Psst…. wanna know why your TTC fare is going up?

Posted on | November 18, 2009 | 1 Comment

Local transit (TTC) fares are increasing again! Quite a bit – a monthly pass is increasing from $109 to $121. Give them applause folks because they backed down from the proposed increase to $126. I think cooler heads prevailed when they realised there would be a complete revolt at such an unconscionable increase during a recession.

The kicker for me is the fact we are paying for increasingly surly service. I’ve had a couple of minor set-tos with a ticket takers over their rude behavior during the past year.  The fellow down at the St Patrick station comes to mind – and if you are reading this I’m the one that called you a complete burk for refusing to answer my question. Was it so hard to let me know if you were going to be getting anymore TTC passes in? Did you  have to keep hammering on the sign that said you were out of them? I wanted to know IF YOU WERE GETTING MORE IN!! As I said “burk”.

How about the ones who treat us like we are pariah. I’m thinking in particular of one at St. Clair that keeps reading a book rather than acknowledge the customer who is standing there waiting to be served. The one that hassled me because I didn’t say Metro Pass. I said TTC pass and he just stared and kept saying a what? Pardon me all to hell.  And yes it was me that called you a jackass with “a thinking impediment”.

How about the bus drivers that don’t turn on the system that announces the stops? Is that such a difficult job? Or the truely aweful drivers that think it’s a game to see how many passengers they can send hurtling to the floor as the stomp on the gas/brakes.

Oh and here is my favourite – the conductors on the subway that slam the doors shut prematurely. This happens on a regular basis at the Summerhill station and St. Clair. Tell me how I can be slammed into the doorway while entering a car with NO ONE exiting. I was already on the platform waiting. I took one step onto the train and WHAM I was caught between the doors. When they didn’t open some man grabbed me and pulled me in. I had door marks on my jacket and I had bruises on my arm. It bloody well hurt. I’ve had other close calls because the conductors are too quick to shut the doors.

And don’t get me started on the “Please let us know” hot line. Waste of time. I suspect it is manned by people that trash our complaints.

News flash people, without us, you do no have a job. That doesn’t mean you should be abused. But respect is a two way street. Something the TTC union seems to be forgetting.

Now… why have I gone on such a rant? Remember that big f*cking hole in the ground I complain about? The one that has caused endless noise? Well I went out the door today around 11am and counted 17 TTC employees standing around drinking coffee and water and chatting. I thought hmmm… the number has increased from the 10 I counted earlier in the day, standing around chatting. I came home about 10 minutes ago and guess what? They are all still standing around talking. This – is – not – unusual!!!! How many times have I looked and seen 1 or 2 people working and a larger number standing around? If I conducted business like this I’d be FIRED. Where is the supervisor? Did he/she overestimate the required number of bodies so grossly? This saga has been going on 2 years now and they still can’t figure out how many employees they need?

I object to yet another increase in the TTC fare just so we can continue to pay for bad, surly service.

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Category: Catpaw's Mad, Obnoxious People, Rants, Toronto, Utter Stupidity
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Comments

One Response to “Psst…. wanna know why your TTC fare is going up?”

  1. AJ
    December 2nd, 2009 @ 7:40 pm

    Please distribute this widely.

    You may have heard that OCAP is having a TTC action (see below). We are looking for help with flyering.

    Flyering Times:

    1) Outside/Inside Broadview Subway Station:

    Tuesday, December 8th: 4:30pm

    2) Outside/Inside Dundas West Subway Station:
    Wednesday, December 9th: 4:30pm

    Also, if you would like to sign up to to do outreach, or organize a separate leafleting time, please email us at the OCAP office at: ocap@tao.ca

    Lastly – if you have access to a photocopier let us know.

    ————————————-

    Angry about the TTC Fare Hike?

    It’s time to make transit affordable!

    Public Action Against the Transit Fare Hikes
    Saturday, December 12th
    1pm
    Toronto City Hall (Queen and Bay)

    The Toronto Transit Commission is facing a $100-million deficit in its operating budget for next year. On November 17th the Commission
    ignored community outrage, and instead voted for a TTC fare hike of 25cents/fare and an increase of over 10% per monthly pass. In the new
    year, they expect us to pay $6 for ONE round trip on transit! Riders already cover more than 80% of TTC operating costs and it is by far
    the least-funded mass transit system in North America. This increase is outrageous and unacceptable – and we should refuse to pay!

    Lately, we’ve been hearing a lot about shortfalls and deficits. We cannot forget where these deficits come from. When the economic
    crisis hit, the federal and provincial government quickly found BILLIONS of dollars of public money to bailout banks and corporations.
    Now these same governments want us to believe that they can’t find any money to support public transit? As usual, big business gets bailed
    out, and the people get sold out. Worst of all the bourgeoise socialists affiliated with the NDP on Toronto City Council behind such trying to end the

    special diet and trying to prevent those eligible for Ontario Works from receiving it.

    For poor and working people in this city, especially for families, transit costs are already too high and often unaffordable. This fare hike will

    hurt the people who are already struggling to make ends meet. The TTC deficit should not be loaded onto the backs of people who need transit.

    It should not be paid for by riders and it should not be paid for by the workers who run the buses, subways and streetcars.

    Paying more for transit is only one attack on already inadequate public services. Lay-offs and deeper cuts to all essential services like Welfare,

    Disability, and the Ontario Drug Benefit are coming next if we don’t fight back. Our communities demand affordable transit, real income levels,

    affordable housing, childcare, and education.

    Transit is a necessity and it is a basic right. Not only are we fighting this fare hike, but we are demanding that transit be federally funded and

    affordable for everyone. If we mobilize, and together refuse to accept this fare hike, we can take back transit.

    Come out December 12th

    Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP)
    ocap@tao.ca / 416-925-6939
    http://www.ocap.ca