Toronto Transit Commission

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Image:Toronto transit commission.gifThe Toronto Transit Commission, or TTC, is a public transport authority that operates buses, streetcars, and rapid transit lines in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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Overview

The TTC operates the third most heavily-used urban mass transit system in North America (after New York City's New York City Transit Authority and Mexico City's Mexican Federal District Transit System). As of 2004, there are four rapid transit lines (three are referred to as "subways", while a fourth is mostly elevated; see Toronto Subway and RT), with a total of 69 stations, as well as 149 connecting "surface" routes (buses and streetcars). The average daily ridership exceeds 2.3 million passengers: 1,197,500 through bus, 246,100 by streetcar, 45,000 by intermediate rail, and 855,300 by subway (American Public Transit Association, 2005). The TTC also provides door-to-door services for persons with physical disabilities known as WheelTrans. An approximate 2,900 trips are made through this service daily. Colloquially, the streetcars were known as "red rockets"; hence the use of "Ride the Rocket" in advertising material for the TTC (which uses the phrase to advertise the entire system), and the use of the word "Rocket" in the names of some express buses. The entire system is also promoted as "The Better Way".

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History

Privately operated transit services in Toronto began in 1849. In later years, a few routes were operated by the city, but it was 1921 when the city took over all routes and formed the Toronto Transportation Commission to operate them. During this period service was mainly provided by streetcars. In 1952, the TTC adopted its present name, opened its first subway line, and greatly expanded its service area to cover the newly formed municipality of Metropolitan Toronto (which eventually became the enlarged city of Toronto). The system has evolved to feature a wide network of bus routes with the subway lines as the backbone. Template:See

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Past names

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Transit modes

The TTC currently operates an extensive network of subways, streetcars, and buses in Toronto:

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Subway/RT system (1954-present)

Template:Main The Toronto subway/RT system consists of the Yonge-University-Spadina Line, a U-shaped line started in 1954 and last extended in 1996; the Bloor-Danforth Line, an east-west line started in 1966 and last extended in 1980; the Scarborough RT, a partly elevated light rail line built in 1985 which continues from the Bloor-Danforth Line's eastern terminus; and the Sheppard Line, opened in 2002. The three subway lines use the same technology, while the Scarborough RT has many differences.

In the mid-1990s, work began on an Eglinton West subway line, but the project was cancelled before significant progress was made. Construction of this line is no longer a priority for the TTC.

A current focus for the TTC's rapid-transit expansion is a short extension bringing the western branch of the Yonge-University-Spadina Line north to York University, Steeles Avenue and Vaughan Corporate Centre in York Region. The Government of Ontario announced on March 23, 2006, that it will provide $670 million for this extension, about one-third of the expected cost. Another is the eastward extension of the Sheppard Line into Scarborough. Recently, there has also been debate over the fate of the Scarborough RT. A solution is a near top priority as the line is currently overcrowded, and will soon require much investment to keep it running past 2015.

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Streetcars (1861-present)

Image:Ttc-streetcar.jpg Template:Main Toronto's streetcar system is one of the few in North America still operating along classic lines and has been operating since the mid 19th-Century (horsecar service starting in 1861 and electric since 1891). Streetcar service dates back to the Toronto Street Railways horse-drawn cars and continues today with the current electric cars. As new TTC routes since the 1940s have generally been operated by other modes, and the less-busy streetcar routes have also been converted, streetcar routes are now focused on the downtown area, with none running farther north than St. Clair Avenue, about 5 km from Lake Ontario. The Bombardier Flexity LRV is being considered as a replacement for the ALRV and CLRV once the re-built cars reach the end of their useful life.

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Buses (1921-present) and trolley coaches (1922-1925, 1947-1993)

Image:Fc26.jpg Template:Main Buses are a large part of TTC operations today, but before about 1960, they played a minor role compared to streetcars. After an earlier experiment, trolley buses were used on a number of routes starting in 1947, but all trolley bus routes were converted to bus operation between 1991 and 1993. The TTC always used the term trolley coach to refer to its trackless electric vehicles.

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Gray Coach (1927-1989)

Template:Main Gray Coach Lines was a suburban and regional inter-city bus operator founded in 1927 by the TTC. Gray Coach used inter-urban coaches to link Toronto to points throughout Southern Ontario. In addition, Gray Coach operated tour buses in association with Gray Line Tours. The main terminal was the Metropolitan Toronto Bus Terminal on Elizabeth Street, downtown. In 1954, Gray Coach expanded further when it acquired suburban routes from independent bus operators not merged with the TTC as it expanded to cover Metro Toronto. By the 1980s, Gray Coach faced fierce competition in the inter-urban service in the GTA, and the TTC was forced to sell it.

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Wheelchair-accessible services (1975-present)

Image:WheelTransBus.jpg Template:Main The TTC also runs WheelTrans, a para-transit service for the physically disabled with special buses designed to accommodate wheelchairs. Since the 1990s, the TTC has focused in providing accessible services on buses, RT and subway operations.

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Ferry service (1927-1962)

Template:Main The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.

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Operations and other information

Most TTC operations are based either at the William McBrien building at 1900 Yonge Street (over Davisville subway station), or at the Hillcrest complex at Bathurst and Davenport Streets.

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Terminals

Most TTC routes terminate at loops, side streets or subway stations. There are some routes ending at terminals:

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Fares

Template:Main The TTC fare system accepts cash, tickets, tokens, and transit passes.

The provincial Minister of Transportation has announced plans to introduce the GTA Farecard, a unified smartcard-based payment system for the entire Greater Toronto Area similar to the Octopus Card used in Hong Kong.

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Schedules and information

Before the use of the TTC website, TTC patrons were able to obtain route information from various sources:

  • Paper schedules and system maps from drivers and collector booths
  • Fax number to obtain schedules and maps
  • TimeLine: Most stops had a phone number to obtain the schedule for the select route. This system was removed due to Year 2000 constraints. Route information is now accessed by InfoPost and TTC Info number 416-393-INFO (this replaced the old numbers 481-4252 and 481-4544 in the 1980s). Some stops now display a time schedule for the particular route.
  • What's On and Rocket Rider/TTC Customer News pamphlets located on most vehicles

Transit Information Centres:

  • TTC Head Office - Davisville Station
  • TTC Info Centre Bloor-Yonge Station - closed
  • Metro Toronto Convention Centre - closed

Additional TTC information are circulated by:

  • The Rocket Rider - TTC Customer News
  • What's ON
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Shelters

The shelters used by the systems are split between Viacom Media (with ads) and Toronto Transportation. A total of 4,100 shelters are managed by Toronto Transportation and most from the former transportation departments of the municipalities that made up Metropolitan Toronto.

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Advertising

Advertising is commonplace and prominent in all TTC vehicles and locations. In fact, some subway stops are periodically entirely "repainted" on the inside using large plastic decals, to the wishes of a paying corporate advertiser; this is also done with individual buses and all cars in a particular subway train. Most recently this has occurred for Global TV. In 2005, the TTC began installing video screens in subway stations to display advertising, news, weather, and safety information. This project is run by Toronto based ONESTOP Media Group. The agency contracted to post ads on the TTC is Viacom Outdoor. However the amount of money the TTC receives for allowing advertising on its property is very small. For the year ending 2003, the TTC received 2.3% of its revenue from advertising, or almost $17 million.

Critics claim that all advertising could be removed from all TTC property for one year in exchange for a one-day addition of just over ten cents to each rider's fare.

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Communications

The TTC also employs a tracking and communications system called CIS (Communications and Information System). A transmitter is added to the roof of the vehicle and a receiver on the right hand side of the driver. A pilot of CIS was introduced in the late 1970s and fully deployed in 1991.

For an official list of TTC PA Codes, see [1].

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Safety systems

Safety features provided by the TTC include:

  • Request Stop Program on surface routes (9 p.m.-5 a.m.) (not including streetcars); female passengers travelling alone can request the driver to stop at points between bus stops (no such service is currently offered for male passengers)
  • Designated Waiting Areas (DWA) on subway and RT platforms; these are well lit, have intercoms, and are at the location where the guard car stops
  • Yellow Passenger Assistance Alarm strips on subway and RT cars since the early 1980s
  • Approximately 800 cameras monitoring activities on the subway system
  • TTC Special Constables
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Auctions

TTC auctions off items left on vehicles each year. In 2005, the TTC launched an online auction via e-Bay Canada and Rite Auction Services.

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Personnel

Most of the Toronto Transit Commission's staff are members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113. Total membership (2005) is approximately 8,000 members.

Unionized transit workers in Toronto began with:

  • Amalgamated Association of Street Railway Employees of America in 1892
  • Division 30 of the Amalgamated Association of Street and Railway Employees of America in 1893
  • Division 113 Chartered - Amalgamated Association of Street Railway Employees of America in 1899
  • Amalgamated Association of Street and Railway Employees of America in 1903
  • Amalgamated Transit Union in 1964
  • Local 113 of the Amalgamated Association of Street, Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employees of America in 1952

Other than drivers and supervisor, the TTC also employs support staff to keep the system running:

  • cleaners to keep stations, bus shelters and other TTC property clean
  • garbage staff to pick up trash on vehicles and in stations
  • clearing TTC roadways during winter months
  • engineers and support staff inspecting subway systems
  • mechanics maintain all the commission vehicles
  • blacksmiths to make special parts of the TTC
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Uniforms

All TTC staff wear uniforms consisting of a light blue shirt with TTC crest (long and short sleeves) and grey slacks. Hats are generally worn by senior staff, namely inspectors. Some vehicle operators wear a blue baseball cap with white lettering "TTC". Maintenance staff wear dark blue or green coveralls with TTC crest.

Prior to the current design, the uniform consisted of a light brown shirt and medium brown slacks/blazers.

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Honour Guards

The TTC Honour Guards represent the TTC during city ceremonies and police funerals. The guards wear caps, white shirts, blue blazers with Honour Guard crests and grey pants. The unit was formed in 1995 and is currently made up of twelve members.

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Special Constables

A contingent of 76 Special Constables patrol TTC properties. They have the same powers as the Toronto Police Service to enforce:

In addition, they can issue fines to persons in violation of TTC By-Law 1.

Special Constable services are organized as follows:

  • Patrol Division - patrol and fare enforcement
  • Plain Clothes Criminal Investigation Unit - intelligence, crime fighting
  • Community Response Unit - local and community response

Patrol Division constables wear distinct uniforms (which significantly differ from the standard TTC uniform) from the other units. Uniformed special constables wear black jackets and blue shirts with TTC Special Constables crest on both shoulders. They are unarmed and carry radios and pads to issue tickets to violators.

The constables patrol within Toronto and areas beyond Toronto served by the TTC.

The TTC Special Constables patrol in white unmarked and marked crusiers (blue stripes with crest) Ford Crown Victorias and Chevrolet Impalas, similar to the ones used by the Toronto Police Service.

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References

  • The TTC Story by Mike Filey
  • Not A One Horse Town by Mike Filey
  • Reflections & Recollections Transfer Points January 2005
  • Independents Take Over - TTC Goes Metro Wide Transfer Points August-September 2004
  • Toronto Transit Commission Goes Metro Wide Transfer Point December 2004
  • TTC Archives
  • TTC Special Constables - Official link
  • Legacy Sportswear
  • ATU 113 History
  • TTC Honour Guard
  • Subway and RT Route Map - TTC - September 1998
  • TTC Ride Guide April 1982
  • TTC Ride Guide June 1982
  • TTC Ride Guide May 1984
  • TTC Ride Guide January 1987
  • TTC Ride Guide January 1988
  • TTC Ride Guide January 1990
  • Toronto Transit Ride Guide June 1998
  • Numerical list of routes, with route direction and operating division - TTC February 1999
  • TTC Special Constables - Your Community and Safety Partners 2006
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See also

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External links

ja:トロント交通局

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