The Horror of a Big City
The Toronto Transit Commission serves the Greater Toronto Area, its residents and its visitors. Within the borders of our city, the routes run pretty much all over and move millions of people each week. To help serve our community better the TTC also runs routes that extend past our borders and go into neighbouring regions. However that help ended up sneaking in past the battle lines of the different Transit authorities, there remains one clear thing. Really, the interests of the commuters is second to the bureaucracy.
I went to mail a package through DHL, a service that resides just north of the Scarborough area of Steeles. (or ok, Agincourt) I took a route north and got off one block north of Steeles. I honestly do not see why I should have to pay an EXTRA fare to exit the bus! It just stinks of rules followed to an extreme, like overly strict company health and safety policy officers might make you feel. (I should know, I work with some)
I have a Metropass, yet that doesn’t count because I am now outside of Toronto so I have to pay the TTC an extra fare. (I can only assume that they are supposed to pay that fare to the transit authority for that area?) Now, to be honest bus operator said she wouldn’t charge me as she thinks it’s a stupid rule and I was the only one on the bus, but she would have had to if more people were on it.
Another thing noticed was that on my return trip, the bus was PACKED (I am sure this was the Birchmount bus) and the driver let me get on with my Metropass. As we passed Steeles going south he never asked anyone for an extra fare to continue going. I am not sure if the rules are different for buses headed into the city but if they are then this is another example of how the rules are stupid. If the rules are not different my argument still stands. This doesn’t make travel any easy, attractive or personal for the commuter, it only serves to continue to prop up what my Birchmount North driver called an ugly turf war between the transit companies. I’m sure readers who take MT have similar stories.
Sure, I should have been happy that I didn’t have to pay extra, but I have in the past. I feel asleep once on the bus and ended up in Markham. The Don Mills bus driver asked me for my fare before I left that time.
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this was very interesting. i’m glad the employees realize the realities of living rather than the bureaucrat’s behind desks shoving pencils.