at taking responsibility. But the union leader is not the one who should be up on the stage,” she said.

“I was looking for more about why more funding is not put into (the TTC), and why we don't have a better fare system,” said Carrie McLean, whose brother is a TTC worker.

She says the TTC's old-fashioned fare system should be replaced by the kind of smartcards available on other major transit systems such as London and Hong Kong.

“It was a waste of time for me to come. Management should have been up there because there's a big problem,” said McLean.

But Tory Moote, who attended the town hall with two friends from York University, said the threesome plan to go to the other meetings scheduled in the coming weeks because they want to hear more discussion of broader issues such as transit funding.

“We're angry and we want to ride the TTC. We don't want to drive,” said Alex, who didn't want her last name used. “These are all on the periphery of what's going on. Where's our money going? Why are a third of TTC employees being paid over $100,000?”

Senior TTC officials were on hand, however, to listen to rider comments.

The information will be considered along with other customer service initiatives underway at the TTC, including an expert panel that will be making recommendations for improvements in June, said chief general manager Gary Webster.

The public will have an opportunity to ask managers questions later, said Giambrone.

“What's exciting is you're beginning that dialogue,” he said. “It was frustrating for me because there were some answers I was wanting to give and talk about. There's some questions that might be better answered by TTC management and the commission. The customer service panel will be making an announcement over the coming weeks about their own customer engagement.”

But those events will not be in competition with the union-sponsored meetings, he said.

Prior to Sunday's event Kinnear said that he didn't know how many people to expect. The cafeteria next to the auditorium had been opened up with fruit and beverages prepared for those who might have to watch the meeting on monitors. But in the end, only a few TTC workers sat and watched there and the refreshments were packed away.

The session did, however, run overtime, with Tory allowing questions to continue for more than 30 minutes after a cable broadcast was scheduled to end.

Another town hall takes place on Sunday in Scarborough and in May 2 at Ryerson University. Information and other queries and comments can be directed to the union's website at wemovetoronto.ca.

Audience nuggets:

Riders who attended the transit workers' union open house Sunday at Downsview Secondary School were equipped with clickers so the audience could be immediately polled on transit concerns.

Among the results:

• 32 per cent said their commute required riding on three TTC vehicles;

• 31 per cent said they had regularly seen avoidable cases of poor customer service by frontline transit workers in the last two or three years;

• 31 per cent said they had occasionally seen poor customer service within the last two or three years;

• 95 per cent answered “yes” when asked if TTC technology is out of date;

• 60 per cent answered “yes” when asked if they had experienced problems such as broken vending machines on the TTC;

• 75 per cent said they had seen TTC employees being threated or abused;

• 44 per cent said they strongly agree or agree with paying tolls or other taxes if the money was devoted to improving transit; 42 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed;

• 63 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that there is a problem with the way strollers are handled on the TTC;

• 59 per cent said they were frustrated by bunching of buses and streetcars;

• 42 per cent of the audience said they were regular TTC users.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ttc/article/793630--ttc-listens-as-riders-vent?bn=1

Skybean

April 14th, 2010, 10:54 PM

TTC driver charged after passenger assaulted, police say

Incident on bus near Bayview and Lawrence happened at 10:45 a.m., police say

Richard Blackwell

Globe and Mail Update Published on Wednesday, Apr. 14, 2010 12:16PM EDT Last updated on Wednesday, Apr. 14, 2010 2:15PM EDT

Toronto police have charged a TTC bus driver with assault, after an incident involving a dust-up with a passenger near Bayview and Lawrence.

Constable Wendy Drummond said the incident happened at about 10:45 a.m. when the driver and the passenger allegedly got into a verbal dispute.

An eighteen year-old student got onto the bus, she said, and got into an argument with the driver over the fare.

“During that dispute the driver is alleged to have assaulted the patron,” she said. “The assault actually caused one of the windows on the bus to break.”

The student received some injuries, but these were not life-threatening, she said.

The 30-year-old driver, Hagos Bereket, has been charged with assault. He will be released after processing and will appear in court at a later date to face the charges, Const. Drummond said.

TTC spokesman Brad Ross said the video recording from the camera on the bus is being downloaded so it can be sent to the police.

Mr. Ross said he had no details of the incident, but when this kind of dispute takes place there is a protocol where TTC supervisors are called and the police are dispatched. “Operators ... are not to engage in physical altercations with customers,” he said.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/ttc-driver-charged-after-passenger-assaulted-police-say/article1534321/

Skybean

April 19th, 2010, 01:12 AM

Louder crowd, a call for Giambrone's head at TTC town hall
Published 46 minutes ago

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/3033/185a6db547b7b0d80bb09e8.jpg
TTC Chair Adam Giambrone reflects as transit rider Mai Cheng, 72, demands his resignation at a town hall meeting Sunday. The meeting was the second of three sessions sponsored by the transit union to hear from riders.

Tess Kalinowski Transportation Reporter

Their numbers were similar to last week’s transit workers union town hall designed to foster better relations between frontline TTC workers and riders, but Sunday’s crowd of about 200 transit riders at a Scarborough high school were more vocal and more confrontational.

Although there were some questions about how the transit system works — or doesn’t work — riders were focused this week on the behaviour of transit workers rather than individual bus routes or personal issues with the TTC.

Those who attended the second in the series of union-organized meetings at Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute wanted to know why some drivers and collectors behave rudely, take breaks while passengers sit on the bus, apply some of the rules inconsistently and why the system is so dirty.

Several objected loudly to the format of the meeting.

“Throughout this meeting your answers have been taking over our questions,” said Ryan Endoh, who came with a prepared statement complaining about the “profane language” and “gross indifference” he had experienced on the system.

Questions and comments from the audience were confined to a minute, while panelists and TTC union head Bob Kinnear were taking four minutes to respond, he said.

Endoh told the auditorium about being verbally assaulted by a transit worker when he tried once to explain that he didn’t have his student pass because he had been ill and taken to the hospital.

For the second week, the panel of TTC drivers on the stage, were quick to apologize for the rude behaviour of some of their co-workers.

Nine out of 10 times when a passenger pleasantly explains they haven’t got the correct fare, driver Laverne Snagg said she lets the person on without argument.

She encouraged riders to note the bus number, the route and time and complain to the TTC when they encounter similar situations.

“We are reprimanded. It is normally addressed,” she said.

“Are drivers allowed extended breaks when there are people on board?” said Venesse Lewis, who compared rider frustration in such incidents to the bus arriving 20 minutes late.

She too was frustrated by the format of the two-hour meeting in which only people whose names were drawn from a box by the meeting moderator were allowed to speak.

“I wish more people were able to say things,” said Lewis.

York University graduate student Leia Toledo wanted to know if drivers have access to anger management.

They do but everybody has bad days, she was told.

After the meeting, Toledo said the exercise was valuable but riders have to demand a follow-up meeting with a report on what’s changed on the TTC.

Last week a TTC driver was charged following a dispute with a passenger over an allegedly unpaid fare.

While several speakers thanked the union for the opportunity to gather, one woman complained that it should have been organized by TTC management.

She drew applause for calling for the firing of TTC chair Adam Giambrone, who was sitting nearby.

Although he maintained a cordial approach to riders in the room, union president Bob Kinnear used the meeting to take some shots at TTC management, saying that an automated signalling system on the subway is responsible for large overtime bills.

A recent proposal to install platform edge doors that would prevent people from jumping or falling on the tracks is more about justifying the signal system, said Kinnear.

“Overtime rates have gone through the roof because trains are late. Operators are forced to go beyond their schedules every day,” he said, noting when that happens the worker gets double time.

“Maybe next time we’ll have to negotiate triple time,” he said.

TTC chief general manager Gary Webster, who was in the audience, later denied that the signalling system called speed control was responsible for climbing overtime.

“(Speed control) has been in operation on the Sheppard line. It’s not working properly. We have not put it in place on the other two lines. There’s no question we’ve struggled with the reliability of speed control and we’re not going to work it until we can get it to run properly,” said Webster.

But that has no bearing on the new automatic train control signalling system being installed on the Yonge line in the next four or five years, he said.

In the morning rush hour, the Yonge subway is at capacity, said Webster. “Automatic train control will deal with that,” and new subway trains coming later this year will also help.

Speed control, which cost about $15 million, was introduced on Sheppard in the last two years. Automatic train control is a $300 million system.

One rider complained about a driver’s failure to take a valid transfer when it was proffered.

“I don’t touch the transfers either,” said Jeff Gill, a driver on the union panel. “You see people coming up the steps with the transfer in their mouth. I don’t want that in my hand. There are too many communicable diseases.”

Some complained that not all drivers and collectors required seniors and students to show their passes.

“There are major inconsistencies out there with the enforcement of fares because it’s a judgement call (by individual transit workers),” said Kinnear.

When one rider complained that TTC patrons have to pay to park at stations, while GO passengers park for free, Kinnear suggested that the parking fees introduced last year are an attempt to penalize commuters from the 905 communities around Toronto.

“There needs to be a recognition that people are utilizing our service — the cost is absorbed solely by Torontonians,” he said.

A third town hall takes place May 2 in Etobicoke. Details and an opportunity to comment are available on the union’s website, wemovetoronto.ca.

Meantime, the TTC’s external panel of customer service experts is also hosting a series of meet-and-greet sessions in the subway system starting later this months in advance of the recommendations it will be delivering to improve customer satisfaction.

The outreach efforts by the union and the commission follow a rash of bad publicity on the system that started with the announcement of a fare hike late last year. That was followed by token hoarding and shortages and then widespread images of a sleeping subway collector and video of a driver taking an unauthorized break while riders cooled their heels on the bus.

“There’s a latent demand,” said Webster. “The public wants to talk to us. Management, union, we all need to get out and engage the public more.”

Quick Fax

An electronic audience response system in the transit union town hall, allows organizers to almost instantly guage riders’ concerns. Here are some of the results from Sunday’s meeting.

• 49 per cent of the audience were regular TTC users, with an additional 11 per cent using the TTC to get to school

• 49 per cent of the audience at the Stephen Leacock Collegiate meeting took the TTC to get there

• 41 per cent of those at the meeting use two TTC vehicles and 23 per cent used three in their normal commute

• 66 per cent said they had used another transit system in the last couple of years and 54 per cent of those riders said the other system was better than the TTC

• 53 per cent of riders at th meeting said they have seen cases of unsatisfactory customer service by transit workers that was avoidable in the last two or three years on the TTC

• 65 per cent of the audience said their jobs require them to interact face-to-face with the public

• 37 per cent of the riders said drivers should always enforce fare payment and 57 per cent said enforcement should be based on individual circumstances

• 62 per cent said the operators should be allowed to decide whether to allow an adult to ride the TTC if they haven’t paid the correct fare

• 57 per cent said food and drink should be banned on the TTC

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ttc/article/797274--louder-crowd-a-call-for-giambrone-s-head-at-ttc-town-hall?bn=1

Skybean

April 21st, 2010, 05:50 AM

While I have seen drivers taking unscheduled coffee breaks, there are also many very good drivers. Today, the driver of the bus I was on helped look for a lost wallet and assisted a tourist couple who didn't know how to go to their destination. I think the bigger concern is the overall (lack of) maintenance of stations. Frequently I have seen escalators down for months, drifting garbage causing fire on the tracks and leaking stations.

TTC commuters can't stand rude, crude staff
Published On Mon Apr 19 2010

Robyn Doolittle Urban Affairs Bureau

A driver who refuses to move the bus because a baby is crying on board. A streetcar operator referred to by at least one rider as the “Blonde Dragon.” A toll collector who calls a customer “brain dead” when asked for change.

On Monday, the TTC released hundreds of customer complaints to the Star through a freedom of information request.

Page after page, the stories are similar: Drivers throwing tantrums when people don’t shuffle to the back fast enough. Collectors doing crosswords while ignoring customer questions. Drivers shouting at riders and swearing at passing cars.

It seems poor people skills, not delays or fare disputes, are the main concern for transit customers.

Riders say they are verbally abused and harassed by TTC staff on a daily basis. In the most extreme of allegations, some claim to have been victims of sexual advances and racism.

The vast majority of the more than 300 written complaints obtained by the Star — among more than 2,000 lodged last year — paint a picture of a transit system troubled by a culture of indifference and disdain towards customers.

“In my honest opinion, I believe those issues happen. I have no doubt,” said Steven O’Brien, the hotelier tasked with rescuing the TTC’s reputation through a recently created customer service advisory panel. “I’m not condoning the behaviour. (For some) it’s the culture. And you can’t change culture overnight.”

But the TTC is banking on his ability to help change it eventually.

In February, O’Brien was named chair of the new panel, an initiative meant to defuse mounting tensions between the public and its transit system.

Things came to a head in January, two months after the TTC announced a 25-cent fare hike, when a photo of a fare collector sleeping on the job went viral. “Yup, love how my TTC dollars R being spent” said the Twitpic caption. Next, a video surfaced of a bus driver who left late-night riders twiddling their thumbs while he took an unauthorized break at a coffee shop to use the washroom, then buy a drink.

Over the past two weeks, hundreds of riders have shown up at union-sponsored town hall meetings to vent their frustrations. And by the end of June, O’Brien’s independent panel hopes to release a comprehensive customer relations evaluation.

The system needs it.

Last year, the TTC received roughly 2,000 written complaints through traditional mail, email, and online complaint forms. The Star requested a sample of these letters from February, July and October. The majority, about 250 of the 312 complaints we received, were submitted online.

The identities of the riders and employees were protected and, for privacy reasons, the TTC said it cannot disclose what action, if any, came of the individual grievances.

“This morning,” one letter began, “I boarded the #113 bus at Corvet ... At the next stop … another bus was parked with a flashing light. Riders who were on that bus got on to our bus all complaining that they were waiting 20 minutes because the driver refused to move the bus as a baby on board was crying ...

“Passengers continued to vent about the situation on the last bus. At the next stop our operator asked the passengers who came on at the last stop and were discussing the crying baby issue to please leave the bus … It seemed that no one had a right to condemn his colleague in his presence.”

In another letter, a rider writes: “On several occasions I have had the misfortune of boarding (the streetcar) only to realize that the driver for the first leg of my journey to work is this miserable woman . . . (I have) witnessed her verbally kick a paying passenger off this eastbound route . . . for calling her rude, which she IS consistently.”

On this January morning, the rider continues, “I became the target of her vileness … I always try to be courteous and exit via the rear doors (but) my position on the car this morning had me directly beside the front door, so I decided to exit via this way instead of pushing my way through other passengers. Well I guess this made her day because it allowed her the opportunity to yell … she yelled at the top of her lungs four times ... “EXIT AT THE REAR DOOOOORS!!! …

“I turned around and calmly asked her, “Why are you such a bitch to the passengers?” Her loud reply: BECAUSE I ENJOY IT!!! ... I do have to say that the majority of the TTC employees I encounter on a daily basis are courteous and a good number of them are downright friendly. What a delight! But not the Blonde Dragon!”

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said whenever there is identifiable information, such as specific incident times, route and bus numbers, or employee badge numbers, the complaints are investigated.

A range of responses is available, from a verbal warning to a note in a personnel file or even suspension.

“Just remember there are two sides to every story,” said Ross. “Certainly we don’t condone rudeness or curtness. Certainly our expectation is that employees greet customers with a smile, and thank them for their fare. (But remember), not every customer is polite, either.”

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ttc/article/797775--ttc-commuters-can-t-stand-rude-crude-staff

Ni3lS

April 21st, 2010, 09:54 PM

Wow.. Staff problems?

lightrail

April 22nd, 2010, 01:39 AM

Wow.. Staff problems?

300 complaints? On a system that carries millions a day. So it's one or two bad eggs causing the problem. Sure it's a problem but I doubt it reflects on all TTC employees.

When I've visited Toronto, I've found the TTC employees very friendly and helpful.

We've have our share of bad drivers in Vancouver too and I've had issues with one or two drivers - but it's only a few.

The problem is that nothing seems to happen if you complain so these idiots get away with it. That's what has to change. Better feedback and repsonse to these incidents.

BTW - in Metro Vancouver buses are now Fare Paid Zone - bus drivers do not enforce the fares. If somebody refuses to pay, the driver doesn't argue, but calls the Transit Police and continues on his route. It saves a lot of arguments and is safer for the drivers.

Ni3lS

April 22nd, 2010, 01:43 AM

Well, you only need a few of those to ruin it for the whole staff crew. They should definitely fire people like that, no doubt.

allurban

April 22nd, 2010, 10:39 AM

The news isnt all bad - but overall

Amid controversy, TTC compliments are up (http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ttc/article/798939--amid-controversy-ttc-compliments-are-up?bn=1) (Toronto Star)

April 21, 2010

Robyn Doolittle

http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/bd/62/f0e288d04661b65c5e87cf7dda97.jpeg
Franca Salerno speaks about her experience with the TTC during the first of three transit town halls organized by the TTC union to discuss customer issues. TTC Chair Adam Giambrone, there as an observer, is in the foreground, left.

VINCE TALOTTA/TORONTO STAR

Blonde dragons, sleeping collectors and angry town halls aside, it seems 2010 isn’t going to be all bad for the TTC.

Compared with last year, the number of compliments received by the customer service department is on track to double.

Since January, the TTC has had 1,063 calls, letters, or Tweets offering kudos from riders. In all of 2009, the service received 2,088. At this rate, the troubled transit system will receive well over 4,000 by year’s end.

A sample of those compliments released to the Star showcases the caring, even quirky, side of many frontline TTC workers.

“The driver came over the speaker and announced that we were arriving at Kennedy, what the temperature outside was, thanked us for taking the TTC and also, jokingly, informed us that breakfast would be served in 15 minutes . . . This driver, having such a positive attitude, made everyone on the bus laugh and it made my morning,” wrote one individual.

On Monday, the TTC released hundreds of complaint letters to the Star through a freedom of information request. About 30,000 are received every year, including phone calls. Among the grievances, riders complained about a driver who wouldn’t move because a baby was crying on board, collectors berating customers, and one nasty streetcar driver that a rider nicknamed the Blonde Dragon.

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said that, by and large, those complaints represent a few bad apples.

“We know that the vast majority of our employees are courteous, dedicated and conscientious. The recent increase in commendations from customers that we’ve seen simply affirms this,” he said.

As for why compliments are up, Ross has a theory.

“I think people read and hear media reports that have been very critical of the TTC and its employees. We hear, routinely, that those stories aren’t completely reflective of the TTC they know,” he said. “And I suppose, riders want to let us know that we are still one of the best transit systems in the world and have their support.”

Ross says he often receives accolades via his Twitter account. On Tuesday night, a rider tweeted that the person's dad got lost in Scarborough after getting off a stop early.

“A bus driver was kind enough to . . . make sure he got to McC” (McCowan), the individual wrote to Ross.

On May 2, Ryerson University will host the final of three scheduled town hall meetings, which were organized by the transit union.

Cheers, m

hkskyline

April 22nd, 2010, 02:55 PM

Well, you only need a few of those to ruin it for the whole staff crew. They should definitely fire people like that, no doubt.

The union is in the way, giving all sorts of excuses to justify the behaviour.

ssiguy2

April 23rd, 2010, 07:20 PM

The union gives excuses and the TTC tolerates/doesn't care.
That said, it is like anything you get the good and the bad and you always remember the bad. I have made complaints about a Translink employee before and I got very fair and truly concerned complaints dept. The bus driver pulled out and made me fall. I didn't really hurt myself but that wasn't the point. The complaints person appologised and asked me for my address and immediatly sent me out a free bus pass for the next month. I once stated I was concerned as the new South Surrey park and ride didn't have a pay phone for public use or an emergency/security. She thanked me for the input and within one week they put up a new pay phone.
You always get bad apples but I find the over whelming majority of Translink employess helpful and friendly.

Skybean

June 10th, 2010, 09:34 PM

TTC union leader charged with theft
The head of the electrical workers’ union was arrested following the theft of copper wire
Published On Thu Jun 10 2010

Tess Kalinowski Transportation Reporter

The TTC is reviewing its inventory procedures following the arrest of an employee in connection with the theft of copper wire.

Mike Santos, president of CUPE Local 2, which represents about 500 TTC electrical workers, has been charged with theft over $5,000 and the possession of stolen property.

He was arrested Wednesday at his Vaughan residence following the execution of a search warrant by York Region Police, working with TTC special constables.

The TTC would not say whether Santos, a full-time employee, remains on the job.

Although the TTC has inventory controls and security around some work materials, those procedures are being reviewed, said transit spokesperson Brad Ross.

“The place that it is stored, the employees that need access,… sign out the material and then we go back and check inventory,” he said. “We’re looking at our procedures right now around these kinds of products.”

There is a market for copper wire, said Ross.

Santos is scheduled to appear in Newmarket court on July 14.

A person answering the phone at the union office Thursday said no one would comment.

CUPE Local 2 is one of three unions at the TTC. The largest is the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 113. with about 9,000 members, including drivers and maintenance workers, and Lodge 235 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers has about 50 members.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/821727--ttc-union-leader-charged-with-theft?bn=1

hkskyline

July 26th, 2010, 03:39 PM

Subway screeching? Blame the heat
It's not just your imagination, squeals are rising thanks to humidity that makes equipment 'sweat'
21 July 2010
The Toronto Star

Complaints have increased on TTC trains as well as in the blogosphere that the screeching in subway tunnels has gotten worse lately.

It turns out that the heat is, once again, the culprit.

"This happens because of friction with the rails and the wheels and brakes as (the trains) make their turn," said TTC spokeswoman Jessica Martin.

Squeals are most common around King and St. Andrew stations, where the trains make "that big turn into Union station." Automatic lubricators are installed at specific spots to reduce friction by squirting a lubricating substance at those angles.

"Now, with the recent humidity and the hot weather we've been having, it can cause the equipment to sweat, and that will compromise both the lubricant and the traction," Martin said.

At other sections of the TTC tracks, walking inspections - which involve manually applying lubricants to the rails - are conducted overnight if operators or commuters file complaints about screeching during the day.

Some riders have noted the trains in the Montreal subway system have rubber wheels, reducing the screeching to a minimum. Martin said the TTC did not have that technology when it opened in 1954.

"It'll be way too expensive to change everything to accommodate what Montreal has," she added.

For its part, GO Transit warned during the recent heat wave that trains could be forced to slow because the heat was causing rails to expand.

Even with lubricants at work, the squeaking of wheels and brakes has gotten worse along sections of TTC track this summer as the temperature rose. Go Transit has warned of delays as rails expanded.

hkskyline

November 1st, 2010, 06:56 PM

We all want the same subway seat
30 October 2010
National Post

It's been a long day and your legs are in dire need of downtime. As you slip between the doors of the TTC train, you observe that most of the seats are taken. Your options: a seat between a young woman and a large man with a thick coat, an aisle seat next to a man with a child on his lap, or a seat beside a woman reading a book. You're going to sit beside the woman who's reading, aren't you? So would most commuters.

"I notice that I and others do move in a common pattern, often to areas with the most space available," says Ed Drass, weekly transit columnist for commuter paper Metro.

I recently organized an online survey of TTC riders, 100 people between the ages of 17 to 70, 34 of whom were women, to assess what makes a preferred choice when looking for a seat. We'd all love to sit alone -- with a seat for our bag, too --but that happens, um, never. (Though, with the arrival of new subway cars, we may have a few extra inches of elbow room.)

The quest for a seat begins the moment riders board a TTC vehicle: 42% of subway riders and 34% of bus and streetcar commuters select a seat close to an exit.

"People will sit near the door if they can," says Steve Munro, transit advocate and blogger.

The back or the front of the bus makes a difference as well; 8%of subway riders and 22% of bus and streetcar riders avoid sitting in areas reserved for the elderly to avoid giving up their seats. The idea is that once you've got a seat, you'll only get up at your stop.

Once it has been established that there are several empty seats, the next decision becomes that of whom to sit next to. Only 1% of subway commuters and 2% of bus and streetcar riders prefer sitting near men. Of subway passengers, 11% prefer sitting near women, and 8% of bus and streetcar riders agree; one female rider said she feels women are safer travelling companions at night.

Five men stated they prefer sitting near attractive women; one commuter even predicted male riders would provide such an answer. But both Drass and Munro admit they'll avoid sitting beside a woman to prevent causing her concern she's been singled out. "If I sit there anyway, I may turn to the aisle," Drass says. He offers another reason for the preference: "Men have broader shoulders and can be tough to sit next to."

Which brings us to space, the No. 1 consideration for riders. People will go out of their way to avoid other riders with large or numerous bags and personal belongings, and 14%of respondents admit they avoid sitting near large people, though more than half indicated they do not wish to discriminate but simply find the seating awkward.

"I don't like to edge anyone who is taking up part of a seat I want, but I will," Drass adds.

Other factors that affect seating choice are loud groups of people and loud music. Munro agrees: "Music that doesn't use earphones is truly obnoxious."

Like most commuters, you've chosen to sit beside a woman, and you're comfortable -- until a fast-paced song attacks your ears. You quickly realize the unwelcome noise comes from the rider behind you. You turn to the woman reading beside you, hoping for a look of shared sympathy but find her absorbed in her book. You notice a woman has squeezed into the seat between the woman and the man with the thick coat. You're grateful, at least, not to be her.

Northern Lotus

November 13th, 2010, 08:20 PM

I saw the new TTC trains parked at the Davisville station yard this morning. It looks clean - smooth body without texture and the front looks aerodynamic too. Much better than what we have. BTW, another delay on TTC this morning, power was down for 20 minutes.

hkskyline

January 27th, 2011, 03:18 AM

Builders riding Ford on passes
2009 bylaw says condo purchasers must get free Metropasses for a year
Developers say it's a flop
24 January 2011
The Toronto Star

A controversial policy that requires builders to purchase a year's worth of Metropasses for new condo buyers may be the next "tax" nixed under the Ford administration.

Fed up with what they say is an unfair cash grab created to subsidize the TTC, developers say they will press Mayor Rob Ford to repeal it.

Since 2009, the TTC has collected $1,080,694 from builders in Metropass fees. And as the economy rebounds, the policy - which only applies to new buildings - is expected the generate even more funds for Toronto's cash-strapped transit system.

The industry will find support from TTC chair Karen Stintz, who says she didn't support the policy when it passed by council two years ago and she still doesn't.

Industry spokesman Stephen Dupuis said builders are spending a fortune on the passes even though condo buyers aren't using them.

To justify the $111 spent on a pass - which comes to the builders at a slightly discounted rate - a person would need to use the TTC 44 times a month to break even.

"We find the majority of condo owners also own cars and are content driving. Not all the time, but they don't make enough use of a Metropass," said Dupuis, the president of the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD).

That's the case at Tridel's Grand Triomphe 2 project in North York, said Stephen Upton, vice-president of development with Tridel.

"Right now, the mayor is busy with the budget. Once we get past that and he can get into the day-to-day stuff, we'll be pushing to get rid of this policy. I'm hoping it's by spring," Upton said.

And while politicians may try to tout the "free" pass as a perk for new owners, the buyers will inevitably be on the hook for the additional cost, said Brian Johnston, president of Monarch's Canadian home-building division.

"It really isn't free," he said. "Any cost gets passed on to buyers. Politicians love to convince themselves it doesn't, but it does.

"Developers are trying to make a return on their investment."

Monarch isn't even promoting the Metropass deal in its marketing for its latest project, Encore, at the Scarborough Town Centre.

"That's not why people are buying highrise condominiums," Johnston said.

"It's an awkward way to try to finance the TTC, in my view."

City council approved the policy, which applies to all new buildings with 20 or more units along transit priority areas, in December 2009.

It officially came into effect last April, but developers facing pressure from councillors and bureaucrats began voluntarily purchasing them a year earlier.

At the time it went through council, transit-friendly councillors such as Howard Moscoe, who has since retired, predicted it would "cause people on transit lines to abandon their cars."

Right-wingers, including then-councillor Ford, did not support the initiative.

During last year's election campaign, Ford met with the BILD board twice. He seemed open to doing away with the policy, said Upton, who is also the board's vice-chair.

Toronto's new TTC chair was also opposed to the plan back in 2009.

"I didn't think it was appropriate for the city ... to ask a condo company to buy Metropasses," Stintz said on Friday, adding that she is definitely interested in reopening the issue.

"That being said, we need to figure out ways that we can mutually benefit from the increased value and development opportunities when building on a subway line."

Skybean

January 29th, 2011, 01:40 AM

TTC to passengers: Don’t snap texting drivers
Published 1 hour ago

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/9886/ce67ee57480f9c5089b40cc.jpg
Alexia Schell of Scarborough took a this picture of a TTC driver apparently texting while driving the 54 Lawrence bus this week.
ALEXIA SCHELL PHOTO
Amy Dempsey and Curtis Rush Staff Reporters

The Toronto Transit Commission wants you to quit playing paparazzi with its employees.

The please-don’t-play-gotcha request comes after at least three TTC drivers were caught on camera this week by shocked passengers who observed them texting or chatting on cellphones while operating buses.

“We ask that people not do that,” TTC spokesman Brad Ross said Friday. “We don’t require photographic evidence to discipline drivers. Cameras in the face of operators can escalate a situation that doesn’t need to be escalated.”

Instead of snapping photos, “we ask that they call us, report the bus and route number and date and time of the occurrence,” Ross said.

The TTC has disciplined employees for texting while driving before without pictures. Cellphone records, for example, can be used in internal investigations.

York University student Robert Sauer, who took video of a bus driver apparently chatting on his cellphone while driving earlier this week, worries that without it there wouldn’t be enough to go on to punish drivers responsible for “endangering the safety of the public.”

“Then it really just seems like it’s our word against their word,” said Sauer, who used his iPhone as he rode on the 196 University Rocket from York to Downsview station. “Obviously if there’s an issue with so many people taking videos and pictures of their drivers texting, there’s a huge problem.”

Union president Bob Kinnear said TTC drivers are “frustrated by the ‘gotcha’” practices of riders because it creates a wrong impression that most drivers are irresponsible. “These are isolated cases,” Kinnear pointed out.

However, the union leader said it’s “completely justifiable” for patrons to snap pictures of drivers who are texting, as long as they don’t cross the line and try to film drivers hoping to catch them in the act.

Instead of trying to capture a “gotcha” moment, Kinnear advises passengers to talk to the driver, asking him or her to stop texting while driving.

“I’d say, ‘Do you mind not texting while you’re driving from point A to point B?”

Mike Schmitz said he was too stunned to confront the driver he caught texting on the 165 Weston Rd. North bus on Wednesday.

“I was just kind of shocked. I had no idea what to say,” Schmitz said. “After I got off the bus I had a thousand clever things to say. But at the time I didn’t.”

Schmitz said driver was going about 50 km/h with his attention divided between the road and his phone.

“I was like, ‘Is this really happening?’ He didn’t even notice when I took the photo.”

Alexia Schell of Scarborough used her iPhone to snap a photo of a bus driver texting in the Lawrence Ave. and Kennedy Rd. area at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Schell was with her 1-year-old son and standing at the front of the moving bus at the time.

“I think he was on a BlackBerry,” she said. “He heard me take the picture, but by the time he turned around the phone was back in my purse. He was full texting, looking up and down. I was so upset but I didn’t want to say anything because I had my son with me.”

Schell said she was “very concerned because if the driver had to make a knee-jerk stop, the passengers would have been falling all over and I had a stroller with me.”

Texting on a cellphone or handheld device while driving has been banned in Ontario since October 2009. Drivers who do it can face fines up to $500.

The photos have surfaced at a time when the TTC remains under fire on customer service. Criticism of the “essential service” has been high ever since a commuter photographed a TTC fare collector sleeping on the job last January, and later, when a passenger took video of a driver’s prolonged late-night coffee break in a doughnut shop, while his bus sat idling.

Buses have closed-circuit television cameras, but Ross said they cannot be used for disciplinary reasons.

“We have an agreement with the union that they will be used only for police investigations.”

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/929736--ttc-to-passengers-don-t-snap-texting-drivers

footiran

March 5th, 2011, 05:51 AM

i jst saw ttc new train in davisville station. any news on it?

Skybean

March 5th, 2011, 06:06 PM

TTC blames improper installation for electrical incident, one dog dead
Shauna Hunt & 680News staff Mar 05, 2011 08:10:55 AM

TORONTO - The Toronto Transit Commission is investigating an incident that has left one dog dead, another being treated by a vet, and sent a police officer and dog owners to hospital.

Police believe the electrical current came from a metal plate, situated beside a hydro pole, when the dogs walked over it just after 4 p.m. The wire was brushing the pole and it became electrified. The dogs just so happened to brush up against the pole.

The owner of the golden retriever was bitten on her hand when her dog was electrocuted. A commuter who was stepping off a streetcar at the time said it was a devastating scene.

"The woman there was asking for help, and her dog was seizing up, foaming at the mouth," she told CityNews. "Just anybody trying to go near it, it was biting at them, because it couldn't control it, and biting at its chain."

The woman is being treated in hospital. Her husband has already contacted a lawyer and told CityNews he plans to sue Toronto Hydro.

Aubrey was in the area at the time, and told 680News the owner of the chocolate lab was frantic, while no one could figure out what happened until smoke started to rise from a metal plate below.

"They were waiting for the light (when) the dog kind of hit the ground and started yelping," he said. "It was really disturbing to hear. It sounded like it was in a severe amount of pain."

A female officer was also injured as she tried to intervene. She received a shock when she touched the metal collar that one of the dogs was wearing.

"We also have a police officer that has been taken to hospital," Constable Wendy Drummond told 680News. "She got on scene there to tend to the animals. One of the animals had a metal collar on, and she was electrocuted as well."

Her injuries are said to be minor.

Friday evening, Toronto Hydro issued a statement saying that their equipment was not involved in the incident, but instead, the incident was the result of a problem with overhead wires belonging to the TTC.

TTC spokesman Brad Ross told 680News what he believed happened. "The power wires that give power to our street cars are held up by stand wires. Between the power wires and the stand wires is installation. There is points of installation around the stand-wires and one of those installers failed."

Investigation continues around in area.

http://www.680news.com/news/local/article/192868--ttc-blames-improper-installation-for-electrical-incident-one-dog-dead

hkskyline

March 15th, 2011, 02:45 PM

Subway closings this weekend
Toronto Star
March 11, 2011

Torontonians who use the subway’s Spadina line should plan ahead to avoid two weekend closures.

Track maintenance will close the subway between Downsview and Wilson stations all of Saturday and Sunday. Spadina trains will turn back and head south once they reach Wilson Station. Instead, bus service will be provided between the stations.

Also on Sunday, the Spadina subway won’t open until 2 p.m. between St. Clair West and St. George stations. From 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. there will be service between Wilson and St. Clair West stations. Buses will be provided between Eglinton West and St. George stations.

The late Sunday start will also be in place next weekend. The subway will be closed again between Downsview and Wilson stations on the weekend of April 2.

APTA-2048

May 5th, 2011, 07:21 AM

i jst saw ttc new train in davisville station. any news on it?

The TTC plans to get them in service for June. There are around three sets delivered. A set has started testing on the Yonge Line:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5228/5688869533_c3532567a2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/apta_2050/5688869533/)
Toronto Rocket (http://www.flickr.com/photos/apta_2050/5688869533/)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5143/5688868927_4cd7b55db7_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/apta_2050/5688868927/)
Toronto Transit Commission 5396 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/apta_2050/5688868927/)

hkskyline

May 14th, 2011, 04:50 PM

TTC ready to roll out info kiosks
Station ambassadors will help guide riders
11 May 2011
The Toronto Star

The first of seven new information kiosks will open Wednesday in TTC stations at the south end of the Yonge-University subway line.

The transit system's customer service initiative coincides with tourist season. The staffed kiosks will provide maps and directions, way-finding for nearby attractions such as museums and shopping, and assistance with bus and streetcar routes if the subway is out of service.

"It really goes a long way to providing a fresh face for the TTC," said commission chair Karen Stintz.

Eighteen summer students, who would have otherwise been assigned clerical work, are being deployed as "station ambassadors" at the portable kiosks so there's virtually no cost to the program, she said.

It will have the added benefit of reaching out to younger riders who "may or may not feel well represented at the TTC," said Stintz.

The ambassadors will be available between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily at St. George, Queen's Park, St. Patrick, Union, Queen, Dundas and Bloor-Yonge stations. They will also travel to summer festivals such as Taste of the Danforth.

Stintz expects the program will be evaluated in the fall to see if it's worth continuing and possibly expanding.

The information kiosks were among 72 recommendations by an external customer service panel appointed last year to help the TTC establish better rider relations.

Other recent initiatives include station managers in the subway system and the hiring of a customer service executive, who starts work at the end of the month.

trainrover

May 14th, 2011, 07:14 PM

TTC blames improper installation for electrical incident, one dog dead (http://www.680news.com/news/local/article/192868--ttc-blames-improper-installation-for-electrical-incident-one-dog-dead)
Ouch. Please, I'm still really curious: Has the TTC or the City there spruced up its disintegrating overhead wiring in the past several years, because such retrofitting would be far more ambassadorial than posting Expo-like tweens at kiosks?

Gag Halfrunt

May 16th, 2011, 12:01 AM

The H5 and H6 trains, which the Toronto Rockets will replace, are going to the new light rail system in Lagos, Nigeria (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=77837739#post77837739). It was already known (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-series_%28Toronto_subway_car%29) that they might be sold to another operator:
In May 2009, the TTC found an undisclosed buyer for the H5 and H6 cars, which would be used on a potential transit system in another unnamed jurisdiction. However, that potential buyer will not know until early 2010 whether it has the contract to construct and operate the new system.

IanCleverly

May 17th, 2011, 12:14 PM

dcRqOOjG4mo

H2aDw6IdALA

spongeg

May 27th, 2011, 02:10 AM

TTC unveils Toronto's fancy new subway trains

ctvtoronto.ca
Date: Thursday May. 26, 2011 6:37 PM ET

The Toronto Transit Commission unveiled its new line of subway trains on Thursday, celebrating a new design meant to be both safer and more reliable.

The new line of trains – dubbed the Toronto Rocket – is expected to roll out in a few weeks.

The cars have more room, can accommodate up to 10 per cent more riders, are more accessible to people with disabilities and will be outfitted with surveillance cameras.

One of the key features is open gateways that allow passengers to walk from car to car. Transit officials believe this will help to reduce overcrowding.

TTC spokesman Brad Ross said that as ridership along the subway system continues to increase, so does the importance of the new design.

"The Yonge-University Spadina line is at capacity right now, so this will be a much greater experience and a much more comfortable riding experience for the public," Ross said.

The trains are also packed with new technology, including guides that allow riders to see and hear the next stop. There will also be an intercom to allow riders to communicate directly with security personnel if there is a problem.

The new rockets have even been sprayed with an antimicrobial treatment to reduce the number of germs on board.

Seventy trains are being delivered to the city between now and November 2013 at a shared cost of more than $700 million. Three levels of government are picking up the tab.

The trains were supposed to start running last year, but the roll-out experienced manufacturing delays an

The public is invited to tour the new train this Sunday, May 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Davisville Station.

...

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110526/bombardier-rocket-subway-toronto-110526/20110526/?hub=TorontoNewHome

http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20110526/600_subway1_110526.jpg

video at the source (http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110526/bombardier-rocket-subway-toronto-110526/20110526/?hub=TorontoNewHome) too

trainrover

May 27th, 2011, 07:35 PM

For the sake of public transport coast to coast to coast, my question's about two weeks old!
Please, I'm still really curious: Has the TTC or the City there spruced up its disintegrating overhead wiring in the past several years, because such retrofitting would be far more ambassadorial than posting Expo-like tweens at kiosks?
Will the state of public transport vacate the realm of Dominion-hood (http://www.filibustercartoons.com/dominion.htm)?!?

:ohno: cheesh, maybe I oughtta take a stroll thru streetview

Sopomon

May 30th, 2011, 12:31 PM

"You have to realize that transportation has to appeal to the average user, and that "sleekness" and "smoothness" is a part of appeal today."

Well...that's just the point...these things actually look good...the TTC could have just as easily had them made to look like Lamborghinis if they wanted to. But why would they do that? People have better taste here I guess....the rest of you can have an orgasm over your tacky toys if you like....we'll stick with professional.

If you are going to open a restaurant...do you buy the big pro range...or an Easy-Bake oven?

KGB

Or you could go with the best that both looks good and functions perfectly...

Nouvellecosse

May 30th, 2011, 12:52 PM

^ Which is exactly what the TTC did! :wink2:

trainrover

May 30th, 2011, 07:07 PM

I guess either the TTC or the City thought it might be best to spruce up all that tinselling before one of google's roving eyes popped up around some tram-equipped corner :ohno:

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad236/trainrover/foul.jpg
http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad236/trainrover/foul2.jpg

PS: I was really astonished to see nary a pedestrian photographed along my hunt for disinterating power feed

NOVABUS

May 30th, 2011, 10:09 PM

Is the Sheppard Line going to be extended to the University?

saiho

June 30th, 2011, 02:38 AM

Is the Sheppard Line going to be extended to the University?

Nope, it will be extended to Downsview to get to York U you would have to transfer to the Spadina extension which is under construction now.

trainrover

June 30th, 2011, 09:50 PM

Does anybody know if they're planning to span the Sheppard extension over the first encountered ravine west of Yonge St, or will they tunnel under it? I ask this because of the environmentally-protective legislated provision that, supposedly, prohibited any (further) incursion into/over that dale there (Burnett and Earl Bales Parks).

dwdwone

June 30th, 2011, 09:59 PM

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110526/bombardier-rocket-subway-toronto-110526/20110526/?hub=TorontoNewHome

http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20110526/600_subway1_110526.jpg

Looks a bit like the old Expo Express.

trainrover

June 30th, 2011, 10:17 PM

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110526/bombardier-rocket-subway-toronto-110526/20110526/?hub=TorontoNewHome
"...You can actually walk between the trains. ..." :ohno:

"...And! they're safer." "We have four cameras..." :ohno:

"...We have an intercom system that allows customers and passengers to talk directly with..."
........................................................................^^ Fare evaders, anybody? What a snobby imp! http://www.skyscrapercity.com/images/icons/icon10.gif :ohno:

hkskyline

July 21st, 2011, 07:23 PM

You can ride the new Rocket starting Thursday
Toronto Star
July 20, 2011

http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/98/1e/3a64120444169d72fb81d70fb3fd.jpeg
The new high-tech Rocket has no stanchions running down the middle, and the open system allows a rider to walk from one car to another.
RANDY RISLING/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

You’ve read about them, you may even have seen them moving through the tunnels.

Now, nearly a year after the first train arrived in town, TTC riders will actually be able to ride the new Toronto Rocket subway trains — starting Thursday.

That’s when the first of the new six-car trains officially goes into service from Downsview station, sometime after the morning rush.

“It’s good news for commuters,” said TTC chair Karen Stintz. “It’s good people are seeing the results of their investment.”

The $1 billion cost of the 70 new trains is being covered by all three levels of government. With open gangways and a host of new features, the new models will be introduced into service on the Yonge line as they are delivered between now and November 2013.

Bombardier has already delivered four or five of the trains to Toronto from the company’s Thunder Bay plant. All but one are still being tested in the tunnels. But as the TTC works out the bugs on the Rockets, they will probably be brought online faster.

Although the new subway cars have 66 seats, like the old T1 series, they accommodate 10 per cent more passengers — about 199 — standing up. They also have open gangways similar to an articulated bus that will allow riders to see from one end of the train to the other and more easily find room to sit or stand.

They also incorporate new accessibility features and enhanced security, and are expected to be more reliable than the older version.

New light-up maps, ceiling-mounted displays and an improved public address system will assist riders. An antimicrobial coating on the poles in the trains will help reduce the spread of germs.

trainrover

July 22nd, 2011, 07:55 PM

http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/98/1e/3a64120444169d72fb81d70fb3fd.jpeg (http://www.thestar.com/news/transportation/article/1027184--you-can-ride-the-new-rocket-starting-thursday)
Anybody know how many driving cabs each 6-car train'll have?

APTA-2048

July 23rd, 2011, 12:45 AM

Anybody know how many driving cabs each 6-car train'll have?

One full width cab at each end.

trainrover

July 23rd, 2011, 11:41 PM

How come switching over to full-width?

I took Montreal's MTC to task some seasons ago about dirty ventilation on their forthcoming metro fleet. I'm wondering if anybody's taken the TTC to task about their mouldy on-board AC on their forthcoming fleet, has/will anybody?

hkskyline

July 29th, 2011, 05:20 AM

Perhaps to improve the line of sight for the driver, especially when platforms can be either on the left or the right?

hkskyline

August 6th, 2011, 03:50 PM

Toronto councillor blasts TTC ads
CBC News
Posted: Aug 5, 2011 4:38 PM ET

http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2011/08/05/li-ttc-rocket-handout-.jpg

A Toronto city councillor says he wants to know why the TTC is spending thousands of dollars to blow its own horn.

Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong says the Toronto Transit Commission's decision to spend $27,000 telling subway riders about the new subway train that's now in service is "a complete waste of money."

"In the era of core service review when we're looking at have-to-haves versus like-to-haves, this falls into the category of a complete and total waste of taxpayers' money," said Minnan-Wong.

Toronto is in the midst of a review of all of its services, as the city tries to grapple with an expected $774-million budget shortfall.

"This is the type of spending that drives the public crazy. When we're looking at cutting service routes and closing libraries — $27,000 is a lot of money in the grand scheme of things and it all ads up," he said.

At issue is a poster telling riders about the new subway train — nicknamed the Toronto Rocket — that is running on the Yonge-University-Spadina line.

The TTC says it is money well spent.

"We feel it's very important at the TTC to communicate with our riders to let them know what is going on. The new subway trains are one of our biggest events to happen to the TTC in many, many years," said TTC spokesman Danny Nicholson.

On average the TTC has about 80 subway trains in service each weekday. Right now only one of the five new Rockets is in service.

hkskyline

August 11th, 2011, 11:22 AM

TTC seeks art consultant for LRT line
Published On Wed Aug 10 2011
Toronto Star

TTC seeks highly qualified consultant to choose art for the planned Eglinton Crosstown LRT line. Candidate must work closely with local artists, engineers and project staff. Two-year contract pays up to $420,000.

In an environment of shrinking government budgets, the TTC and Metrolinx are taking what some may view as a bold step in hiring a pricey art consultant for a light-rail transit project.

The new $8.2 billion, 20-kilometre line — set to begin construction this year and be completed by 2020 — is planned to run underground all the way from Black Creek to Kennedy station, and continue above-ground along the existing Scarborough Rapid Transit route.

The line will have up to 26 stops.

This week, the TTC ran an ad in a local newspaper advertising the consultant role. The notice seeks someone to work on a design team that will coordinate and oversee the creation of “integrated artwork’’ that will be supplied by selected artists.

The TTC hopes to fill the position within the next year or so.

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross defended the hiring, saying the province is footing the entire bill for the line and the consultant through Metrolinx. The TTC is doing the design and engineering work for the line itself.

The consultancy is not a staff position, Ross said, adding that the $420,000 represents an “upper limit’’ for the cost. For comparison, according to the province’s salary disclosure, or “sunshine,’’ list David Moos earned $122,363.16 in 2010 as curator at the Art Gallery of Ontario — a staff position.

Hiring a consultant for station design and art isn’t a new idea for the TTC. An international competition was held to choose architectural designs and art for stations along the planned Spadina subway expansion to York Region. An art consultant was also used for stops along the completed St. Clair Ave. right-of-way streetcar line.

“The stations themselves and the public space for the LRT stations need an element of design and pleasing aesthetics. That’s what this process is about, ensuring consistency and artist merit to the public space,’’ Ross said.

The art that eventually appears could be in the form of murals, mosaics, “you name it,’’ he added.

Renowned local artist Eldon Garnet called the job posting a good first step for the TTC. He said art in subway and transit stations can serve as markers of the “cultural identity’’ of each stop.

He referred to the “dislocated walls’’ artwork of artist Vito Acconci, which can be found at the Yankee Stadium station in New York.

“It distinguishes the station ... and visitors are exposed to premium public art — not just low-quality public art. There’s a big difference,’’ Garnet said.

Garnet said a large percentage of the art on the TTC hasn’t been high quality, something he thinks may change given the decent pay that appears to be in the offing for the new consultant for Eglinton.

“The TTC and those organizations are somewhat conservative,’’ Garnet said.

trainrover

August 11th, 2011, 06:02 PM

:? Toronto was cruel at misusing the term "LRT line", I doubt the region's usage's changed.

isaidso

August 13th, 2011, 01:10 PM

TTC seeks art consultant for LRT line
Published On Wed Aug 10 2011
Toronto Star

Two-year contract pays up to $420,000.

I'll do it for $400,000. Seriously, the TTC has completely lost it. First changing the gauge width so now there are 2 different systems, then blowing money on ads to tell the public about new trains you can see by just getting on one, and now this. Why not a normal pay scale like $45,000 each year?

hkskyline

August 17th, 2011, 06:42 PM

Province halts ‘very rich contract’ for TTC art consultant
2011/08/11 13:02:00
Toronto Star

That didn’t last long.

Ontario Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne Thursday morning ordered the TTC and Metrolinx to pull an ad seeking a consultant who was to help choose art work for stops along the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

In a telephone interview Wynne said she first learned of plans to hire an art consultant for up to $420,000 over two years after reading it Thursday’s Star.

Right away she contacted Metrolinx CEO Bruce McCuaig and instructed him to take the job posting down.

Though the TTC took out the ad in a local newspaper Monday, Metrolinx, a provincial agency was to foot the bill for the non-staff position.

The new $8.2 billion, 20-kilometre line is set to be finished in 2020, and is planned to run underground all the way from Black Creek to Kennedy station, and continue above-ground along the existing Scarborough Rapid Transit route. The province is footing the bill for the line, and the TTC is doing the design and engineering work.

It’s to have up to 26 stops.

Wynne said now isn’t the time to be talking about pricey postings for art consultants for the line.

“There’ll be lots of time to talk about art in the stations … but our focus right now is getting the line built. That kind of contract, hundreds of thousands of dollars for an art consultant is unacceptable at this point.

“It’s a very rich contract,’’ she added.

When asked why she or someone in her office wasn’t made aware of the job posting before it went out, Wynne said her understanding is “the TTC had responsibility for this particular process.’’

trainrover

August 17th, 2011, 11:18 PM

changing the gauge
which tracking, subway or tram?

isaidso

August 18th, 2011, 01:16 PM

I believe it's the Eglinton crosstown that will use narrower gauge.

IrishMan2010

August 18th, 2011, 11:22 PM

New subways look great, have any of you guys been on one yet?

allurban

August 19th, 2011, 10:08 PM

I'll do it for $400,000. Seriously, the TTC has completely lost it. First changing the gauge width so now there are 2 different systems, then blowing money on ads to tell the public about new trains you can see by just getting on one, and now this. Why not a normal pay scale like $45,000 each year?Scarborough RT also runs on a different gauge (1435mm) from the standard TTC gauge (1495mm) that used on subway trains & streetcars. And the SRT is almost 30 years old.

Oh, and the TTC's original plan was to build a network of suburban streetcars using TTC gauge (1495mm). Then the Ontario Government led by Bill Davis came in and said "if you build it using our special brand-spankin new technology we will pay for the entire line"

So blame the Ontario Government ... for something that happened 30 years ago ... instead of blaming the TTC now.

Oh, and the reason why Transit City lines were going for Standard (1435mm) gauge is because the lines are separate from the remainder of the TTC system.

It also is because Metrolinx (and agency of the Province of Ontario) is paying for the lines and wanted to get the greatest number of choices and lowest available cost.

Funny how history repeats itself. But this time instead of pushing their own proprietary transit system the Ontario Government is pushing for more competition in the selection of the LRVs.

And still people complain.

Cheers, m

hkskyline

August 24th, 2011, 07:01 PM

Mallick: TTC fare hike like poison for the poor
Published On Sun Aug 21 2011
Toronto Star

The experience of taking the subway downtown — normally a zippy 20 minutes, if that — has noticeably changed in the past year.

The trains stop, inexplicably. Then they give a metaphorical sigh and start up again. Fuzzy announcements drone on about the Spadina line closing south of Eglinton West, but TTC buses are waiting at the station. Lines are regularly closed for maintenance at times that are inconvenient for passengers but the TTC seems to feel it a matter of urgency.

The TTC is not in good health, and this is visible each day. What Torontonians endure is more telling than consultants’ reports about cheaper modes of people transport and Mayor Rob Ford’s incoherent plans for more subways even though the system we already have isn’t being sufficiently fed and watered. Our watchword is “cheap.”

Streetcar advocate Steve Munro says on his blog that this won’t do. And he’s right, as he often is, but I can’t agree with his proposal to raise fares.

“There’s no point in soaking up new subsidies with fare freezes,” he writes. “Just as Toronto creates headaches for itself with tax freezes and forgone revenue, the TTC is hurt by the absence of small, regular fare increases to cover, at least in part, its increasing costs.”

But what is a small, regular fare increase? It depends on who you are. If you’re poor, you probably can’t afford the TTC at all. If you work a minimum wage job, no increase is small. You factor an extra dime into your survival sums, gasp, and recalculate.

Two dimes a day at least five times a week adds up to a dollar you don’t have. It’s hard for many to imagine that. But when I look around the subway car, I see people who barely made it on. I see people shocked and distressed when they can’t conjure up the cash to get on the streetcar.

These scenes happen daily. Put yourself in another person’s worn shoes, a person who doesn’t have an extra dollar. Students and the elderly get help with TTC fares. But people who don’t have the money get no help at all.

The TTC is the bloodstream of this city. Using it keeps pollution down and the clogged streets less hateful than they might be. It gets us to work, it makes us look at our fellow citizens (though not straight in the eye, if we’re being polite about it) and rub shoulders with them. There is nothing about the TTC that is not socially useful and practical.

Raising fares rather than subsidizing them is a false economy that does great harm. For the TTC shouldn’t raise fares, it should abolish them.

It shouldn’t have to make a profit or break even, because it justifies its existence in ways that go far beyond money. And that’s the problem: when you provide a social good, it’s very often in ways that are not visible or easily quantifiable.

On the TTC, students from poverty-stricken or violent neighbourhoods can escape to a good school in minutes. You can lose your loneliness in a distant suburb and head to Dundas Square. You can get to a farmer’s market outside your area and pack a better lunch for your children. You can make it home safely late at night when you’re in a terrible state, thanking the city for the Vomit Comet.

You can escape your life, or race back to it, in a way that is nobody’s business and costs the planet almost nothing. You see your city as a unit, each part of it offering a welcome to strangers. You are no longer lonely in your own city.

I buy 10 tokens for $25, but the single fare is $3. When you’re poor, you don’t have $25 to hand. So you’re already paying six bucks a day to get to your job and the experts are suggesting a “small, regular” fare increase.

Suggestions that seem superficially rational should be studied with care. They can turn out to be counterproductive, and worse, heartless.

trainrover

August 24th, 2011, 10:07 PM

^^ It would be respectful --not to mention helpful to us readers :uh:-- were you to simultaneously lob as the corresponding hyperlinks to --uhm-- news reports you share ;)

hkskyline

August 25th, 2011, 02:57 AM

^^ It would be respectful --not to mention helpful to us readers :uh:-- were you to simultaneously lob as the corresponding hyperlinks to --uhm-- news reports you share ;)

I can provide the links, although the current format is already properly sourced with respect to copyright legislation.

Nouvellecosse

August 25th, 2011, 01:23 PM

If the poor are such a concern, then the ttc and/or city should provide some type of discounted rate or rebate for people below a certain income level rather than not have any fare increase for a system that is financially struggling.

trainrover

August 25th, 2011, 05:39 PM

I wouldn't reckon it be struggling financially; I'd suspect it possess a deficit as far as vested policies go :dunno:

trainrover

August 25th, 2011, 05:41 PM

I can provide the links, although the current format is already properly sourced with respect to copyright legislation.
I think it courteous indicating its op-ed angle, thus revealing its nonexistent newsworthiness :yes:

Moreover, duly referencing the links is obligatory (not optional in the slightest).

hkskyline

August 25th, 2011, 06:38 PM

I think it courteous indicating its op-ed angle, thus revealing its nonexistent newsworthiness :yes:

Moreover, duly referencing the links is obligatory (not optional in the slightest).
I think a lot of people don't have sufficient understanding of the fair use doctrine of copyright law and think a link is obligatory in properly referencing other people's work. I won't criticize their ignorance here, but in substance, having a link to, say, the Toronto Star article, is no different than referencing the article to the Toronto Star.

However, if people think seeing the link that will lead them to the exact same text can help them understand the topic somehow better, then I can most certainly help them achieve a better understanding, albeit with a bizarre smirk.

trainrover

August 25th, 2011, 06:58 PM

If you were so bloody precautious for copyrighting blah-blah-blah, then you'd have lobbed us links upon composing little (respective) introductory summaries :yes:

hkskyline

August 25th, 2011, 07:03 PM

If you were so bloody precautious for copyrighting blah-blah-blah, then you'd have lobbed us links upon composing little (respective) introductory summaries :yes:

You should read up copyright law first. You don't understand what proper sourcing encompasses.

trainrover

August 25th, 2011, 07:30 PM

No art to your --uhm-- persuasion :ohno: Shame about your post-secondary education having no effect on your proprietary faculties.

trainrover

August 25th, 2011, 11:40 PM

Wikipedia is now claiming the Toronto subway (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_subway_and_RT) no longer being the country's busiest network (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Metro) (by roughly 200,000 daily passengers :uh:) Is this true? :?

hkskyline

August 26th, 2011, 02:35 AM

No art to your --uhm-- persuasion :ohno: Shame about your post-secondary education having no effect on your proprietary faculties.

Obviously you couldn't be persuaded if you don't understand the topic in the first place. Feel free to share the sections of copyright legislation that restrict the types of proper sourcing.

Nouvellecosse

August 26th, 2011, 07:24 AM

hkskyline

August 26th, 2011, 07:41 AM

The issue is not with general copyright law, but instead with the rules on this website which state that when people post an article, only a portion may be posted in the thread and with a link pointing to the rest.

I'm going to raise this to the mod team on what exactly is the risk that we're trying to deal with regarding these links. I find it very confusing because the original intention is likely copyright issues, but posting a link does not necessarily address that. I had a discussion about this in the Aussie forum earlier this year, where I found incorrectly-sourced links posted with the content but it seems that's OK because a link is present. Let me bring this up for more clarification. Thanks.

trainrover

August 27th, 2011, 11:23 PM

hkskyline

August 28th, 2011, 04:31 PM

Me, I've lately limited my sharing of news by hyperlinking their corresponding headlines to the originators' online versions (for instance, fully replicating them here and then claiming their representing a balanced indication of --say-- the state of Canada's railways would be excessive ;)).

I doubt a news report in isolation can paint a full picture of a company, or an industry. That's why experts need to keep aware of what's happening and piece all the bits together.

trainrover

August 28th, 2011, 09:22 PM

Oh! so all these pages serve as hunting grounds for formulating experts' decisions aided by slanted reports :weird:

hkskyline

August 29th, 2011, 04:48 AM

Oh! so all these pages serve as hunting grounds for formulating experts' decisions aided by slanted reports :weird:

The educated person would then absorb and corroborate all these facts into a more informed choice. Don't expect it to feed to you automatically. That's why we all have the power of reason and knowledge - albeit how these are developed among people differs greatly.

Any piece of information you receive from anywhere would be inherently biased anyway. If you're looking for a truly unbiased piece of work in print, you won't likely find it.

trainrover

October 1st, 2011, 09:16 PM

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/images/icons/icon1.gif
Trains from Canada (http://media.blubrry.com/world/p/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.theworld.org/audio/092820117.mp3)

or

Trains from Canada http://www.theworld.org/wp-content/uploads/toronto-subway300.jpg (http://www.theworld.org/2011/09/canada-nigeria-subway-train/)
..

hkskyline

October 12th, 2011, 05:33 PM

Workers were trapped in their machines in deadly accident at TTC site
Published On Tue Oct 11 2011
Toronto Star

How can a drilling rig weighing thousands of kilograms collapse?

It was one of the questions labour ministry investigators were scrambling to answer Tuesday when a construction worker was crushed to death and five others injured when a rig toppled onto two smaller machines at York University.

The accident happened at 2:40 p.m. at the future site of a new TTC subway station, next to the Schulich School of Business.

Minutes after the accident, the construction scene transformed into a frenzied rescue zone as crews tried to pull two trapped workers from machinery.

The construction worker who died was in his 20s and caught in one of the smaller machines. The driver of the big rig was trapped for almost 90 minutes and was taken to Sunnybrook hospital with serious injuries, including a broken femur.

Others were treated at the site.

Toronto police and the TTC would not say how many construction workers were at the site when the drilling rig toppled.

The rig is used to bore holes in the ground for foundation piles.

The new subway station is a joint venture of Obrascón Huarte Lain and FCC Construcción, two Spanish companies, said TTC spokesman Brad Ross.

It is part of an extension of the Spadina line from Downsview Station north into York Region.

OHL-FCC are responsible for safety measures at the site as well as any subcontracting, Ross added. The companies bagged the $400 million project earlier this year.

In addition to the York University station, their contract involves twin tunnels and construction of the Highway 407 station, including a 600-car parking lot.

“My understanding is that they had hired subcontractors for much of the work but we don't know who or how many,” Ross said, adding that work at the university started in July. “We know they were doing excavation.”

The companies could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

University staff and students gathered around the site's perimeter for much of the afternoon as the rescue drama unfolded.

Dozens of firefighters, police officers and fellow construction workers worked furiously to retrieve the two trapped men.

Firefighters climbed atop the massive overturned rig to reach the construction workers. At one point, an emergency surgical team was called to the site in case “a procedure” was needed to release the man trapped in the large rig.

EMS commander Arthur Graham said a emergency attendant stayed with the construction worker and set up an IV drip with pain medication while others worked to remove him from the overturned machine.

No surgical procedure was needed to pull him free, Graham said.

The accident site is now under the control of the labour ministry. An inspector and an engineer are investigating, said William Lin, a spokesman.

The body of the killed worker was recovered Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, a group of exhausted construction workers gathered at the west end of the construction zone shortly after 4 p.m., one of them sobbing. They were too distraught to speak to anyone.

Deanna Reid, a York University student who was at the site, said it was a miracle the drilling rig didn't kill or injure more people. “I've been seeing the rig for the past few days,” she said. “It's huge.”

Ross said he didn't know if the accident changes anything for the two Spanish companies.

trainrover

October 12th, 2011, 07:53 PM

All these years now, it's as though there be something iffy about that youngest of branches there ...

hkskyline

October 16th, 2011, 05:48 AM

Hume: Along with shiny new subway cars, riders need a new attitude
Toronto Star
Published On Fri Oct 14 2011

Brand new subway trains, same old riders.

The Toronto Transit Commission’s recently acquired rolling stock is finally going into service. With their continuous interiors, wider doorways and user-friendly features, these vehicles are an obvious improvement over their predecessors.

The only thing that hasn’t changed is the passengers. The entrances might be larger, but that just allows more people to stand in the way, most often with grocery carts, strollers or backpacks in tow. Then there are the seat hogs, the aisle blockers, messy eaters, coffee spillers, sleepers, coughers, loud talkers, iPod listeners, mutterers, oblivious-to-all smartphone users ….

Compared with the retiring trains, the new ones hum along nicely, almost silently. Even before you board one of the old carriages — hundreds of them will remain in operation for several years — you’re likely to have suffered hearing loss from the squealing brakes that reverberate painfully in these enclosed spaces. And whatever you do, don’t touch the walls; the stains they leave can never be removed.

Surface transit is worse. After waiting the standard 10 to 15 minutes for a bus or streetcar, you must fight your way past the crowd stationed by the front of the vehicle, grimly to keep you from the empty seats at the back.

And when you do finally reach the rear, you discover those seats are vacant because someone spilled Coke that has dried to a point of stickiness so strong it can rip the shoes off your feet.

If Toronto were Tokyo, we’d have “doormen” pushing and shoving riders into subway cars. That wouldn’t please the entrance blockers, but at least others would have a helping hand getting aboard.

Last Thursday morning, TTC chair Karen Stintz announced the commission’s latest initiatives on the transit service front: a Customer Liaison Panel as well as a series of town hall meetings. Few would disagree with these moves, but much of the trouble results from passenger behaviour.

Perhaps it has something to do with North American attitudes towards public transit, widely viewed as necessary only for those who can’t afford to drive. And so transit’s rarely seen as a pressing issue. Indeed, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford rode to power largely on the basis of his roads-are-for-cars mentality.

The fact remains, however, that some TTC riders have no clue how to use transit. It’s the “public” part of public transit that seems to confound most of them, the idea that transit is shared. A man’s car may be his castle, but a seat on the subway is temporary accommodation. It belongs to everybody and, therefore, nobody.

Perhaps the commission should consider ways of inculcating riders with an enhanced sense of ownership, a program to reinforce notions of private responsibility and public accountability. Maybe passengers could be given discounts on MetroPasses in return to taking a short course on transit etiquette. It would teach the basics about how to get on and off TTC vehicles, where to sit and the need to be mindful of others.

Motherhood, for sure, but in the coming Transit Age, we will have to learn to deal with the neighbours.

The new and improved subway cars won’t inspire better behaviour. On the other hand, the TTC has survived it all, lurching along, perennially on the verge of break down. Maybe passengers have taken their cues from the governments who should fund the TTC but don’t. They have beggared the system and now blame it for being impoverished.

Even without taking a ride, they know what the problems are.

Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca

eltodesukane

October 19th, 2011, 11:31 PM

I was just looking at the map
http://www.thecrosstown.ca/the-project/interactive-route-map
for the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown.
Should there not be more stations along the way? At least 2 more?
At Bayview Ave and Victoria Park Ave for example?
What do you think?
If we go to the trouble of building a new line, better do it right from the start.

http://i51.tinypic.com/2dtqdd1.png

http://i55.tinypic.com/1oovt1.png

(Is there already a thread for the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown?)

hkskyline

October 26th, 2011, 06:11 PM

Consortium chosen to build rail link to Pearson airport
Published On Tue Oct 25 2011
The Canadian Press Excerpt

A consortium of major construction companies, including Aecon Group Inc., has been selected as the preferred bidder for completing the rail link between Pearson International Airport and Toronto’s downtown.

“The selection of AirLinx Transit Partners as the preferred bidder is the result of an open, fair and competitive procurement process, which was overseen by a fairness adviser, “ Infrastructure Ontario said in making the announcement.

Infrastructure Ontario, a Crown corporation, manages some of the province’s larger and more complex infrastructure renewal projects

Metrolinx, the Ontario government agency that looks after public transportation in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton area, will own and operate the air rail line, or ARL, providing express rail service between two of Canada’s busiest transportation hubs — Pearson Airport and Toronto Union Station.

Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx will now begin negotiating contract details with the preferred bidder.

The cost of the project, which includes designing, building and financing a passenger station and rail line, is to be announced following completion of negotiations and financial close, both expected in early 2012.

Construction of the rail link is expected to begin in spring 2012 and be completed in time for the 2015 Pan American Games.

The rail link will branch off the Weston Subdivision (GO Georgetown corridor) and connect to Toronto Pearson with a new passenger station at Terminal 1.

************************

the_sage

October 28th, 2011, 11:57 PM

About time! What other so called world class city doesn't have a rail link to it's airport? I wonder what the rolling stock will be.

Professor L Gee

October 29th, 2011, 01:35 AM

About time! What other so called world class city doesn't have a rail link to it's airport? I wonder what the rolling stock will be.
New York (unless you count AirTrain) and Los Angeles. :poke:
Good for Toronto though. Like you, I've always felt that major cities with rail lines should be connected to their airports.

the_sage

October 29th, 2011, 06:27 AM

New York (unless you count AirTrain) and Los Angeles. :poke:
Good for Toronto though. Like you, I've always felt that major cities with rail lines should be connected to their airports.

Haha, I suppose both of those could be classed as major cities!

I remember reading that in some U.S cities the taxi drivers unions lobby against building such links, I wonder if Toronto has any of these issues.

krnboy1009

October 29th, 2011, 07:48 PM

New York (unless you count AirTrain) and Los Angeles. :poke:
Good for Toronto though. Like you, I've always felt that major cities with rail lines should be connected to their airports.
AirTrain absolutely counts, why wouldnt it? LGA has no rail connections though.

And in LA, Bob Hope is served by rail. And there are plans to connect LAX to rail as well. So Toronto is really the on one who has NO airport connected by rail.

Professor L Gee

November 5th, 2011, 08:05 AM

AirTrain absolutely counts, why wouldnt it? LGA has no rail connections though.

And in LA, Bob Hope is served by rail. And there are plans to connect LAX to rail as well. So Toronto is really the on one who has NO airport connected by rail.
RE: New York (JFK) and Bob Hope, I thought we were talking about municipal rapid transit systems, not people movers or commuter systems.

I know there are plans to extend the Green Line (I believe) to LAX. but as of right now there's nothing.

Went back and looked at it, and I can add Denver, Houston, San Diego, Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, and Buffalo to the "no rail connection to airport" list. We can debate about how "world-class" most of those cities are, but they do have major airports serving rather large metros... and of these that I just listed, Denver, Charlotte, Houston, and Phoenix are routinely busier than Toronto (by passenger volume).

All the more reason for them to get rail connections, I think.

krnboy1009

November 5th, 2011, 10:07 PM

AirTrain connects to rapid transit system. And why shouldnt commuter rails count.

Professor L Gee

November 5th, 2011, 10:16 PM

AirTrain connects to rapid transit system. And why shouldnt commuter rails count.
Fair enough on AirTrain.

Also, I just looked back at the article and saw that the link to the airport was an extension of GO, not TTC. We can count commuter rail then... that was my oversight.

ssiguy2

November 6th, 2011, 04:16 AM

Denver is builsing an electric DMU line to it's airport. It however, unlike the Pearon line, will be part of the regular transit system so regular people and workers can use it unlike Toronto's.

krnboy1009

November 6th, 2011, 08:25 AM

Electric DMU? :laugh:

trainrover

November 22nd, 2011, 10:05 PM

EMU and DMU candidates for Denver (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=167905) ;)

carry out tunnelling work to divert the southbound Northern line running tunnel and build a new southbound platform to the south-west of the existing platforms. (http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2011/11/22/firms-wanted-for-500m-bank-tube-station-upgrade/)
I immediately thought of Yonge station, reading this part ... Yonge station ought to be double-decked, is what I have in mind :yes:

hkskyline

November 23rd, 2011, 09:21 AM

Yonge subway trains resume service
Published On Tue Nov 22 2011
Toronto Star (http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1091020--yonge-subway-trains-resume-service)

Subway trains on the Yonge line have resumed service after a brief delay that lasted approximately 20 minutes.

Trains were initially operating slowly after resuming service, and TTC officials said that shuttle buses were “running to augment service.”

The shuttle buses have now cleared and normal service has resumed on the Yonge-University-Spadina line.

Train service had to shut down earlier from Eglinton to Union stations due to a power situation at Davisville and signal problems at Bloor.

Woonsocket54

November 23rd, 2011, 11:04 PM

Has anyone heard about this plan to send old TTC cars to Nigeria for use in the future Lagos metro?

hkskyline

November 24th, 2011, 02:57 AM

Has anyone heard about this plan to send old TTC cars to Nigeria for use in the future Lagos metro?

Yes - this was reported in the local press back in September :

TTC subway cars bound for Nigeria (http://www.thestar.com/news/transportation/article/1049970--ttc-subway-cars-bound-for-nigeria)

The old cars will be refurbished and converted to operate in Lagos. Some of these old cars date from the late 70's.

Woonsocket54

November 24th, 2011, 09:10 AM

Thanks for that link. I do remember reading a while back about old Montreal buses being sent to Havana. I wonder how much of that is going on with other Canadian cities.

trainrover

November 24th, 2011, 04:44 PM

His link predates mind :dunno: That Canadian practice, BTW, became ancient ages ago ;)
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/images/icons/icon1.gif
Trains from Canada (http://media.blubrry.com/world/p/www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.theworld.org/audio/092820117.mp3)

or

Trains from Canada http://www.theworld.org/wp-content/uploads/toronto-subway300.jpg (http://www.theworld.org/2011/09/canada-nigeria-subway-train/)

hkskyline

November 25th, 2011, 03:10 AM

Thanks for that link. I do remember reading a while back about old Montreal buses being sent to Havana. I wonder how much of that is going on with other Canadian cities.

I think selling old rolling stock to other cities in the developing world happens often, not just for Canada, but around the world. However, I see more examples of buses being sold off as 2nd-hands, rather than actual trains.

Burkitt

November 25th, 2011, 01:40 PM

A couple of videos of transit in Toronto that I took while visiting the city back in February.

First, the streetcars:

00u78yTKInA

And also the subway:

dDErCFMoDmU

Paul

trainrover

November 26th, 2011, 12:43 AM

It's not like Canada's has many trains to be offering up, but when it did ... well ... they were deposed like this:

http://farm1.staticflickr.com/47/178206707_2d7166e80a.jpg
^^ click here instead... (http://www.flickr.com/photos/61779764@N00/178206707/in/pool-1125077@N24)

hkskyline

November 26th, 2011, 07:26 AM

255 TTC H5 and H6 cars is not exactly a small number. Will Montreal plan to sell off its old subway trains as well?

trainrover

November 26th, 2011, 06:36 PM

That was a Montreal train, plus I really doubt Montreal's would sell, because pneumatic traction --once it became popular
in itself-- isn't that old (56 years old?) and I couldn't imagine, e.g., Santiago buying any, for the very appeal of their own
network, for example, surpassed Montreal's. Here's another shot of what became of the world's first fully-ATO fleet,
which I suspect is virtually a facsimile of the Toronto fleet you've quoted:

http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx52/brunolapointe/expo.jpg
^^ clickable... (http://media.photobucket.com/image/expo%20express/brunolapointe/expo.jpg?t=1268097881)

eltodesukane

November 28th, 2011, 04:12 PM

Woonsocket54

November 29th, 2011, 06:49 AM

Railway Gazette
http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/metrolinx-readies-kitchener-extension/archiv/2011/11.html

Metrolinx readies Kitchener extension
28 November 2011

CANADA: Toronto commuter operator GO Transit ran its first train to Kitchener on November 26 as part of testing ahead of the launch of regular services on December 19.

Regional transit authority Metrolinx is investing C$18m to extend services on its Georgetown Line to serve the Kitchener-Waterloo area under an expansion project announced in 2010. The work includes renovations to the CN-owned line operated by the Goderich & Exeter Railway as well as construction of a new stabling facility at Kitchener where the outbound evening peak trains from Toronto will lay over to form inbound services next morning.

The route will initially be served by two trains per day, leaving Kitchener at 05.52 and 07.10 and returning from Toronto at 16.45 and 17.45; journey time is expected to be around 2 h. As well as serving existing stations along the Georgetown Line, the trains will also call at Guelph and Acton. However, the new station at Acton is not expected to open until 2012 as a result of construction delays.

Guelph and Acton both briefly enjoyed GO Transit services in 1990-93, but these were subsequently cut back to Georgetown. Kitchener and Guelph are also served by a daily VIA Rail train in each direction.

hkskyline

November 29th, 2011, 10:29 AM

TTC exposes hidden piece of Toronto history
Published On Fri Nov 25 2011
Toronto Star (http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1092627--ttc-exposes-hidden-piece-of-toronto-history)

Subway riders can check out a piece of Toronto lore this weekend.

With the TTC conducting track and switch work at St. George station, Bay station will be closed and trains on the Bloor-Danforth line will be diverted to and from Museum station via Lower Bay station.

Not familiar with it?

Lower Bay is one of two “ghost stations” on Toronto’s subway system. (The other, Lower Queen, is just a hollowed cavern below the Queen station that was to be a stop on a subway line that was never constructed.)

Located under Bay, Lower Bay operated for six months in 1966, but was shut down after officials decided it was too difficult to manage the subway traffic using that as a stop.

The abandoned outpost, which resembles a typical subway stop, with white-tiled walls was reopened to the public for the first time in 2007 as part of Doors Open Toronto.

It’s more typically used for storage, training exercises by Toronto Police and TTC staff, Nuit Blanche installations and Toronto International Film Festival parties. It has been featured in television commercials and movies, such as Bulletproof Monk. The new Resident Evil project, which stars Milla Jovovich, is currently filming there.

“The trains will go slower through Bay and Bloor, so the people can look at the station, but trains will not be stopping,” said TTC spokesperson Danny Nicholson. “It just looks like the Bay station upstairs.”

Regular service resumes Monday at 6 a.m.

trainrover

November 29th, 2011, 06:25 PM

Another Canadian practice ... Montreal's airports Dorval and Mirable have sub-Queen-St caverns, plus a semi one under Complexe Montréal Trust.

“The trains will go slower through Bay and Bloor, so the people can look at the station

http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/fa/68/b8f999f24ec5ac613408d109dc2d.jpeg
^^ clickable... (http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1092627)

The mystery behind your share here is what rediagramming must've taken place for rushed commuters to become slowed :?

Anyhow, I thought about this abandoned platform after having mused earlier here about possible Yonge platform expansions ... the distance between Bay and Yonge stations stretches a winsy bit over one short (Toronto-long) block, i.e., approximately 150 metres (no?).

Woonsocket54

November 29th, 2011, 11:52 PM

“The trains will go slower through Bay and Bloor, so the people can look at the station, but trains will not be stopping,” said TTC spokesperson Danny Nicholson. “It just looks like the Bay station upstairs.”

That's one of the dumbest things I've read this week.

hkskyline

November 30th, 2011, 06:57 AM

TTC users need a crusader to battle cuts
Published On Fri Nov 25 2011
Toronto Star (http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1092782--ttc-users-need-a-crusader-to-battle-cuts)

So much for customer loyalty.

The city’s most faithful customers — the beleaguered brigade of transit captives — are getting it in the teeth again. Bus and streetcar service on the most popular routes is being cut back to achieve a confounding funding target established by a befuddling mayor.

Meanwhile, crime is down, and falling by the month. Yet Mayor Rob Ford responds by boosting the police budget.

Transit ridership rises to an all-time high, with projections of more than 500 million rides in 2012. Instead of offering transit users a bonus — like better service, or a fare-free day — Ford shows them the back of the hand.

He cuts $46 million in transit subsidies, creating a funding crisis that penalizes the very transit rider he should support.

Faced with a demand to cut costs 10 per cent, Toronto police, the most pampered department in the city, rose up in righteous indignation. Chief Bill Blair battled politicians at every turn to preserve every penny of his near billion-dollar behemoth of a budget. And won.

Faced with the same demand, the gentlemanly mandarins at the TTC dutifully go about the task and chop, chop, chop. And a constituency that is millions strong but seemingly powerless and defenceless sleepwalks towards disaster.

How do you feel today, you wretches along Finch Avenue West? You cram the buses. You wait and wait and wait and then wait some more when a bus comes and is too full to take a single passenger. And now transit officials say you must wait longer. And endure more crowded buses once on board. Do you not count in this city?

Who is fighting for you?

This is not to blame TTC chief general manager Gary Webster and his staff — they are terrific soldiers toiling on the front lines, moving more than a million rides a day. But TTC customers need an advocate, a crusader, someone or some group willing to Occupy and protest and march and raise hell until the average commuter in this city region is no longer taken for granted.

Across the border in York Region, a transit strike continues into its fifth week. Nobody gives a rat’s ass.

In Toronto, successive city hall regimes jerk the transit system this way and that, lurching from ridership boosting strategies to a clear path towards ridership erosion.

David Miller introduced the ridership growth strategy. Commuters responded by packing the buses. Ford shows up, yanks the money and sends the buses screeching to a halt, riders toppling over each other, trying to save one threatened route after another.

Is this a way to treat commuters, many of them forced to take transit because they don’t have a car? If you can get away with it, yes.

“Are we proud of it, no,” says Mitch Stambler of the TTC. “It’s part of corporate requirement to meet budget target. We’re doing what we have to do to meet the city’s target.”

The announced service cuts will save $15 million. Webster recommended a 10-cent fare hike for the 2011 budget, pointing out that the system needed the $30 million in generated revenue. Ford rejected it. Now, months later, he wants to cut service along well-travelled routes like Queen, King, Dufferin, Don Mills et al, to save $15 million.

It’s consistent with his decision to abolish the vehicle registration tax that generated some $60 million a year — even as he cries poor and cuts service.

And this passes for proper management of our city.

Everywhere, transit is being reduced and made less attractive. So, here’s a future for the once tent-dwelling “Occupy” crowd. Adopt transit riders and train them.

bayviews

November 30th, 2011, 08:01 AM

trainrover

December 1st, 2011, 07:56 PM

LOL!
Is he sleeping? Photo of McCowan TTC booth goes viral
Raveena Aulakh Staff reporter
Published On Fri Jan 22 2010

http://i47.tinypic.com/4rom4p.jpg
A TTC ticket collector is shown apparently catching a quick 40 winks between customers.
Jason Wieler Photo

He's inside the ticket booth, reclining on a chair, his arms draped over his stomach.

And that was enough to send this photograph of a Toronto Transit Commission collector – who appears to be snoozing – viral Thursday, sweeping around the world after it was tweeted by a transit rider.

It was enough to prompt TTC authorities to start an inquiry.

The photo was taken by Jason Wieler on Jan. 9 around 10 p.m. at McCowan Station. On Thursday, he posted it on Twitpic with this caption: "Yup, love how my TTC dollars R being spent ... "

Wieler was leaving the station when he saw the ticket agent catnapping in full view. "I stood by for at least five minutes and he was sleeping," said Wieler.

Some riders were laughing while others were talking about him, he said. A few even went through without paying their fare or showing their Metropass. "I thought here we are, with a fare hike, and look how the money is being wasted."

As soon as the photo was posted, the comments began piling up, mostly from annoyed transit users.

"I didn't post to get anyone in trouble, but to highlight TTC problems," said Wieler.

The TTC is taking it seriously, spokesman Brad Ross said.

"Employees have a responsibility with respect to safety of the station and the system," said Ross. "We expect them to be always alert on their jobs. This is unacceptable."

But he said there might have been extenuating circumstances.

"We are asking for an explanation."
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ttc/article/754297--is-he-sleeping-photo-of-mccowan-ttc-booth-goes-viral?bn=1#article
Workers' mindsets need to change. Is it so hard to understand such that you need to train people the fact you shouldn't sleep on the job and you face the customer with the least bit of courtesy?

These are the kinds of incidents that should prompt questions on why don't we privatize the workers. Holding them to private sector standards should force a major turnaround.
Actually, the fact of the matter is that that story ^^ was nuttin' but a fallacy ... try fast-forwarding to 14'27":
Today's http://www.skyscrapercity.com/images/icons/icon1.gif
Transit workers assaulted on the job -- 2'35" to 22'
"... It's so crowded today ... and something else should be done about the fares. ..." -- 20'18" (http://www.cbc.ca/video/news/audioplayer.html?clipid=2172566100)

or

Transit workers assaulted on the job (http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2011/12/01/transit-workers-assaulted-on-the-job/)
"...that a lady said, 'Can we go now?!'" -- 10'30" :ohno:

"... But that started the whole domino effect in Toronto." -- 15'38" :sly:

Hmph, unlike the Montreal Gazette, the Toronto Star obliges you to cough up some dough to access their archives (drat!), because that 15'-38" comment stretches right back, as far as all the way to 30 March 1954 :ohno: Toronto's source of dominos must be bottomless :D

Plus, per Montreal:
the driver never fusses with my 'disqualification'
where, decade upon decade, I've yet to see a driver refuse boarding to a fareless passenger :yes:

At any rate, I suggest listening to Empire of Illusions (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=86229014#post86229014) ;)

hkskyline

December 2nd, 2011, 02:51 AM

Actually, the fact of the matter is that that story ^^ was nuttin' but a fallacy ... try fast-forwarding to 14'27":

"...that a lady said, "Can we go now?!" -- 10'30" :ohno:

"... But that started the whole domino effect in Toronto." -- 15'38" :sly:

Hmph, unlike the Montreal Gazette, the Toronto Star obliges you to cough up some dough to access their archives (drat!), because that 15'-38" comment stretches right back, as far as all the way to 31 March 1954 :ohno: Toronto's source of dominos must be bottomless :D

Plus, per Montreal:

where, decade upon decade, I've yet to see a driver refuse boarding to a fareless passenger :yes:

At any rate, I suggest listening to Empire of Illusions (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=86229014#post86229014) ;)
So the point of all of that is ...

trainrover

December 2nd, 2011, 05:23 PM

...all! about interpretation ... and perception ;)

hkskyline

December 3rd, 2011, 03:58 PM

...all! about interpretation ... and perception ;)

So what is the other side of the sleeping worker's story? It's OK for a sick worker to sleep on the job?

trainrover

December 3rd, 2011, 11:37 PM

Are you cruel? :ohno:
try fast-forwarding to 14'27":Transit workers assaulted on the job -- 2'35" to 22' (http://www.cbc.ca/video/news/audioplayer.html?clipid=2172566100)

trainrover

December 5th, 2011, 05:36 PM

I chatted to an off-duty bus driver the evening of the day that I listened to the following radio broadcast, and his feedback was that drivers here seldom suffer violence and that today's newspaper news --passengers running, jaywalking for the bus-- is a major problem around the island:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/images/icons/icon1.gif
Transit workers assaulted on the job -- 2'35" to 22'
"... It's so crowded today ... and something else should be done about the fares. ..." -- 20'18" (http://www.cbc.ca/video/news/audioplayer.html?clipid=2172566100)
Many questions in wake of bus accident

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/5808297.bin
^^ clickable... (http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Many+questions+wake+accident/5809816/story.html)
..

hkskyline

December 8th, 2011, 08:14 AM

Higher fare hike could save TTC service
Published On Wed Dec 07 2011
Toronto Star (http://www.thestar.com/news/transportation/article/1098650--higher-fare-hike-could-save-ttc-service?bn=1)

Would a higher TTC fare hike in January be worth the pain if it prevents service cuts on 62 bus and streetcar routes?

A 15-cent fare increase could be on the table at next week’s TTC board meeting, instead of the 10-cent increase that was expected to be approved.

But the extra nickel will be considered seriously only if the city and TTC find a way to maintain current service beyond next year. Nobody wants to go for that, if it means the agony of reducing buses for more riders next year.

The TTC expects to provide 15 million more rides next year — 503 million rides in total.

TTC vice-chair Peter Milczyn prompted the city’s budget committee to have staff check into the impact of a 15-cent increase as a means of maintaining current service levels rather than going back to pre-2004 standards.

The extra nickel would raise $15 million.

The staff report will consider a 15-cent hike in conjunction with a guarantee that the city’s 2012 transit subsidy of $404 million would remain stable for the next three years — and the expectation of a modest, predictable fare increase in each of those years, probably a dime each time.

It’s a complicated scenario because the 15-cent solution only works for a year, said Milczyn, the city councillor for Ward 5, Etobicoke-Lakeshore. He hasn’t decided yet whether to table the 15-cent option at the transit commission next Wednesday.

“We run into a brick wall in 2013 because we would have no buses to provide that (level of) service,” he said, citing the TTC’s looming capital budget shortfall.

In September, the TTC projected an $800 million capital shortfall over 10 years. The city has agreed to pay that.

However, anticipating that fewer vehicles will be needed, transit officials had already cancelled an order for 108 new buses. Unless it can re-order those by spring, the system won’t have enough buses to serve its growing ridership, said TTC chief general manager Gary Webster.

Adding the vehicles would cost about $90 million, including the $23 million price of a storage garage.

Also the TTC has already scheduled its workers for January based on less service. It will be a scramble to draw up new staff assignments, but it could be done, Webster said.

However, he conceded, “There’s not a lot of time for us to put the service back in place and buy some buses.”

TTC staff didn’t recommend a higher fare increase in the first place because nobody wants to restore the service in January only to have it pulled again next year, Webster said. He also worries that ridership will be driven down by hiking fares and running fewer buses.

“I’m encouraged that people are trying to find a way to maintain the service level we have today. The challenge is to find a way that’s affordable on the capital and operating side — and in the long term,” he said.

Although she wants to preserve service, TTC chair Karen Stintz said she has “a lot of discomfort with 15 cents.”

“Fares should go up consistently and people should be able to budget for it, but when you’re looking at who you’re asking to pay, you can’t ask those with the lowest income to be paying for a subsidy reduction,” she said.

TTC riders don’t want fares to rise at all, particularly given that the city is sitting on a surplus from 2010, said transit advocate Jamie Kirkpatrick, of the TTCriders lobby.

Although polls show riders prefer fare increases to service cuts, the fact that the province doesn’t subsidize the TTC’s operating costs at all “means Toronto taxpayers and the riders are always going to be hit with more than their fair share of running the TTC,” he said.

The fare hike is another example of literally nickel-and-diming taxpayers, said Councillor Paula Fletcher.

Related: Service cuts affect low-income areas most

“There’s $2 for swimming pools, there’s another 5 cents for the TTC — while we’re sitting here with a $139 million piggybank of taxpayer dollars,” she said, citing a proposal by budget chief Mike Del Grande to introduce a $2 fee for leisure swims at outdoor pools, currently free.

Mayor Rob Ford has made it clear he doesn’t want the projected end-of-year surplus to be used for maintaining the status quo.

It’s commendable that people are looking for solutions, Fletcher said, “But what really needs to happen is taxpayer savings need to be applied to services.”