The bitter way
Which TTC route attracted the most complaints from riders? Why we whine, what they do about it — and how your route ranks.
By Emily Fagan and Nathan PillaDrivers slamming on the brakes, injuring passengers. A rider with a toddler falling and breaking her nose, after the driver refuses to kneel the bus. A passenger leaving a bus in tears after being berated by a driver.
Those are just some of the thousands of complaints riders filed with TTC last year, according to records obtained by the Star through a freedom of information request.
We dug into the thousands of comments, complaints and suggestions sent into the transit agency last year to determine what the most common gripes of streetcars and bus riders were — as those riders have more direct contact with drivers and surface routes can be delayed, rerouted or miss stops more easily than subway lines.
Though ridership has continued to languish below pre-pandemic levels, the number of complaints has surged. Ridership last year was still only 77 per cent of what it was in 2019, while complaints were at 83 per cent of their 2019 level.
On average, the transit agency received more than 130 complaints a day last year. That’s more than five every hour — the most since 2020, when the number of complaints plummeted by 40 per cent due to the drop in riders caused by the pandemic.
As you might expect, more complaints were filed during the rush hour periods when ridership is at its peak: about one out of every four were filed between 4 and 7 p.m.
Before we embark
Riders file complaints at all hours of the day but the most popular times are at 8 a.m and 5 p.m when most people are going to or leaving the office.
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The complaints range from the mundane, about graffiti, fare evasion, dirty stations and vehicles not showing up on schedule, to the extreme: passengers who say drivers closed their limbs in the doors or faced other transit-related injuries, people who describe drivers with road rage, and riders who say they faced racism or rude comments from drivers that made them cry.
With so many similar gripes appearing so often, it’s no wonder riders question whether anyone even listens to their complaints.
In fact, each complaint is analyzed by one of 29 customer service representatives, who respond and then pass it on to specific departments for “action or information,” according to TTC spokesman Stuart Green. In some cases, TTC staff have been fired due to complaints, which are tracked for persistent issues.
With more than two million riders each weekday, it’s not surprising that for some residents to ride the TTC is to resent the TTC. Here are the main areas of complaint:
Digging in the routes
As two of the TTC’s busiest surface routes, it’s not surprising the 501 Queen and 504 King were the target of so many gripes.
That the 501 had a significant edge over the second most complained about route, the 504, comes as no shock to transit analyst Steve Munro. “I can certainly understand it having a high complaints level because of the dog’s breakfast that the service was last fall,” he said, pointing out that the route has been diverted and split into three due to long-term construction. “November of last year, it was like every couple of weeks the Queen car changed how it was operating.”
He also noted that several streetcars faced numerous changes throughout the year due to construction — including the routes serving Toronto’s east end, which saw a disproportionate number of complaints.
“It was just this constant … I want to escape from the East End, but I don’t know how,” said Munro.
On the other hand, the 510 Spadina, also one of the busiest streetcar routes, had fewer complaints than expected largely because it didn’t face the same construction challenges.
The bus lines that sparked more complaints than you’d expect given their ridership, the 97 Yonge and the 49 Bloor, are both extreme cases of a common issue with TTC service, according to Munro: they run infrequently and inconsistently, making them difficult for riders to rely on.
One other outlier of note: buses on the Dufferin line — notoriously the slowest in the city — attracted much fewer complaints than expected. There’s a good reason for that, according to Munro. “That is complaint fatigue,” he said, adding he believes fewer riders complained about the “appallingly bad” service either because they think it won’t help, or they’ve come to expect a poorer quality bus.
Complaint fatigue
Complaints per month vary by route but overall complaints have been trending upward since January 2023.
Hate the wait
The top complaint sent in to the TTC last year — one voiced by more than 11,470 people — focused on delays plaguing transit vehicles. As previously reported by the Star, riders spent more than 1,306,541 minutes waiting for transit last year, with an average of 253 delays per day.
Many passengers conveyed frustration with delays across the city: some facing hour-long waits, missing or bunching transit vehicles, and the futility of delays that persist even after numerous complaints over weeks. Riders wrote in asking for increased service, more co-ordination to remedy the issue and accountability.
Breakdown of comments for all routes
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“This is unacceptable for a service that should be a necessary service. How do you justify this?” wrote in one rider, after waiting more than 30 minutes during rush hour for the 504 King. “There were so many people waiting at this critical time.”
The biggest offenders were streetcars that operate in the downtown arterial paths like King Street: the 501 Queen (which detours on King) and the 504 King. In November, it took a Star reporter 79 minutes to travel along King Street between Bathurst and Jarvis Streets, a journey that takes about half an hour on foot. Since introducing traffic agents along this route at the end of November, the city says traffic is three times faster — delay complaints dropped for both the 501 and 504 in December.
Delays can take a significant toll. One rider, who said they work five jobs and take transit to save money, said that having to Uber to work numerous times due to TTC delays is increasing their credit card debt.
“We pay our fare, receive faulty service, so then have to pay even more money to get to work on time with a cab,” they wrote. “I have been taking the TTC since 2001, and I am incredibly frustrated with how many times I’ve been late to work.”
A breakdown breakdown
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Rude, crude and lewd
Most drivers do not care
“You TTC drivers should really avoid water holes so that pedestrians don’t get showered while walking on the streets. This is not the first time I get showered while walking. Some drivers slow down but I highly doubt that most drivers do not care.”
9 BELLAMY on March 5th 2023 at 4:21pm
“Next time i wont f*ing miss”
“The operator almost hit the passengers head when pulling up to the curb. the Passenger told the operator the operator said ‘next time i wont f*ing miss’ The operator told her to ‘shut the f*ck up’”
52 LAWRENCE WEST on November 4th at 10:42am
Rude and disrespectful
“The bus driver was very rude and disrespectful, he was being very unpleasant towards me. As a woman travelling alone, it was a scary situation for me, and I would think twice before taking the ttc by myself again.”
68 Warden on November 21st at 9:16pm
Everyone heard it
“Repeatedly slammed on brakes and gas. Made ride uncomfortable for many passengers, especially those standing, who were jostled around constantly.
An elderly man asked why he drives so aggressively and he told the man to f*** off with a big grin on his face. Everyone heard it.”
52 LAWRENCE WEST on November 4th at 10:42am
The driver saw it all and did nothing
“Bus 79B (1398). Older woman was running for the bus and almost at the stop as I was exiting the bus. Driver quickly shut the doors before she could reach them and drove off, causing the woman to trip an fall. Driver saw her fall, as we stopped briefly, before speeding off again. I checked on her. Luckily she wasn’t severely injured but the driver saw it all and did nothing.”
79 SCARLETT ROAD on November 1st at 8:29pm
So unprofessional
“An extremely rude driver. Was watching me running crossing the street and as I was pressing the button to open the doors he ignored me completely. Then took off. There was still enough time for the lights for me to get on the streetcar and a dozen of people to get off of it. It happens a lot and you guys should really step up your customer service. It’s would not be tolerated in any other industry. So unprofessional.”
509 HARBOURFRONT on March 3rd at 1:46pm
The second most significant area of complaints was “discourtesy,” which encompasses everything from a curt driver to ones that riders say were racist, sexist, ableist and had them in tears. More than 6,690 people filed complaints in this category throughout 2023.
Those who wrote in with complaints described transit operators swearing at other drivers on the road, yelling at passengers who were struggling to communicate with language barriers, not kneeling the bus for people with disabilities or screaming at them, and assuming an Indigenous man attempting to board a bus had alcohol in his energy drink.
Multiple riders wrote in after a driver allegedly “lashed out and shamed” a woman who asked for the distance between the vehicle’s current location and Bathurst Street, calling her “stupid” and berating other passengers who stood up for her.
“The driver was being extremely misogynist,” one person wrote of the incident.
One student from Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate Institute complained after their friend, who is 12 years old, was accused of lying about his age and kicked off the bus.
“My friend is a short brown boy who is very obviously young,” the student wrote. “Minutes later, the bus driver gets to the stop near the train tracks … and sees a brown kid running to catch the bus. He stops the bus, opens the doors and waits for the kid to get close, then shuts the doors, laughs and the kid starts to beg him to open the doors, and the bus driver tells him to F off.”
Dispiriting drive‑bys
Anyone who regularly takes the TTC knows the flutter of anticipation as their bus or streetcar pulls up, only to have their hopes dashed as it drives past — sometimes, according to those who have complained, with a spray of freezing puddle water for good measure.
These complaints — of which the TTC received more than 6,400 in 2023 — express a mix of exasperation and injustice.
“Now we have to wait another 15 minutes,” wrote a rider of the 108 Driftwood bus. “Not fair after working all night.”
Two adults and two kids were passed while waiting for the 56 Leaside one afternoon. The group began “hightailing it” after the bus, which finally stopped after a man knocked on the bus door
“When I asked what happened, he was very aggressive and rude in tone and attitude, saying that ’I’m not a mind reader,’ and that we were not at the stop,” the rider wrote. “All of us most certainly (were).”
Acts of kindness
This means the world to him
“I would like to thank this driver very much. My son has autism and is very much a bus enthusiast. Since it’s March break we have been out in the park every day this week. When the driver see’s my son is so captivated by the bus he stops to wave and gives him a little honk. This means the world to him. Please thank him and give him my best. God bless.”
110 ISLINGTON SOUTH on March 16th at 5:28pm
Extremely impressed
“Excellent bus driver!!!! Bus 8312 going north toward Drew’s.
Courteous, polite, caring, attentive’ first time in years that I'm extremely impressed by one of your drivers!!”
160 BATHURST NORTH on March 9th at 1:36pm
Beyond helpful
“I was dumped by the previous short turn bus by a very rude driver (whom I submitted a complaint about). The next bus driver of the 34 Eglinton bus was lovely. I was confused as to where I was and she was beyond helpful, looking out for where I needed to get off. I wish I had her name because she was so kind and such a contrast to the jerk who drove the previous bus.”
34 EGLINTON EAST on March 6th at 12:19pm
So thoughtful
“The driver was so thoughtful. He ensured an elderly passenger boarded first and told her where a seat was available. He waited on others crossing the street to catch the bus. ”
47 LANSDOWNE on March 16th at 5:18pm
While passenger feedback shows the very worst of the TTC, it also provides a glimpse into moments of compassion and kindness.
TTC riders filed more than 2,760 compliments in 2023. The TTC’s Green said that about 10 unsolicited compliments come in each day.
One described a driver that, seeing riders waiting outside for a bus going west after theirs had been delayed due to snow, told them all to come in his bus to stay warm while he talked to his coworkers to figure out a way to help. The driver risked getting stuck in the snow to drive a detoured route, allowing his original passengers and the new ones to get to their destinations.
“It would’ve been a waaaay longer wait and I was planning to walk the 2-3 hour trek!! A true Torontonian hero in my books!” wrote the passenger. “Thank you Steve!!!!”