What should the TTC be looking for in its new CEO? TTCriders thinks that the next CEO should use public transit and want to fix it. Read our full letter.
Re: Item #14 - Recruitment of a Permanent Chief Executive Officer
Dear TTC Board members,
TTCriders is a membership-based organization of transit users. We have become increasingly concerned in recent years about the TTC’s slide into serious disrepair and the lack of transparency and honesty about resources required to fix the system. Some of the most concerning incidents include:
A rash of subway slow zones in 2024 without a clear explanation or plan to fix them;
External consultant reports about the 2023 Scarborough RT derailment revealed that TTC staff were warned in advance that the way they classified defects was inadequate, and that the defect that caused the derailment had been found 2 weeks prior. The reports were buried instead of brought forward to the TTC Board in a timely manner.
A series of 7 hydraulic fluid leaks from subway work cars in 2024 were not reported until a 12-hour shutdown on Line 2 and whistle-blowers came forward about previous incidents. Work cars that could be out repairing TTC slow zones are instead sidelined.
A cracked switch rail that caused a morning Line 1 shutdown on March 1, 2024;
In 2023, TTC staff told Councillors that a list of proposed service cuts would be made public before the City Budget was passed. The list of planned cuts was never shared, but a Freedom of Information request revealed they had been available at the time.
A near-miss subway crash at Osgoode Station on June 12, 2020 that was only brought forward to the TTC Board after the Toronto Star reported on the incident.
At least 12 of the TTC’s 70 subway stations will not be fully accessible by the January 1, 2025 deadline set out under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
We urge you to consider the following criteria when recruiting a permanent CEO for the TTC:
The TTC’s next CEO should be a transit user, who cares about the experience of using transit and seeks to understand problems first-hand from the perspective of the diverse people who use the TTC every day.
The TTC’s next CEO should have a track record of accountability. You can’t fix what you don’t measure, and the CEO should be honest about the state of TTC service quality by reporting on the meaningful key performance indicators in a timely way.
The TTC’s next CEO should bring passion for fixing the TTC and rebuilding ridership. The next CEO should prioritize the TTC’s poor state of repair by fixing slow zones, champion transit priority measures and other quick wins to fix service reliability, and introduce new policies like fare capping to respond to changing ridership patterns.
The TTC’s next CEO should be an advocate for funding the system’s needs and growth. Funding from the new federal Canada Public Transit Fund will not be available until 2026, and will not bridge the TTC’s State of Good Repair budget gap or projected operating budget shortfalls.
The next CEO must ensure that the TTC continues to grow rather than decline. The TTC is a crucial part to the daily life of everyone in the City of Toronto, and reflects to visitors the state of our city. We deserve a leader who will take us to the next stop with better, affordable service and honesty.
Sincerely,
TTCriders
Ben Spurr and Ben Cohen of the Toronto Star report on the 2025 City Budget. TTC riders are considered winners due to the investments being made in transit!
Read analysis from TTCriders about what's being proposed in the TTC budget in 2025 and how to get involved! Members of the public can speak directly to City Councillors during budget hearings on January 21 and 22 at locations across Toronto.
TTCriders reaction to the release of the 2025 TTC budget.