TTC's last stop

Lori-Ann Russell
Contributor
The onset of the new year means a new school term, new friends and the same old TTC.
The Toronto Transit Commission is among one of the few things that professors, teacher’s assistants, and – most of all – students have in common.

The “TTC problem” has been an ongoing dilemma in the last few years, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. The continuous battle between the TTC and its customers about route changes, deceiving schedules and fare hikes is one that’s left casualties on both sides.
On Monday, Jan. 10 2011, the TTC held a press conference to discuss a 10-cent fare increase designed to fill a $24-million hole in their budget. To the relief of TTC passengers, the conference resolved with the price untouched. Somehow, the $24 million subsidy was “taken care of.”
Toronto citizens don’t know it, but the source of this payday will only be revealed to the budget committee in the coming months, leaving many to question where tax dollars truly end up.
TTC prices were raised only a few months earlier, from $2.50 to $3.
The transit commission needs to re-think their budget if they plan on keeping their customers. The money students spend on metro passes alone could pay for “a used car, which could be more reliable than transit,” said second-year professional writing major Java Nguyen. Polluting the environment would be the least of her concerns after forking out $99 (with student I.D.) every month for a metro pass.
Desperate times call for extreme measures.
“They should start from scratch,” offered second-year professional writing student Delano Jarrett, referring to the yearly proposals that, in his opinion, need more re-organizing.
How much worse could it be if they started from scratch? Take it from passengers themselves – this isn’t something they haven’t thought of.
Over the years, many have voiced their opinions on the havoc that’s dominated the entire city. It doesn’t just affect one person, after all; it affects everyone who uses the transit system that claims to “mobilize” its citizens, though not much movement has taken place.
It may seem passenger complaints have been the driving force behind previous “improvements,” but statistics tell a different tale. According to CBC News, the transit commission received 31,000 complaints between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30, 2009, 15 percent more than they recorded in 2008.
The most common complaints ranged from rude TTC operators to fare increases to streetcar delays. It looks like Jarrett may be on to something.
The best way to confront problems are to discuss them, which is why the TTC hosted four public meetings between Monday, Jan. 24 and Thursday, Jan. 27 discussing 48 routes of primary concern. Except there’s one problem – no one heard about them.
No one wants to pick this thing up while it’s still hot, which is why the TTC themselves proposed handing the problem off to someone else, so that they can foot the bill.
The Toronto Transit Commission were hoping they’d be taken under the wing of the provincial Liberal government after discussions on the TTC’s 2011 agenda recently surfaced in Parliament.
Spokeswoman Kathleen Wynne says the Ontario Liberals want “progress on transit, not a discussion of governance.” Unfortunately, that means passengers will have to find other forms of transportation while the TTC undergoes rehabilitation for the 86th time.
Since 1921, the TTC has been trying to provide a “better public transit” ushering citizens from point A to point B. Ninety years have passed and we still haven’t reached a compromising destination.
As overbearing as the years may seem, the TTC problem is more tired than it appears. The merger between pleasing passengers and satisfying their budget is going to be a difficult one.
As the year continues to get on its feet, students hope that TTC will find theirs as well.