More than one million people use the Toronto Transit Commission every day, relying on its network of four subway lines, 11 streetcar routes and more than 140 bus routes to transport them through their daily lives.
Although many of us invariably take the TTC’s services for granted, just imagine this:
Toronto’s first public transit service began in 1861, with horse-drawn streetcars transportation residents in the summer months and horse-drawn sleighs providing wintertime transportation.
How times have changed. As you begin your day, here’s some more food for thought:
1- One six-car subway train replaces the equivalent of 910 vehicles in morning rush hour, while one bus replaces the equivalent of about 45 vehicles.
2 –The TTC’s fleet consists of 700 subway cars, 248 streetcars and 1730 buses.
3- In 1921, the first motorized buses began operating, and in 1954, the first subway line — from Union to Eglinton Station —opened.
4- By the end of 2009 (that’s just three months away), hybrid buses will make up 40 per cent of the TTC fleet, and by 2012, all buses will be equipped with bike racks.
5- If you don’t have the exact fare when boarding a bus or streetcar and have to pay the fare with a large bill, ask the driver for a refund voucher, which you can bring to the TTC head office for a refund.
6- The door chime on the subway is the first three notes from the Sesame Street theme song.
7- At the Bay subway station, there is actually another unused subway platform on a lower level, often used by film crews. It’s been used in films including Extreme Measures starring Gene Hackman and Hugh Grant, Don’t Say a Word starring Michael Douglas and many others.
8- Wheel-Trans, the TTC’s fully accessible door-to-door specialized system, makes about 5,000 trips each weekday.
9- With 1.5 million passengers each day, the TTC has one of the highest per capita ridership rates in North America.
10- The last year that fare revenues met TTC operating expenses was 1970.
source: Toronto Transit Commission
