A TTC passenger frustrated by a long wait for a bus took matters into her own hands after she was told there was no room for her when it finally showed up.
A video, shot by a passenger aboard the affected bus, shows the disgruntled passenger walking in front of the bus for a number of blocks along Landsdowne Avenue, forcing it to slow to a crawl with a second bus behind it, each carrying “nearly 100 passengers,” according to the video description on YouTube.
Andreas Wesley, who posted the video, told Global News the incident took place around 5:30 p.m. last Friday and that there were about 100 people waiting for the bus for about a half an hour.
READ MORE: TTC launches new anti-harassment app, campaign
Two buses eventually arrived and everyone attempted to crowd on.
With people “squished” against the door, the driver said he couldn’t begin to drive unless those passengers — including the woman in the video — got off and got on the bus behind them. That bus, Wesley said, was also full.
The woman then started walking in front of the bus. The driver then asked if anyone had a cellphone, and that’s when Wesley began to film, he said.
“I’ve got a disgruntled customer who is walking down in the middle of the road blocking and holding up traffic here, not letting me pass as a I try to change lanes,” the driver can be heard explaining on the phone to the TTC control.
READ MORE: Toronto man looking for ‘selfless’ Good Samaritan after serious fall at TTC station
“I have an absolutely packed bus — I had to leave her on the sidewalk, I had no room for her. I have another bus behind me and we’re sort of creeping along.”
In the video, the woman can be seen waving at opposing traffic as she walks along.
She allows vehicles in the left-hand lane to get by, but when the bus tries to change lanes, she immediately steps in front and blocks its path.
Wesley said passengers on the bus had mixed emotions, some laughed, while others were angry.
READ MORE: Toronto’s King Street pilot project: what you need to know
“Really?” a passenger on the bus can be heard commenting in the background.
“Are you kidding me?” asks another.
TTC spokesperson Susan Sperling acknowledged the TTC had been made aware of the video.
WATCH: TTC passenger protests by walking in front of bus, blocking traffic in west Toronto neighbourhood
“The bus operator behaved in an appropriate and safe manner, and ensured that his customer, the woman who was blocking the bus, and other road users remained safe,” she said in a statement.
Wesley said the woman walked north up until Wallace Avenue before disappearing, blocking the bus for about five minutes.
He said long wait times and bus shortages have been becoming a lot more frequent in the area.
Comments