The TTC is on strike.
Once again the city is held hostage by a bunch of whiney babies. Where else can you get a job that pays as much as a teacher without any education? An oil field perhaps? I would lvoe to do a study showing the direct correlation between a rise in TTC wages, an increase in fare cost, and an increase in union dues. I am sure there is a very strong one.
The union spent considerable time creating posters which tell of how each the TTC contributes 12 billion to the economy of Toronto in economic, health and environmental benefits. Which it then goes on to the ridiculous claim that each TTC employee generates $1,000,000 to the Toronto economy. What is baffling is how they can think that we are all that stupid. By the same token we could add up all the costs of the TTC in it’s 50+ year history and claim that each TTC employee costs the city more money than they contribute.
Not to mention it makes some great claims like “Bob helps the disabled move around the city.” Gee, thanks Bob for doing your fucking job. You’re a driver of a Wheel-Trans van for Chist-sake your supposed to drive the disabled around! Or Raj helped a lost child in the middle of the road reach safety. That is so much more heart-warming than Raj mowed down a 5-year old standing on the tracks.
The site has been so ill recieved that it has been taken down. I especially loved the enter our contest to win a free monthly pass. How about win a contest to have your streetcar arrive on-time for a change.
Now the TTC transports about 1.5 million riders a day. Times that by $2.75 per fare and then by 365 days and you get $1,505,625,000. So the people using this fucking thing contribute 1.5 billion dollars to it annually, not to mention municipal, provincial and federal funding. All that money and the thing is still a fucking disaster. I’ve lost count of how many times I have been left standing waiting for streetcar only to be met by three or four in a row. To me it is embarrasing that a country like China, which in many ways is still a developing country, can have a public transit system that puts ours to shame.
Now there are some legitimate concerns such as driver safety . There have been many indicents where someone is hurt, including the driver. But that is what the fucking police are for. Next time someone threatens a driver, simply radio for the police. Have them deal with it, its their job. Of course, their union will probably claim they shouldn’t be put in harm’s way or some such nonsense.
If the drivers are still concerned for their safety, simply put them in a cage similar to the drivers in England. The TTC is aready going to spend 17 million putting cameras on all the buses. The real sticking points are that the union wants 100% of wages to be paid to those union members who are on some sort of stress/sick leave. Which is ridiculous considering they already get 85% which is more than anyone I know.
They have also included a clause called the “GTA clause” that would guarantee them a raise if another transit union in the area recieved higher wages. Can’t you just see Mississauga transit union getting the same deal and the two unions playing off of each other to get more and more money like some sort of auction… “Do I hear $27.50 an hour? Do I hear $28?” Just ridiculous.
Give the TTC employees $8.75 for a month and then see how they feel about their “raw deal”, then they will also understand how disensable they are.
Wow buddy… what a load of crap. Dont get me wrong im sure there are some stuff thats true but you really should get your shit together before you go ranting about stuff you dont know or understand. How can someone make claims on the operation of an organization without even working for them.
You talked about calling the cops instead of the driver dealing with it. Once on the bus I saw a guy punch a driver and took off running. what do you do then. calling the cops rarely ends with nothing.
As for the fare, do u really believe that EVERYONE pays the 2.75. I know people that peel tickets and short change drivers and as for the province or the city they only cover about 7% of TTC overhead, 13% comes from ads and the rest is from the farebox.
As for being late… thats like being pissed off at them when they are late in a snow storm.
Look I know its a piss off but the only ones that know what they go through are the drivers. There’s a reason that transit operators are ranked 3rd most stressfull job. Maybe we should both apply and see what its really like. and then we can both shut up lol
Hi KB.
First off, to say I can’t complain about the way the TTC is run because I don’t work for them is asinine. By your point, everyone complaining about Rogers and the iPhone or Bell and Telus charging $0.15 for incoming text messages should shut up because they don’t work for them. Or that I shouldn’t complain about the war because I am not in Afghanistan or in the military.
As a daily customer I think I am more than qualified to point out what is wrong. I can see that drivers get harassed you know what the solution is? Put them in a cage. That’s what they did in London England to deal with the problem. Or how about, make the TTC free. I am sure that the vast majority of conflicts between drivers and riders is in regards to fares, so just get rid of them. Improve the advertising spaces, include video on the subway and charge advertisers to sell to a captive audience.
Also how is paying the union, oops I mean the drivers, more money going to solve the assault issue anyway?
Not to mention the fact that when the TTC went on strike, they claimed to give everyone 48 hours notice. Instead they left at midnight on a Friday screwing everyone who has out for the evening. They could have waited until the end of service, it wouldn’t have hurt them. Or they could have given the 48 hours they said they would.
As for being late, schedule the mother fucker already. How many times have you been left standing there waiting for a streetcar only to be met by 4 in a row? Get rid of the streetcars, put in some buses and then they can leapfrog stops so they don’t have to stop at every one. Not to mention the fact that the street cars can’t get out of the way for emergency vehicles. I’ve lost count at the number of times I have seen the fire trucks near work get stuck between a streetcar and an idiot who can’t figure out how to get out of the way.
I have ridden transit in dozens of countries many of which eclipse our own. It shouldn’t take a group of rocket surgeons to figure out how to make it efficient. Instead I have to walk through a puddle INSIDE the fucking station every time it rains because no one can be bothered to clear the drain. Rather than hiring someone who can actually do the job, they waste our money putting posters up that tell us how wonderful they are because Bob didn’t run over a five-year-old on the tracks!
Thanks for the offer to join them, but I prefer a job where people are encouraged to excel not maintain the status quo.