TTC to consider new ways to attract riders as people rage about poor service

Sep 7 2023, 3:12 pm

The TTC appears to be headed in a different direction under newly elected mayor Olivia Chow, but Toronto commuters are still complaining about terrible transit service.

Mayor Chow attended a late August announcement promising increased transit service back to pre-pandemic levels after years of austerity under former mayor John Tory.

That announcement was welcome news for transit riders after over three years of reduced service on the network. However, while things were never expected to happen overnight, riders are still being forced to endure excessive wait times and sudden closures.

Photos and screenshots shared to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday show waits approaching one hour for the 506 Carlton streetcar route as the line faced unexpected delays.

And even when people manage to catch that last streetcar before a day-altering 45+ minute gap, there’s always the risk of the dreaded short-turn ruining your commute.

Just days earlier, riders were outraged by the sudden closure of the 512 St. Clair streetcar route to accommodate City construction projects. Only two days of notice were provided to the public before the route was replaced with buses.

City Council is acutely aware of the TTC’s lack of reliability ā€” which could be considered the only reliable thing about the system ā€” and an urgent need to improve ridership for the primarily fare-revenue-funded network.

On Wednesday, the council approved a recommendation for the TTC to explore “creative and imaginative ways” to lure riders back to a network gutted by pandemic-related cuts.

As part of the Updated Long-Term Financial Plan reviewed by the council yesterday, the City is recommending that the TTC explore new but unspecified measures to attract ridership by engaging the Arts and Culture Services unit of Economic Development and Culture, and the Toronto Arts Council.

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