Bombardier, Presto, fare enforcement on TTC's agenda today

Today's final TTC board meeting of 2016 will look at increasing the powers of transit enforcement officers, review Bombardier's slow delivery of streetcars and update the implementation of the Presto fare system.

The board will consider asking the province to give its enforcement officers the power to tag and tow vehicles.

"You know how annoying it is when you're on the streetcar and the streetcar's unable to progress along a street because someone's parked illegally," said CEO Andy Byford.

"We would like our special constables to have the ability to tow and tag those vehicles, but also to be able to direct traffic where, for example, there was a traffic accident."

The TTC would like the new powers to take effect in the third quarter of next year.

The commission is considering this because it is expected to lose the police Transit Patrol Unit. In June, a review  recommended disbanding the unit, saying it duplicated what TTC constables are doing.

A staff report also recommended the board approve outfitting TTC fare inspectors in "customer service friendly uniform(s) with no batons and no handcuffs." 

An Environics customer perception survey found inspectors wearing white shirts were more easily identified than those wearing the original grey shirts. The survey also found passengers had a better perception of inspectors wearing white, and interactions were more positive.

Byford will also update the board on the delays in delivering new streetcars.

Bombardier was contracted to hand over 36 new streetcars this year. The company delivered 16.

TTC staff has suggested the commission consider finding another supplier, but not until Toronto has received 60 new streetcars.

"At the moment, that decision point hasn't reached us, and I would rather focus for now on getting new streetcars into service," said Byford. "If we were to pull the plug, as you put it, to stop with a particular supplier then how would that help my customers?"

If Bombardier fulfils its agreement, Toronto will have 70 of the vehicles on the tracks by the end of next year.

These delays are particularly troubling for Emily Daygle.

"As a person with disabilities, I'm frustrated because these streetcars are freedom," she said outside the city's budget committee meeting yesterday.

Daygle uses an electric wheelchair. She said riding the new accessible streetcars allows her to make last-minute plans rather than having to book a ride three or four days in advance with Wheel-Trans.

"You (Bombardier) have failed your own stated delivery schedule and yet who are you apologizing to? Who are you saying, 'OK, we'll do better'?" asked Daygle. "Are you going to people with disabilities and saying, 'This is why we're not providing accessibility'? No, you're not."

Presto Change-O

Byford also said all 240 streetcars, most stations and all but 100 of its 1,800 buses are outfitted with Presto.

So far, only six per cent of passengers use the payment system. He acknowledged there have been some hiccups, with some customers complaining that the machines on some buses don't work.

"Invariably, you get teething problems when you buy an IT system, but we've made it very clear to Metrolinx, and they have in turn made it clear to their supplier, that the teething problems, the reliability problems, must be addressed."

Byford said he expects 30 per cent of riders to use Presto by the end of next year. By 2018, the aim is for all passengers to switch over.

• TTC faces $72.6M shortfall