Frequent TTC riders dissatisfied with service, concerned with overcrowding: Poll

A new survey from Forum Research shows people who ride the TTC frequently are less likely to be satisfied with the service and are concerned about overcrowding.

The survey polled 977 Toronto voters over several days and found that while 66 per cent of respondents said they are satisfied with the transit system, that number went down when riders used the service more frequently.

Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research, said they conducted the survey after several incidents on the TTC caused overcrowding less than two weeks ago.

“There was a lot of controversy over the last week about overcrowding in the subway stations and there were a lot of videos out there,” he said.

“We wanted to see as an objective measure, is it a one-time thing? Or do people feel like there is a lot of overcrowding going on, and by far people are experiencing it quite a bit.”

READ MORE: Issues with Toronto subway raise questions about city’s position as major hub

The poll found 91 per cent of respondents experienced some form of overcrowding.

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The survey also asked which transit project should take top priority and 41 per cent of people agreed the downtown relief line should be the number one priority.

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“We have had a bunch of subways that don’t have high ridership and I’m not sure if polling was done beforehand to see what people’s preferences were. Here we are about to start the Scarborough subway and here we are about to start construction and it’s not the number one choice for people.”

READ MORE: ‘Relief kits’ to be handed out amid TTC board meeting to address crowding on subway

The TTC said in a statement they do not comment on polls, adding “we do our own research and customer surveys regularly, and report out on those publicly through the TTC board.”

Kevin Parra, a transit rider that uses the TTC more than two times a day, said he is faced with delays almost daily.

“It seems like every morning there are delays and signal problems,” he said. “The TTC is not that reliable right now.”

Parra said he wants to see a push to have the proposed downtown relief line built.

“The Yonge line is super crowded… there has been talk for years but there hasn’t been any real investment.”

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On Feb. 1, Mayor John Tory spoke with media, saying the relief line “sits at the top of the priority list.”

“We have fully funded the planning and design and engineering work that will lead to shovels being in the ground that will build the relief line,” Tory said.