The reasons TTC ridership is down
Re TTC’s worst critics desperately want to love it, July 26 It’s been seven months and I’ve not once been asked to provide proof of purchase while riding the TTC. Toronto city council is now saying that service cuts to public transit may be necessary due to disappointing ridership. Meanwhile, the executive director of an advocacy group called TTCriders says that the system is overcrowded and not good enough.
I think the group is right and the councillors are wrong. Here’s why: The greatest cause of ridership being down is simple. It’s the new back door streetcar entry system where there’s no one to collect fares. No fare collection, no rider record. I watch these nervous freeloaders often. They lower their heads and look toward the driver to see if he’s looking at them. No worries though, the driver couldn’t care less — not his job.
It isn’t the Big Bad Wolf, city council, just a poorly thought out plan of action. Jack Drury, Toronto The TTC ran electric buses years ago. Some of these buses were even double length. With the myriad cost(s) associated with streetcars — track maintenance, removal and installation, etc. — and when compared to electric buses, with their ability to board passengers at the sidewalk, why did the TTC abandon the electric bus? I think if the TTC had abandoned the streetcar and instead embraced the electric bus, they would have the money they need to weather this perfect storm. Tom Rudman, Toronto Re How to improve TTC, Letter July 25 Well the same problems exist with Via Rail. My granddaughter attends Ryerson but we live in London so she often uses Via Rail. Unfortunately the train that leaves London around 3 p.m. is usually “sold out.” If it is almost always sold out why wouldn’t Via Rail add more coaches? Problem solved, plus more income for Via Rail.
The trains that Via Rail uses consist of maybe six coaches. Over in Europe it is not uncommon to see trains of 12 to 15 coaches long.
Seems they have the right idea and rail travel is very popular. Jim White, London, ON Seeing the photo in the Star the other day it is no surprise that commuters are disgusted and put off from using TTC when they are packed like sardines. How dare TTC consider increasing the fares! Mimi Khan, Toronto Interesting that TTC chair Josh Colle mentions that the TTC has a $2.7 billion repair backlog.
If the vote panderers on Toronto council had opted to let the province pay the bulk of the cost for an LRT in Scarborough instead of putting us on the hook for a $3.2-billion (and no doubt rising) hole in the ground, that backlog could have been wiped out and we could have had efficient, right-sized transit here.
Instead, the huge backlog remains and there will be no operational improved transit for Scarborough for another decade. Terry Kushnier, Scarborough Taking the TTC home from the Beaches Jazz Festival on Friday night was certainly not the better way.
At the end of the night, dozens of people waited at Queen and Kingston to catch a streetcar back downtown. They must have been checking the same Nextbus app as my husband and I were. It indicated a 40-minute wait for the next streetcar.
We waited for about 20 minutes then gave up and took a cab. Others had the same idea and the crowd at the stop by that point was about half what it had been.
To have no streetcars available at the end of a major street festival is a huge failing on the TTC’s part. This is why ridership is falling.
My husband and I will be going back to the Beaches festival again, but this time, we’ll be taking our car. Jennifer Poon, Toronto