TTC now stands for Take The Cab
Toronto Transit Commission – it’s such a joke
By Arthur Weinreb Monday, March 22, 2010
It just gets sillier and sillier. Last week, Toronto police pulled over a bus in the east end of the city after passengers called 911 to report the driver’s erratic driving. A breath test was administered to the operator and she blew between .05 and .08. Breathalyzer readings of that level are not high enough to constitute a criminal offence but are in the “warning” range and trigger provincial sanctions. The driver lost her license for three days.
The TTC refuses to release the driver’s name or to say what, if any, punishment will be doled out for drinking and then driving a bunch of passengers. They, and the union, are taking the position that this is a personnel matter and nobody else’s business. While this is technically correct since no criminal charge was or could be laid against the driver, it’s a clear indication that the rights of the drivers take precedence over the safety of the public. So, Torontonians who take public transit and worry about driving with someone who has had a couple may want to think twice before boarding a bus driven by a woman in her 40s..............
When everything is added up, public transit in Toronto is not only a joke but a bad one. Of course it’s the innocent passengers who are to blame. Drinking drivers are no one’s business. Sleeping transit workers should be left alone to sleep in peace. And apparently leaving a bus full of passengers in order lining up to buy a coffee is just part of the job.
Nothing will ever change until the current crop of councillors is replaced by adults. We need a mayor who will appoint someone to head the large transit system who has experience in public transit or at least experience in making complex business decisions rather than simply the ability to go down on their knees in front of the mayor.
It’s no wonder that people who can afford it will never ever give up their cars or their taxi rides in favour of using public transit. As councillor and possible mayoral candidate Rob Ford put it, the TTC now stands for Take The Cab.
Toronto Transit Commission – it’s such a joke
By Arthur Weinreb Monday, March 22, 2010
It just gets sillier and sillier. Last week, Toronto police pulled over a bus in the east end of the city after passengers called 911 to report the driver’s erratic driving. A breath test was administered to the operator and she blew between .05 and .08. Breathalyzer readings of that level are not high enough to constitute a criminal offence but are in the “warning” range and trigger provincial sanctions. The driver lost her license for three days.
The TTC refuses to release the driver’s name or to say what, if any, punishment will be doled out for drinking and then driving a bunch of passengers. They, and the union, are taking the position that this is a personnel matter and nobody else’s business. While this is technically correct since no criminal charge was or could be laid against the driver, it’s a clear indication that the rights of the drivers take precedence over the safety of the public. So, Torontonians who take public transit and worry about driving with someone who has had a couple may want to think twice before boarding a bus driven by a woman in her 40s..............
When everything is added up, public transit in Toronto is not only a joke but a bad one. Of course it’s the innocent passengers who are to blame. Drinking drivers are no one’s business. Sleeping transit workers should be left alone to sleep in peace. And apparently leaving a bus full of passengers in order lining up to buy a coffee is just part of the job.
Nothing will ever change until the current crop of councillors is replaced by adults. We need a mayor who will appoint someone to head the large transit system who has experience in public transit or at least experience in making complex business decisions rather than simply the ability to go down on their knees in front of the mayor.
It’s no wonder that people who can afford it will never ever give up their cars or their taxi rides in favour of using public transit. As councillor and possible mayoral candidate Rob Ford put it, the TTC now stands for Take The Cab.
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/21241
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