CEO's Report: July Commentary

Over the coming months, the TTC will start rolling out its newest Corporate Plan that will guide the organization over the next five years and beyond.

The 2024-2028 Corporate Plan – Moving Toronto, Connecting Communities, provides the framework for our work and priorities to meet the needs of Canada’s largest city from a public transit perspective. This is not a static document. Rather, it will be reviewed continually to assess progress, identify what resources and supports are required to be successful, and to account for emerging issues and risks, recognizing the dynamic environment in which we operate. The Corporate Plan will also be looked at on a quarterly basis for the purpose of ensuring that the timelines and goals are being effectively tracked.

With our new Corporate Plan comes new vision and mission statements. Our new vision is: Moving Toronto towards a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous future. This is supported by our new mission statement: To serve the needs of transit riders by providing a safe, reliable, efficient, and accessible public transit service through a seamless integrated network, creating access to opportunity for everyone.

The TTC will use all its communication channels to bring this plan to life for employees, customers, and all of Toronto. We have always said that we are the lifeblood of this city, and we want to make sure there is an understanding of our focus. As part of our communications, we will emphasize the importance of funding to ensure that transit can continue to support growing communities. Funding for priorities such as state of good repair, including new trains for Line 2 is critical to improving livability in Toronto.

We know that building a system that shapes our city requires action now to place transit at the centre of Toronto’s future mobility.

Ridership update
​In June, the overall weekday boardings stood at 75-80 per cent of pre-COVID levels or around 2.5 million. Weekday boardings by mode continue to be highest on the bus network at 82 per cent of pre-COVID levels, while streetcar and subway boardings were, respectively, at 68 per cent and 69 per cent. As secondary schools transition into examination weeks, student demand reduced and led to a decrease in overall customer demand compared to earlier weeks. Along with the effect of summer vacations, demand is projected to further decline in July and August.

Diversity and Culture Group

Underground Freedom Ride
​The TTC is proud to again support and participate in the annual underground freedom train ride to celebrate Emancipation Day on August 1. This special event marking the role of the Underground Railroad in Canadian history will once again be held on Line 1 Yonge-University on Wednesday, July 31, starting at about 10:30 p.m.

The symbolic midnight ride is hosted by the Blackhurst Cultural Centre and ushers in Emancipation Day on August 1. Activities celebrating the public event include singing, poetry readings, and drum playing.

Recognizing Emancipation Day and Emancipation Month reminds us of how important it is to address anti-Black racism and to wipe out discrimination in all its forms, once and for all. Last month the Board approved our Anti-Racism Strategy (https://www.ttc.ca/riding-the-ttc/Updates/TTC-Introduces-Anti-Racism-Strategy). We are making progress, but we have a lot of work ahead.

Our job at the TTC is to make connections. Speaking on behalf of all employees, we are very proud to help make this connection to an important moment in Canadian history and commemorate Emancipation Day.

TTC Red Rockets reach cricket finals
​I want to congratulate the TTC Red Rockets cricket team for a valiant effort at last month's Mayor’s Cup tournament. The team reached the finals, only to be topped by the Toronto Police Service. Thank you to all our players for their passion and participation in this year’s competition: Mohsin Patel (Manager), Mohammed Shaikh (Captain), Jabbar Chaudrey (Vice Captain), Adil Pathan, Amjadkhan Pathan, Azhar Mohamed Bashirdeen, Fazeel Sadique, Jitender Kumar, Sathyananthan, Ken Calliste, Mohammad Muzmmal, Robinhensman Robinet, Ranjoban Sandhu, Robart Francis, Shaiful Islam, Sukhjinder Cheema and Ujagar Singh Sohi.

Strategy and Customer Experience Group

PRESTO card in Apple Wallet on the way
​This month, PRESTO introduced its PRESTO card in Apple Wallet as the latest way for customers to pay their fare on the TTC and other transit agencies in the GTHA that use PRESTO. Youths, post-secondary students, adults, and seniors are now able to use this payment method and will be charged the appropriate amount based on the fare setting on their card. It’s one more way we are working toward making transit seamless for customers.

ACAT accepting applications for new members
​The Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit (ACAT) is accepting applications for new members until 4 p.m. on August 27.

Applications are available at ttc.ca for any resident of Toronto interested in joining the advisory committee. Applications can also be requested by phone at 416-393-3030 or 1-800-855-0511 (relay service for people who are deaf or hearing impaired).

Applications can be mailed to: Wheel-Trans – ACAT applications c/o Customer Service, 580 Commissioners St., Toronto ON, M4M 1A7; e-mailed to acat@ttc.ca; or faxed to 416-338-0126, and must be received no later than 4 p.m. on August 27, 2024. Please visit ttc.ca/acat to learn more about the committee and its responsibilities.

ACAT is a 15-member committee that advises the TTC on the difficulties faced by persons with disabilities and seniors and makes recommendations on the elimination of barriers to accessible public transit.

Transportation and Vehicles Group

Bus W835 dedicated to Wheel-Trans rider
​A new seven-metre Wheel-Trans bus entered service in late spring with a special plaque dedicated in honour of the late Van Cam Nguyen. Ms. Nguyen was a dedicated Wheel-Trans rider who left the TTC with a $100,000 gift to be used toward the purchase of a new vehicle. The plaque in Wheel-Trans bus W835 reads: “This vehicle was purchased thanks to a generous posthumous donation by Van Cam Nguyen. Ms. Nguyen, described by her family as ‘fiercely independent’ was 91 years old and a long-time TTC and Wheel-Trans customer.”

Thank you to the Nguyen family.

Preparing for winter in summer
​Our operations and maintenance groups have been using the summer months to ensure the TTC is ready for the coming winter season. Winter readiness planning is a year-round function at the TTC.

At this time of year, we take the opportunity to review our contracts and agreements, making sure that all our inventory and equipment is restocked. We also use the time to train our employees and make any necessary updates to our severe weather plans. Some of the things we will be doing this season are upgrading switch heaters at Leslie Barns, flushing and clearing drains, and upgrading anti-icing trucks with GPS data.

As an organization committed to continuous improvement, preparing for winter is a cross-department effort where we are always looking at what went well during extreme weather the previous year and where there are opportunities to improve.

Operations and Infrastructure Group

Streetcars back on St. Clair
​512 St Clair streetcars resumed service between St Clair Station and Gunns Loop last month, weeks ahead of schedule. Streetcar service returned along St. Clair Avenue following major infrastructure upgrades, including the modernization of overhead power along the streetcar right-of-way.

512 St Clair streetcars are scheduled to arrive every 10 minutes or better in all time periods. In addition, a new 312 St Clair night streetcar service was introduced between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. It operates from St Clair Station to Gunns Loop every 30 minutes.

Thank you to all the employees who worked hard to make this happen ahead of schedule.

Station-cleaning teams making progress
​The TTC’s station-cleaning teams of summer students are making headway in their efforts to spruce up our subway stations. To date, they have completed 38 stations.

The blitz teams are spending a week at a time at an assigned station manually scrubbing surfaces and stairs, and performing detailed cleaning of stainless steel doors, door/window frames, waste receptacles, elevators, escalators, and benches.

Our station cleaning teams are committed to providing our riders with an excellent customer experience when on the system. Their objective this year is to cover all subway stations twice. We will continue to keep you updated on their progress.

It is important to mention also the close collaboration in addressing defects between our Stations and Plant Maintenance staff. With aging and heavily used stations, we see deteriorated concrete or damaged station finishes, among other things. Stations staff conduct frequent checks of our assets and report deficiencies through our MAXIMO system. Plant groups then review, schedule, and prioritize the repairs based on customer safety and address the noted defects to improve overall safety and the station’s aesthetics.

Engineering, Construction and Expansion Group

Museum second entrance opens
​Earlier this month, I was pleased to be joined by TTC Commissioner and Councillor Dianne Saxe to officially cut the ribbon on the new second exit/entrance at Museum Station.

Construction began in August 2022 and was finished in May. This new second entrance/exit, located at the northern end of Queen’s Park Circle, provides customers with a convenient alternative to access Museum Station. Museum is also scheduled to become accessible with elevators late next year. The elevators and second exit/entrance at Donlands Station are scheduled to open for service later this summer.

Innovation and Sustainability Program

TTC ready to welcome more new buses
​We are looking forward to holding an event in the coming weeks to celebrate the arrival of our newest eBuses as we enter the next phase of our transition to be completely zero emissions.

The TTC is scheduled to receive 340 additional battery-electric buses by the end of 2025, which will bring our total eBus fleet to 400. We are also actively working with our partners to expand our charging infrastructure with work underway at Birchmount, Eglinton and McNicoll garages. Stay tuned for more details on this in the coming weeks.

Innovation challenge for young employees
​To engage the youth within the TTC to help drive innovation, our Innovation and Sustainability team hosted a Youth Innovation Challenge last month. The International Youth Alliance for Innovation (IYAI) Challenge is a competition among transit agencies throughout North America designed to encourage those aged 18 to 25 to pursue a career in transit and to develop innovative solutions to some pressing challenges in the industry.

The event attracted 45 young employees, who brought forward more than 20 ideas to improve customer safety, fare evasion, environmental sustainability and customer wayfinding.

My thanks to all our participants and their TTC mentors who helped everyone get ready for the competition. It was a great success and we look forward to sharing some of their ideas with the organization in the near future.

Safety and Environment Group

Safety on the system
​As mentioned at the beginning of my commentary, the safety of our employees and customers remains our top priority. We are committed to helping everyone travel the transit system safely. Our Operators, Station Collectors, Customer Service Agents, Special Constables, and other supervisory personnel are prepared to assist. The TTC has numerous safety features in our stations and on our vehicles. I encourage everyone to visit the TTC website for more information at www.ttc.ca/riding-the-ttc/safety-and-security. Please remember: if you see something, say something.

Our ongoing community safety efforts have resulted in a decrease in offences against Employees and customers since January 2023. The TTC will continue measures in the areas of high-visibility presence and incident management, social supports for individuals in need and community safety program support.

I also want to mention the issue of assaults against TTC Operators is an extremely important one. Transit Operators must maintain care and control of large vehicles and are responsible for the people on board as well as the safety of those not on board who share the road. The safety of our Operators and customers and the public is at risk each time such an assault occurs.

I want to say thanks again to all our employees for their hard work to date. Getting our customers to and from their destinations safely and getting more people back onboard is all thanks to you.

The next meeting of the TTC Board is scheduled for Wednesday, July 17, and will be live-streamed on the Official TTC YouTube Channel.

Richard J. Leary
​Chief Executive Officer
​July 2024
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​This commentary is published in the CEO’s Report, which can be found on the TTC Intranet and ttc.ca.