The TTC’s new CEO will need to bring expertise to move rapidly towards progressive changes for better public transit, prioritizing service reliability, safety, maintenance, and state of good repair of Toronto’s public transit. ATU Local 113 will be there to continue to work towards improving transit for workers and riders.
Comprehensive solutions to Toronto’s transit issues, such as authentic service improvement and consistent investment in state of good repair, requires all stakeholders to work together. Listening to transit workers, who are the eyes and ears of the system, will be paramount in clearly identifying problems and finding solutions. It will require a close examination of corporate KPIs that are more geared towards ‘savings’ – and not authentic ‘service’ improvements.
Finally, the TTC needs leadership to be firmly invested in advocating for reliable and sustainable transit operational funding from all levels of government, to support the promise of Toronto, and its place in the Canadian economy.
We have an opportunity to build a transit system together that is held to a higher standard than where we are currently – a higher standard of care, accountability, and transparency to the public we serve and the workers that provide the service.