HATE THE WAIT

The top complaint sent in to the TTC last year — one voiced by more than 11,470 people — focused on delays plaguing transit vehicles. As previously reported by the Star, riders spent more than 1,306,541 minutes waiting for transit last year, with an average of 253 delays per day.

Many passengers conveyed frustration with delays across the city: some facing hour-long waits, missing or bunching transit vehicles, and the futility of delays that persist even after numerous complaints over weeks. Riders wrote in asking for increased service, more co-ordination to remedy the issue and accountability.

“This is unacceptable for a service that should be a necessary service. How do you justify this?” wrote one rider, after waiting more than 30 minutes during rush hour for the 504 King. “There were so many people waiting at this critical time.”

The biggest offenders were streetcars that operate in the downtown arterial paths like King Street: the 501 Queen (which detours on King) and the 504 King. In November, it took a Star reporter 79 minutes to travel along King Street between Bathurst and Jarvis Streets, a journey that takes about half an hour on foot.

Since introducing traffic agents along this route at the end of November, the city says traffic is three times faster. Delay complaints dropped for both the 501 and 504 in December.

Delays can take a significant toll. One rider, who said they work five jobs and take transit to save money, said that having to Uber to work numerous times due to TTC delays is increasing their credit card debt.

“We pay our fare, receive faulty service, so then have to pay even more money to get to work on time with a cab,” they wrote. “I have been taking the TTC since 2001, and I am incredibly frustrated with how many times I’ve been late to work.”