• TTC drivers in crisis [ Toronto Star ]
• Building a virtual bridge with a camera [ Toronto Star ]
• Peer into a looking glass to see a portrait of city streets [ Toronto Star ]
• Are you trying to reduce carbon emissions? [ Toronto Star ]
• Inside City Hall [ Globe and Mail ]
• Joining the two Simcoe Streets [ Globe and Mail ]
• New road tolls? [ Toronto Sun ]
Monday’s headlines
Read more articles by Monika Warzecha
3 comments
The article “TTC drivers in crisis” is very sad and reminds me of what nurses go through on a daily basis. It also made me think of a story a co-worker told me about how she used to carry a gun with her while working in a hospital in Los Angeles.
Can anyone link to a study which shows the cost of eliminating fares on the TTC? With all the overhead incurred with fares (and fare disputes) I can’t help but think a fully subsidized system might actually be cheaper.
No one should have to put up with this on the job. I’d love to think the bus cameras will help, but I’ve heard other cities have seen the deterrent effect fade pretty quickly.
From the TTC’s operating budget for 2008, fares currently bring in $828 million each year. I don’t know if there’s a study that estimates the surge in riders if the TTC went free. As much as more riders for the TTC is ultimately a good thing, it’s not ready to handle a sudden onslaught. There would be substantial costs for more vehicles, drivers, garages, capacity on the Yonge line, etc., etc.
Proof-of-payment for streetcars and buses might be an easier solution. Roving fare inspectors, working in pairs, would be a lot less vulnerable than regular drivers. If necessary, one or both of the pair could be a “special constable”.
well placed article by the ttc, what with contract negotiations coming up this year. if it was any sadder, I might not mind the one-in-four drivers who wizz past me on a freezing winter day while I’m making it very very clear, $109 metropass in hand, that I want to get on their streetcar.