Keep TTC Public

Keep TTC Public


http://www.keepttcpublic.ca/

The Toronto municipal election takes place on Monday, October 25, 2010. Polls show transit is one of the most important issues in the election.

Some Toronto politicians are advocating various forms of TTC privatization, including so-called "public-private partnerships." The purpose of this site is to stimulate public discussion on this issue. As you will see in this compelling video, other large cities that have gone the private route are not happy with the outcomes. Privatization has made transit worse in their cities, not better. Taxpayers have lost as well.




[video=youtube;xAmnmehAy3w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAmnmehAy3w[/video]

[video=youtube;aTKDclcskgY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTKDclcskgY[/video]

Well then, keep it owned and operated by the government, but at least marketize all transport (allow competition).

That's such a union head group.

There are ways to ensure better service and find synergies that will greatly improve the TTC.

The TTC as it is OBVIOUSLY does not work. Interesting enough, all the issues have surfaced the past 7 years?

-Employ Toyota's employee 'rotate' job method, where ALL new hires MUST either be able to operate a bus, street car, or subway. Rotate these employees through the system where they do 'ticket/customer service' duties every 6 months/what not.

- IMplement PRESTO! (we have one machine for metropasses and a seperate for tokens, another make work project?)

- Contract out ALL cleaning staff. It's cleaning staff,

-Manage from TOP Down. TTC Board of directors need to go. Giambrone (Archeologist), Mihevic (Theologist) Bussin (Sociology), should I even continue? How about Enginneers and professionals that have an idea of how it actually is?

All of js97's ideas are good, except for maybe PRESTO as I'm not overly impressed with that process or the people behind it. It's also important to keep some public accountability at the TTC board-level. I'd make it a mix of council members and private sector types.

The problem absolutely is management, though - particularly culture.

Privitization is a dumb idea and completely unworkable. They could remove the law against things like minibusses, as at least that would shut up the people who believe that a system of roving jitneys is the solution to all our transit problems.

What about partial privatization? Where the lines are operations and lines are tendered to the lowest bidder.

Don't know if privatization is the answer, but forcing the union's hand to be accountable to the public (ie: more than 60 minutes notice before going on strike would be nice...) is not a bad idea.

This is pure union propaganda. The arguments used in this piece, taken to their logical conclusion, lead to communism. Why should agriculture be private, and subject to the profit motive? How is food less important than transport? It's just silly.

While I agree that it is all too easy for governments to get screwed in P3 arrangements, either deliberately (corruption) or through ineptitude, a properly structured arrangement could work quite well. I suspect the best way would be to farm out the operation of routes to private operators who are accountable for meeting service criteria and bid on cost. The union could bid on these contracts.

Maybe this wouldn't even be any cheaper, but at least customer service could improve. There are many problems you could lay at the feet of TTC management (by politicians with no expertise in management), but bad customer service is almost assuredly a problem with the attitude of the front-line workers.