TTC Failures

Lars

If you're in the GTA, you might remember this story:

Is he sleeping? Photo of McCowan TTC booth goes viral - thestar.com.

You might have even forgiven the TTC for such conduct of a TTC employee, especially since it's alleged that the TTC employee in question may have had a medical condition at the time that contributed to his actions.

But now this:

Driver's coffee break caught on video - thestar.com.
TTC officials promise to investigate interrupted Blue Night service.

I just don't see how this second example can be justified on nearly any level. Leaving riders on a bus, alone, with the engine running and idling, while going in for a coffee? That seems almost too bizarre to be real.

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Macfury

Lars--I get stuck behind buses doing this all the time. They just bugger off with passengers on board, and block dedicated right-turn lanes if their coffee of choice is close by.

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Dr.G.

Here in St.John's, there are specific schedules that are published. If a driver arrives at certain transfer stops a bit early, they have to wait. Still, they are NOT allowed to leave the bus.

Sadly, we shall see what his union has to say about the matter. Please tell me that TTC drivers don't earn more than GTA teachers or university professors in ON.

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madhatress

That's nothing new. Used to happen to me on the Steeles Ave East bus all the time when I lived in Markham and N. Scarborough. I'm suprised he'd do it in the dead of night, and for 7 mins when the bus is already late!

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Adrian.

I can't even count the number of times I have waited 40 minutes or more for a bus.

The TTC is a hot mess right. Huge unions need to be attacked here.

jawknee

When I was in highschool and for part of uni I used to smoke butts on the warden 68b at the end of the line in unionville. That guy was rad. Hehe

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Sonal

Doing some fast googling and calculating, TTC drivers would earn more than junior teachers and less than senior ones. On the average, it's probably about the same.

Still, with every strike and fee hike, I get increasingly annoyed with the TTC, and I am not a daily rider. Now, parking often works out cheaper than taking the TTC.

I rather enjoyed taking the subway and having a few cell-phone free minutes to read in the middle of the day, but it's less and less worth it.

Rampant AV

I agree. The TTC needs a good cleaning from top to bottom. I understand if a driver needs to use the bathroom on a long run. But to grab a coffee, or to do personal errands is unacceptable. Out of all the public transit systems I have patronized, Toronto's is definitely the worst! Everything from the service to the actual architecture, hands down brutal!

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fellfromtree

Plus the streetcar driver who stopped to do some banking, holding up traffic and passengers for approx 7 minutes.

T.O. transit driver brakes for ATM - Canada - Canoe.ca

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Adrian.

Dr.,

A teacher with an honours BA and maxed on the seniority grid (I think it is 11 years) makes about $90k/year in Ontario. If they have one of these new 3 year BA deals, or one of the concurrent education programs that have no major degree, they make substantially less; I think somewhere around the $50k/year maxed out.

University processors, as you know, depend on tenure or contract. Tenure at UofT and York have contracts that give them about $125k/year. If you do not have tenure, I believe the average is about $45k/year.

Those TTC operators/collectors with maxed out seniority are making about $75k/year I believe.

Far too much for what they do. Paramedics should be paid more than transit workers IMHO.