Masks mandatory on Toronto transit starting today
As ridership creeps up, TTC says it will educate passengers first rather than enforce $195 fine
The TTC’s pandemic recovery plans will enter a crucial new phase on Thursday, when the transit agency will start requiring its passengers to wear masks, and will lift restrictions instituted earlier in the crisis to allow for social distancing on its buses.
The changes come as ridership, particularly on the bus network, continues to rebound from the dramatic drop caused by the pandemic.
That upward trend has made eliminating crowding increasingly difficult and compelled the agency to institute other measures to contain the spread of the virus.
TTC CEO Rick Leary said the pivot in strategy indicates local officials have done a good job of containing the pandemic, and riders feel safe taking transit again as the city opens up. “All of a sudden you’re seeing those (ridership) numbers creep up. For me, that’s a positive sign,” he said in an interview.
Leary said throughout the crisis the TTC has adapted its operations based on advice from Toronto Public Health on how to keep riders and employees safe, and the changes coming Thursday “are very much in line with that approach.”
The TTC rule is separate from a new bylaw in Toronto and a similar one in the works for Peel Region that makes masks mandatory in indoor public spaces. The Toronto bylaw comes into effect July 7.
Not wearing a face covering on the TTC will technically come with a $195 fine, but Leary has said the agency plans to encourage people to comply by using education, not enforcement.
Visual and audio messages on vehicles and in stations will remind riders of the mask requirement, and the TTC is deploying100 COVID-19 “ambassadors” to help spread the message.
People with conditions that prevent them from covering their faces won’t be required to wear masks, nor will children under the age of two. Leary urged riders not to confront passengers who aren’t using a face covering.
“I think they have to be understanding of others. We want to make sure that people understand, not everybody can (wear a mask),” he said.
Leary said the TTC is aiming to get at least 90 per cent of customers wearing masks. Although the agency has said compliance rates will be monitored “to determine if further actions are needed,” Leary stressed that the TTC wouldn’t move quickly to start cracking down if uptake isn’t high initially.
“We’re going to give this some time,” he said.
The other significant change coming Thursday is the resumption of all-door boarding and fare box collection on buses.
That’s a reversal of policies the TTC announced in March, when it restricted passengers to using the rear doors only, and stopped collecting cash, tickets and tokens on buses in an effort to keep drivers apart from riders.
Leary said while ridership on streetcars and subways remains at about 18 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, bus routes have reached about 37 per cent. That’s up from late April, when systemwide demand was about 14 per cent of normal.
This past weekend bus ridership hit about 43 per cent of pre-crisis levels, which Leary interpreted as a sign people aren’t just using transit for essential trips as they were earlier in the pandemic.
“People seem to be using a bit more discretionary travel on the TTC, and that’s great,” he said. “The ridership and the revenue is definitely a plus.”
About 18 per cent of bus trips now exceed the TTC’s COVID-19 guideline that stipulates buses should carry a maximum of 15 people. The CEO has previously conceded even that guideline isn’t low enough to ensure riders can always stay the recommended two metres apart.
As riders return, the TTC has little choice but to put less emphasis on social distancing.
Earlier in the pandemic, the TTC used signs to block off seats and keep passengers apart, but Leary said riders have been removing the signs and the agency will now stop replacing them.
Carlos Santos, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, which represents more than 11,000 TTC workers, said some of his members are concerned about the resumption of all-door boarding.
He said drivers are particularly worried about reopening the two seats behind driver cabs, which allow passengers to sit close to operators. Santos said the union is working with the TTC to find ways to seal off the cab.
Santos said his wider concern is that the TTC continues to operate only about 85 per cent of regular service, which leads to more crowded vehicles.
In April, the agency announced 1,200 temporary layoffs as a result of lower ridership demand, and so far about 450 workers have been furloughed, according to the union.
With the transit agency projecting up to almost $600 million in losses and increased costs related to the pandemic by the end of the year, Santos called on the provincial and federal governments to provide emergency operating funding that would allow the TTC to restore full service.
“Our vehicles are starting to fill up. Our members that have been laid off, they should have been called back already,” he said.
According to the latest figures, 66 TTC employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
In July, the TTC also plans to resume fare enforcement activities, starting with warnings, but moving to fines by mid-July or August.
On Tuesday, Coun. Gord Perks moved a motion at council requesting the TTC look into eliminating its special constable unit, citing concerns about use of force and racial bias.
Council defeated his motion, but voted in favour of another, introduced by Mayor John Tory, to ask the TTC to conduct a review of the unit’s mandate.
Leary defended restarting enforcement to the Star, noting that “unfortunately” fare revenue makes up twothirds of the TTC’s annual operating budget, the highest portion of any transit agency in North America.
“We have to make sure that we collect the fares,” he said.