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Next Mayor of Toronto?

GraphicMatt said:
If the TTC is getting worse, why is ridership growing? Negative public perception is growing because ridership is growing. More and more people have started relying on the TTC as their sole means of transportation, and so complaints about poor customer serivce or major delays are more prominent. Customer service has been forced into becoming a major priority because record numbers of transit users are noticing how poor it is, and demanding improvement.
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Well, you've just admitted my point, which is that the TTC's service is poor. And it won't get better until transit advocates stop being apologists for the status quo.

I think some of this is due to changes in labour standards. Limiting the amount of overtime, for example.
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For some reason, these limits to overtime have not stopped the proliferation of $100k+ ticket collectors (who may or may not be sleeping on the job).

Back to the topic: Now that it has emerged, I doubt this "TTC Sucks" meme is going anywhere soon, so Giambrone's timing is unfortunate. Unless he wises up and drops out, he'll soon find himself riding a tide a voter anger to (much deserved) oblivion.
 
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Well, you've just admitted my point, which is that the TTC's service is poor. And it won't get better until transit advocates stop being apologists for the status quo.
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I think many aspects of TTC customer service are quite poor. I also think this has been true for decades. The reason there's been such a spotlight on poor customer service recently is because other aspects of TTC service - specifically the amount of service, which is kind of the most important part - have improved markedly, thus driving up ridership.

If the TTC chair had 'balanced the budget' by slashing service across the city, I bet the volume of customer complaints would be much lower. But would we be better off?

For some reason, these limits to overtime have not stopped the proliferation of $100k+ ticket collectors (who may oe may not be sleeping on the job).
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No, they haven't, and this is unacceptable. Giambrone's major weakness in any election will be his capitulations to labour. He needs to come out tough.


Back to the topic: Now that it has emerged, I doubt this "TTC Sucks" meme is going anywhere soon, so Giambrone's timing is unfortunate. Unless he wises up and drops out, he'll soon find himself riding a tide a voter anger to (much deserved) oblivion.
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I agree that this is something that will dog him throughout the election, rightly or wrongly, but I also think it's important to remember that the vast majority of the electorate doesn't post angry comments on the Toronto Star website complaining about socialists. Giambrone is not polling terribly and he has a real shot at the same downtown and immigrant vote that took Miller into office twice. Especially if Rossi and Smitherman end up splitting the "I am angry about unions!" vote.

That said, I'm still undecided. I'd like to vote for Smitherman but he needs to display some progressive qualities. And he needs some damn policy positions.
 
Darwinkgo said:
What month is it and when is the election? Everyone has lots of time to put forward policies.
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I get that, but at the same time it's not like he hasn't started campaigning. I don't need a full platform or anything but I'd like a little bit more substance from him than "I will get tough on things" and "I am a good ice skater."
 
SimonP said:
Toronto - 2,493,000 riders - 11,300 staff - 221 riders per employee

The ridership numbers are all from the the APTA daily rider stats and should be an accurate comparison of systems. The employee numbers are from the agencies' Wikipedia pages.
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I'll just note that your Toronto ridership number does not correspond to the one I quoted.

Is it your point that the TTC's staff the most effiicient system in North America? If so, I shudder to imagine what the others must be like. Instead of comparing the TTC to other systems (which may or may not be worthy of emulating), let's return to my original point, which compares the TTC today with what it was 20 or more years ago. The overall story is one of slow steady decline -- in terms of service, in terms of consumer value, in terms of fiscal management, in terms of reputation.
 
I think one of the reasons (and I have no basis for this, it is just a hunch) for so much increased scrutiny on the TTC workers is the summer strike. Due to the recession, there is quite a bit of negative sentament still around the public sector workers. Many in the private sector have felt a pronounced change in the dymanmic of thier job and it seems like not only are the public sector workers protected from this - they seem a little insensitive to it. The TTC workers are just the most likely contact point for the average citizen to vent on this general feeling - and then the response from the union was sort of pouring water on a gas fire.
 
kEiThZ said:
Nobody thought it was a good idea for the federal government to mismanage the national air carrier. Why would anybody think its a good idea for the TTC to be so tightly controlled by politicians? They could use a bit more independence. It'll force them to grow up.
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With the biggest complaint about TTC of late is customer service, your using Air Canada as an example about how to improve TTC? :eek:
 
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^^ That's a reasonable hunch, Monsieur Tang.

There has been a lot of grumbling about unionized TTC workers' pay for a very long time, particularly with the ticket takers.

However, the garbage strike really stoked the fire of anti-public sector work sentiment.

That said, I think there is less concern with groups like bus drivers making reasonable dough. It's the ticket takers' salaries that are obscene. Yes, that's with overtime, but there really is no reason for anyone making over $100000 a year as a simple ticket taker even with lots of overtime.
 
Blovertis said:
Well, you've just admitted my point, which is that the TTC's service is poor. And it won't get better until transit advocates stop being apologists for the status quo.
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Most advocates seem to attack TTC frequently.

At the same time though, how do you account for all the service improvements in the last few years?
 
Glen said:
Rising gas prices probably have more to do with it.
http://apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/fuel_survey_0809.pdf
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/us/09transit.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/02/AR2008060201545.html

The increase in TTC ridership is not impressive compared to many other public transit systems.
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The increase in TTC ridership closely correlates to the rise in service levels after the cuts in the 90s. Gas prices probably play a role (they likely did moreso in 2008 - where all your sources are from -- when gas was $1.50/L) but I don't think they can account for the long-term, incremental increases we've been seeing.
 
The improvements at the TTC, while welcome, have come with an enormous cost increase to the consumer. What's disappointing with Mr. Giambrone is that so little has changed at the TTC, even with his supposed young, fresh outlook. A new website and some more buses are nice, but the TTC needs many more serious changes than these sort of tiny, incremental movements we've seen. A shake up in how fares are collected and used is needed, and the ATU needs to realize the TTC cannot be run at their whim. Neither of these things were even on Giambrone's radar. More money went in, and more service came out, but all in the exact same way it did (if not worse) as before Giambrone was at the helm.

There's still huge line ups to buy monthly passes. You can't pay by Interac or credit card. This is wholly unnacceptable. Payments at the TTC are literally exactly the same as they were 50 years ago.
GPS is in all vehicles, has been for years, but outside of Spadina station, good luck trying to find out where that next train is. This should not be difficult to complete, most the technology for this can be bought off the shelf.
St. Clair was a disaster, 2 years late, well over budget, and pissing off a lot of local residents.
The benefits of spending 100% of the massive amount of Transit City's funding on light rail is dubious at best (to me, anyway).
The hybrid buses purchase was a complete disaster, and not at all thought through.

Giambrone got a few more buses and streetcars running, and under his watch cash fare prices went up 33%. Not a great record by any means.
 
680 news has a poll today on the mayoral options. Such online polls are never scientific, but it might give some indication of how the more right-wing section of the electorate is thinking. The current numbers are:

#Rossi 24%
#Smitherman 24%
#Giambrone 12%
#Mammoliti 3%
#Other 38%

The most notable thing is the huge other vote. My guess is that represents a desire for a Rob Ford type conservative that Liberals Rossi and Smitherman have failed to meet.
 
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Rob Ford? Can you imagine? Could David Miller really have alienated so many people as to push even lefty Toronto that far to the right?
 
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