As my fellow Torontonians are no doubt aware, there are new trains in service in our subway system. There are currently only two of them, and they are currently only running north/south, but as someone who works downtown, I manage to catch a ride on one every now and again ( Read more... )

This morning I was riding the bus, and had to stand. At the exact instant that I let go of the bar to adjust my coat, the bus driver slammed on the brakes (don't know why, but I'm sure he had his reasons). I went pinwheeling backwards (tripping over my briefcase in the process ( Read more... )

Last night I was waiting for my subway at College Station, just past 5pm. We were standing about eight-deep to the platform's edge, and as the train rolled up, we could see that it was packed to the gills. As anyone who has ever rode the northbound Yonge line south of Bloor during rush hour can attest, it is like this every single day ( Read more... )

City council has asked the province to legislate our transit system, the TTC, an essential service, which would removed the union's right to strike. They've asked that the legislation take place prior to March 31st. The president of the transit union, Bob Kinnear, is promising that his union won't go on strike this year if the city doesn't ( Read more... )

There is one bus driver on my bus route home (West Mall 112) who consistently pisses me off. One or two days out of every week, I get to Kipling Station the same that his shift his starting. When the 112 pulls in, he steps to the front of the line, and gets on the bus first. Then he opens the driver's shield door, which completely blocks entry into ( Read more... )

This happened on Saturday, but I forgot to tell you about it until now. Perhaps I was blocking it ( Read more... )

My subway train came to a gradual stop on the bridge over the Humber River, at Old Mill station. The horn sounded, and the train inched forward, then stopped. The horn sounded a number of times, then the train inched forward again and stopped. Then the horn again, even more than before ( Read more... )

The southbound train at Yonge station was virtually empty when it rolled into the station this morning (a rarity), so there was refreshingly enough room for everyone on the platform to get aboard with room to spare. This did nothing to prevent the woman immediately behind me from repeatedly hitting me in the back when I was apparently failing to ( Read more... )

Our public transit system, the TTC, has not been doing so well lately in terms of public relations. Service has been deteriorting for some time now (so much so that I now routinely leave home fifteen minutes earlier to allow for the near-inevitable "delay due to mechanical difficulties" on the subway). In December, the TTC announced significant ( Read more... )

I know we're all kind of lax on the TTC's "No eating on the public transit" policy — sometimes you just don't have time to eat that bagel or sandwich before you have to bolt out the door, so you bring it with you. I get it, and we all tend to look the other way when that's going on.

But cereal, lady? A freakin' tupperware bowl of cereal, on a stop ( Read more... )