The TTC is reviewing its Service Standards with consultations of interested groups and the general public. The first public survey is now online until Sunday, October 11, 2026.
The goals, as stated in the introduction to the online questionnaire, are:
- bring more transparency to how we plan, deliver, monitor, and evaluate service
- support better service planning and delivery
- make sure our standards better reflect the perspectives and experiences of customers and front-line staff
Full disclosure: I have participated in earlier reviews of the Standards through the TTC’s Planning Advisory Committee.
This round does not cover all aspects of the Standards, but seeks to gain feedback on some key issues and options:
- Streetcar stop spacing
- Service reliability
- Vehicle crowding
A second round in the Winter (date TBA) will present findings and recommendations, and may address other topics. This process will not reach the point of new standards going to the TTC Board for approval before the 2027 Network Plan or the 2027 Budget, but could affect in-year service changes either as a goal or a constraint.
Although the TTC hopes to develop new or refined metrics by which service could be analyzed, there is little of this in the survey. A challenge with metrics is the need to understand how they work, and in particular what opportunities they provide to “game the standards”. In effect, are gold stars rewarded for indifferent work because the questions and marking scheme are skewed?
Even with its shortcomings, I urge readers who care about TTC service to fill out the survey.
The main part of this article reviews the questionnaire and some of the assumptions behind the options offered.
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