Growth of transit ridership is a subject often discussed in the abstract, but rarely with specifics and particularly with no thought to the financial implications for Toronto and supporting “partners” in other governments. Transit is one of those “good things” we will support at least with fantasy maps of future networks and even billions here and there for construction. Actual transit service is quite another matter.
This issue surfaces again with two 5-year plans at the TTC Board meeting of May 16, 2024:
Both plans talk about many things other than ridership, and I will leave a wider review for another day. The Corporate Plan includes one of those great time-wasters of management navel-gazing, new vision and mission statements.
The new vision statement: Moving Toronto towards a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous future.
The new mission statement: To serve the needs of transit riders by providing a safe, reliable, efficient, and accessible mass public transit service through a seamless integrated network to create access to opportunity for everyone.
The concept of actual growth is buried in five “strategic directions” rather than being the one overarching goal.
- Build a Future-Ready Workforce.
- Attract New Riders, Retain Customer Loyalty.
- Place Transit at the Centre of Toronto’s Future Mobility.
- Transform and Modernize for a Changing Environment.
- Address the Structural Fiscal Imbalance.
In simpler days, this was expressed by the motto still found on the TTC coat of arms:
“Service Courtesy Safety”
The Service and Customer Experience Plan, true to its name, actually focuses on service although one might hope it would aim higher if only to inform debate on possible futures for Toronto. It does include a number of options including costs projected out five years. This is a welcome reminder of the 2003 Ridership Growth Strategy that started from the premise “here is what we could achieve” rather than “we cannot afford to even talk about improvements”.
Not mentioned in either of these is the TransformTO scheme for massive increase in transit service and ridership. TTC staff included this in a December 2023 update on their Electric Bus Plan. There has been some confusion about whether this is actually an approved Council policy, and I understand that it is not. In any event, it is another vision of the future, and it would incur very high costs for additional fleet, infrastructure and service.
A vital point about service plans is that rapid transit construction alone will not achieve high growth both because trains must run in those tunnels to carry riders, but also because those riders do not all live and work at stations. The service to and between the rapid transit lines is as important as the shiny new stations and tunnels.
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Steve Munro 