Dear TTC rider: Will you marry me?

Stalling on popping the big question to your partner? Better get a move on, or a TTC bus could beat you to it. Torontonians have been posting strange sightings of Toronto Transit buses with “Will you marry me?” scrolling across their external displays.

There’s a simple — but lengthy — explanation for why it’s been happening.

The unexpected proposals are a result of the TTC’s large, centralized program for bus signage, combined with a real proposal in the making and good old human error. Well, several of them.

The TTC runs a charter service, through which anyone can rent out one of the commission’s streetcars or buses. At the three-hour minimum that they have to be rented for, the cost for a streetcar can range anywhere from $1,600 to $3,500 depending on the model.

Buses are a little more affordable; a one-way trip costs around $500 and a round-trip comes in at around $1,000.

For an extra sum, people can pay to have customized text scrolling across the bus’ sign screens.

“The sign can say whatever you want it to say,” said TTC spokesperson Stuart Green.

“I mean, within reason — there are conditions as to when we would allow a charter and when we wouldn’t.”

Green said the proposal sign was custom ordered and meant for one specific proposal, from one person to another. So why did other Torontonians see it? It starts with the way signs are programmed into TTC buses.

Green said all 1,900 TTC buses have all the same signs, with all destinations and routes programmed into them. The signs are activated by code numbers manually punched in by bus operators. This is so drivers can hop from one transit route to another and just switch the destination on the sign.

When a sign is custom ordered, it’s programmed in with all the other codes, months ahead.

Green said he suspects that the proposal code snuck its way in when the TTC reprogrammed its system about a month ago to include a bunch of new transit codes for new routes it plans to launch in September.

Green said he thinks drivers are accidentally punching in the wrong code, thereby asking unassuming TTC customers for a lifetime commitment instead of showing them their destination.

“Since the first post appeared on Facebook a few weeks ago, we’ve issued a reminder to all our operators to be very careful about the code they are punching in and to make sure you’re punching in the one that’s for your particular route,” Green said.

The commission’s centralized programming is also why the TTC can’t simply take out that code. Green said they would have to reprogram every bus.

Who is the person set to make the proposal?

All we can say is they may or may not see this special message on a TTC bus some time in the fall.