Were users considered when giving TTC award?
“Is it April Fool’s Day?” “Have you ridden the Dufferin bus lately?” “No, they didn’t.”
These were typical rider responses to the news recently when the TTC was being recognized as the best transit system in North America by the American Public Transit Association (APTA).
How exactly did the rider experience factor into the APTA’s decision of giving the TTC this award? Given that we use and rely on public transit surely our experience should be paramount?
Did the APTA, for example, consider the unrelenting fare increases TTC riders have suffered over the past decade? Or that Toronto has one of the most expensive monthly passes in Canada?
Did APTA consider that the TTC is violating its own overcrowding standards on all streetcar routes and a quarter of all bus routes?
Did it consider that the TTC is still far from being accessible to all riders because so many stations don’t have an elevator, and many of our streetcars and buses are hard for people with mobility issues to board?
Did the APTA consider that the TTC has a chronic issue with TTC delays and late buses and streetcars?
Or how about the unrelenting long commutes because buses and streetcars are stuck in traffic and riders are not able to move more quickly on transit-only lanes?
Or how about the classism and racism that is entrenched in our transit system where Toronto’s poorer, racialized neighbourhoods get more unreliable and less frequent service than our wealthier neighbourhoods? This groundbreaking research was done by University of Toronto Professor David Hulchanski, and it is easy to find online. Did APTA consider all this? Every transit rider across the city des- perately wants the TTC to be truly deserving of a “best of” award. That can only happen, however, if our elected officials at all levels invest in the TTC so riders can have better service on all routes across the city and can ride at an affordable price.
The TTC is the least government-funded transit system in North America, receiving approximately $1a ride in government support. The North American average is about $2.60.
Instead of investing, the city is cutting. City council just voted to freeze the TTC’s budget for 2018, which means the TTC has a $126-million hole to fill just to maintain inadequate existing service levels. More fare hikes and service cuts are coming.
It is disingenuous for elected officials to accept a “best of” award with the one hand, yet force an already incredibly efficient TTC to stretch its too-thin budget even further with the other hand.
If we truly want to be deserving of this award then cost cutting is the wrong way to go. Investing and truly caring about the rider experience is the far better way to make the TTC the best way. Jessica Bell is the executive Director of transit advocacy organization, TTCriders. TTCriders serves as the voice for Toronto’s 1.8 million transit riders.