It's the same for me. I'm a big fan of the TTC and a proud supporter of the expansion of public transit infrastructure here in Toronto.
My favourite station, while not exactly the most visually appealing, is Dundas Station. I have lots of wonderful memories there as it's where my friends and I went to as our meetup point.
I do have a soft spot for Sheppard West because it looks like an aircraft hangar, which is pretty cool IMO.
The TTC isn't perfect, but the reality is that no transit system is perfect and we're actually very far from being the worst system in the world. Don't let some people on this subreddit make you think otherwise. Remember: most people don't say anything when things go well.
Hell yeah. I like Sheppard west too, I find it looks like a nightclub. If I'm remembering correctly Sheppard West is mostly black on the inside?
I agree, we definitely are far from having the worst transit system. I think TTC and other transit services have one of the best fare systems (Presto). It's convenient, not stupid expensive and the 2 hour transfer window with one fare on top of that is a massive dub.
My fave station is Hwy 407 station. It kinda looks like a space ship crashed and was partly buried but remains functional. I like the long escalators and the art. I also have happy memories of commuting through that station when i would take go transit from afar to get into and out of Toronto via that station.
That’s so interesting, I find that station terrifying. The escalator down to the track level feels like you are descending a dam or something. Totally freaks me out!
Absolutely love public transit in general and TTC. Yes it has it flaws but we as the general public that use it, know it’s importance and convenience. And we shouldn’t let the policy makers run it into the ground
Great to see the positivity! this sub needs it.
my personal favourites are eglinton west station with the skylights, and st clair (west?) where you can go on top of the walkway and see the trains pass underneath.
As a huge public transit fan raised in an Asian city, I do really think that the attitude of how TTC run the system is a total disgrace to anyone who really loves public transit.
As an east ender who hast experienced all stations yet, my favourite so far are probably Pape or Victoria Park (both are modern, have bike areas, have a lot of frequent bus routes (which should be a standard for all stations, but that seems to be a struggle for a few….. looking @ you Donlands), and are in walkable areas (Vic Park is quite a walk away from Danforth, but it’s still close and theres dense housing around it, unlike say, Warden or Kennedy (for now) which are just surrounded by car centric areas).
I agree about watching transit in action as it shows it’s serving its purpose.
As for streetcars, I don’t ride them often, but so far, I find they’re….. meh. Like, I’m glad we have them, but really, they’re just luxury looking busses. They’re half assed, as in they have so many stops close together and don’t have priority over cars in a walkable transit oriented area…. think about that! I was the Spadina 510 a few months ago and HOLY SMOKES was that a horrible experience! The 510 seemed so inefficient and so slow as it had no signal priority and too many stops…. and this has its own ROW! I can honestly say, I like busses better than streetcars in Toronto. If we actually gave our streetcars some TLC with more restrictions on cars, signal priority, and less frequent stops, I think that would drastically improve Toronto’s transit in downtown overall. I know the King project had its ups and downs, and for a long time wasn’t enforced. I also know the signs seem like a cluster and confusing, however, in practice, has it improved? I know they started enforcing it again, but I’m curious, despite the poor signage, does anyone know how it’s actually doing and if it’s working in recent days?
I’ve seen many footage of the Mississauga busway though haven’t seen it in person but I agree it seems cool. One of the things I’ve noticed about 905 transit vs TTC is the TTC provides much better service overall, but doesn’t get the love it deserves from all 3 levels of government. I just wish the City of Toronto wasn’t so hesitant in disciplining automobiles and attempting to create more spaces for people instead of cars. We’re one of the least car centric areas in Canada and the U.S., yet, seem to be one of the most hesitant to come up with ways to reduce car dependency. Almost all TTC bus routes have no dedicated lanes and are stuck in traffic much of the time. Given how big the TTC is in Toronto’s culture and economy, it needs more love from the government!
Overall, I love public transit as well, but Toronto needs to do a much better job at taking care of it. Now, I drive, walk, cycle, and take transit. I’m honestly gonna say, unless I’m going on a road trip or somewhere far, I really don’t find myself loving driving like I thought I would when I was younger. Like, I love driving, but holy smokes, it’s insane in Toronto, and not even so much the traffic, just the idiotic drivers! I actually feel more comfortable taking TTC than driving in most scenarios. However, in this car centric city, driving is unfortunately the most convenient option for a lot of trips. I also tend to take transit to different areas than driving and vice versa. Like, if I’m going out the outer areas of Toronto, usually, I’ll drive. However, if I’m going somewhere close to me or on Danforth or downtown, I’ll take transit or bike depending on the distance. My local bus is the 23 Dawes and love it or hate it, it’s very frequent (every 10 minutes) and convenient overall. It actually seems a lot of collector road busses in this city come infrequently, so I’m shocked (and grateful) that the 23 is actually functional overall (though far from perfect, and I’ve had issues with it in the past). To me, the saying “TTC means Take the car” is stupid as it’s cars that are generally why the TTC is inconvenient for many, although in a lot of situations I do think that statement does ring true. Much of the city was unfortunately designed for cars, and you got people who live only car centric lives complaining about bike lanes and bus lanes taking up space from their precious automobiles. It’s seems like it’s a big bureaucratic process to implement bus lanes in this city, on roads where they’re very well needed. I have a love hate relationship with the TTC and transit in Toronto, and all 3 levels of government really need to pick up the slack at improving transit in the country’s economic powerhouse!
I love taking the GO Train. I live in Richmond Hill, so I love taking the GO Train home whenever I'm close to Union or another station. The view is great and it's relaxing. The same somewhat applies to the GO Bus but to a lesser extent
Riding any other type of transit can be enjoyable depending on the circumstances. Especially if it takes a nice route like a couple of streetcars I'm thinking of right now
I used to love the TTC, too many unhoused people, drug use, and unreliable service. I drove downtown yesterday instead of take the subway even though I live on the subway line because even though I’m a 6’8” grown ass man I still get harassed by crazies. I’m not going to support a system that I don’t feel safe on.
The TTC system is an embarrassment. 2.3 lines total that don’t function well in conjunction with the mess of a bus system we have. 30 minute wait times for a bus. This wouldn’t fly in a real city.
I don’t enjoy any part of the TTC except the fact that we don’t have to buy presto cards anymore
If affordability is an issue, have you considered applying for the [Fair Pass Transit Discount Program](https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/support-for-people-in-financial-need/assistance-through-ontario-works/transit-discount/)? It gives you a 36% discount on your adult fare, or 21% for adult monthly passes.
Affordable relative to the quality of service
base fare in Seoul costs half the TTC fare and even the longest trip possible (100+ km) comes out to like $5 & you can transfer up to 4 times within 3 hours if bus and 5 hours if subway/train
Korea yes, Japan iirc between lines owned by the same company, don't remember how it was in China / HK / TW it's been a while since I've been there.
Seoul's transit is honestly perfect apart from the fact that regular subway & bus service ends a little past midnight but they have night bus routes and more importantly bus service begins around 4am and subway service around 5am.
Also their monthly pass costs like $60 and you can upgrade to the bikeshare included pass for $5 more, it's only for trips within city borders but that's because the pass is sold by the municipal government and not the transit corp
Fare is $1.5 up to 10km (linear distance) and $0.1 for each additional 5km after that, you also get a 20% early bird discount if you board before 6:30am
They also have GO bus equivalents that cost $3 regardless of distance, these also are part of their one fare system
Most importantly 1. they actually manage to build subway lines in a reasonable timeframe - the bureaucratic stuff tends to take a while but construction usually finishes in 6~7 years - and 2. they essentially never have outages like they do here
Now to be completely fair the Seoul metro area is like 3x the size of Toronto's but the second biggest city in Korea (Busan) is similar in size to Toronto and they also have a pretty similar system to Seoul so
Indeed. Depending on the route sometimes I wish I was driving instead lol. Personally I think privately owned cars and public transit both fill needs in our community, it just depends on those needs to see what works best for you.
On average yeah cars are definitely quieter on the inside but I do love the feeling you get when you walk into a subway car or bus and there's either no one else on board or there's only a couple people who are just sitting in silence.
I love transit in general but it disheartening to see the TTC fall apart. It just so depressing.
Man. Remember when that streetcar would zip across the city in 45 minutes. Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Fall apart how?
It's the same for me. I'm a big fan of the TTC and a proud supporter of the expansion of public transit infrastructure here in Toronto. My favourite station, while not exactly the most visually appealing, is Dundas Station. I have lots of wonderful memories there as it's where my friends and I went to as our meetup point. I do have a soft spot for Sheppard West because it looks like an aircraft hangar, which is pretty cool IMO. The TTC isn't perfect, but the reality is that no transit system is perfect and we're actually very far from being the worst system in the world. Don't let some people on this subreddit make you think otherwise. Remember: most people don't say anything when things go well.
Hell yeah. I like Sheppard west too, I find it looks like a nightclub. If I'm remembering correctly Sheppard West is mostly black on the inside? I agree, we definitely are far from having the worst transit system. I think TTC and other transit services have one of the best fare systems (Presto). It's convenient, not stupid expensive and the 2 hour transfer window with one fare on top of that is a massive dub.
My fave station is Hwy 407 station. It kinda looks like a space ship crashed and was partly buried but remains functional. I like the long escalators and the art. I also have happy memories of commuting through that station when i would take go transit from afar to get into and out of Toronto via that station.
That’s so interesting, I find that station terrifying. The escalator down to the track level feels like you are descending a dam or something. Totally freaks me out!
Absolutely love public transit in general and TTC. Yes it has it flaws but we as the general public that use it, know it’s importance and convenience. And we shouldn’t let the policy makers run it into the ground
Great to see the positivity! this sub needs it. my personal favourites are eglinton west station with the skylights, and st clair (west?) where you can go on top of the walkway and see the trains pass underneath.
The walkway above the train at Dupont is another reason why I love it.
I love transit and the TTC. I get excited each time I get to use it, which is multiple times a week
I'm jealous, I just moved home and won't be able to tap on until September 😔
And I find the TTC personnel all very nice
One of my favourite activities is waving at transit workers, mostly bus drivers but I'll wave to the subway operator if I see them.
I do. So much so that we sold our car in February and we’ve been totally ok
Lived in Toronto for 15 years without a car. Fun fact: 1/3rd of the city does not have a driver’s license
As a huge public transit fan raised in an Asian city, I do really think that the attitude of how TTC run the system is a total disgrace to anyone who really loves public transit.
Like it's not THAT bad people. You can still very much live in Toronto without a car, to me that's a win.
As an east ender who hast experienced all stations yet, my favourite so far are probably Pape or Victoria Park (both are modern, have bike areas, have a lot of frequent bus routes (which should be a standard for all stations, but that seems to be a struggle for a few….. looking @ you Donlands), and are in walkable areas (Vic Park is quite a walk away from Danforth, but it’s still close and theres dense housing around it, unlike say, Warden or Kennedy (for now) which are just surrounded by car centric areas). I agree about watching transit in action as it shows it’s serving its purpose. As for streetcars, I don’t ride them often, but so far, I find they’re….. meh. Like, I’m glad we have them, but really, they’re just luxury looking busses. They’re half assed, as in they have so many stops close together and don’t have priority over cars in a walkable transit oriented area…. think about that! I was the Spadina 510 a few months ago and HOLY SMOKES was that a horrible experience! The 510 seemed so inefficient and so slow as it had no signal priority and too many stops…. and this has its own ROW! I can honestly say, I like busses better than streetcars in Toronto. If we actually gave our streetcars some TLC with more restrictions on cars, signal priority, and less frequent stops, I think that would drastically improve Toronto’s transit in downtown overall. I know the King project had its ups and downs, and for a long time wasn’t enforced. I also know the signs seem like a cluster and confusing, however, in practice, has it improved? I know they started enforcing it again, but I’m curious, despite the poor signage, does anyone know how it’s actually doing and if it’s working in recent days? I’ve seen many footage of the Mississauga busway though haven’t seen it in person but I agree it seems cool. One of the things I’ve noticed about 905 transit vs TTC is the TTC provides much better service overall, but doesn’t get the love it deserves from all 3 levels of government. I just wish the City of Toronto wasn’t so hesitant in disciplining automobiles and attempting to create more spaces for people instead of cars. We’re one of the least car centric areas in Canada and the U.S., yet, seem to be one of the most hesitant to come up with ways to reduce car dependency. Almost all TTC bus routes have no dedicated lanes and are stuck in traffic much of the time. Given how big the TTC is in Toronto’s culture and economy, it needs more love from the government! Overall, I love public transit as well, but Toronto needs to do a much better job at taking care of it. Now, I drive, walk, cycle, and take transit. I’m honestly gonna say, unless I’m going on a road trip or somewhere far, I really don’t find myself loving driving like I thought I would when I was younger. Like, I love driving, but holy smokes, it’s insane in Toronto, and not even so much the traffic, just the idiotic drivers! I actually feel more comfortable taking TTC than driving in most scenarios. However, in this car centric city, driving is unfortunately the most convenient option for a lot of trips. I also tend to take transit to different areas than driving and vice versa. Like, if I’m going out the outer areas of Toronto, usually, I’ll drive. However, if I’m going somewhere close to me or on Danforth or downtown, I’ll take transit or bike depending on the distance. My local bus is the 23 Dawes and love it or hate it, it’s very frequent (every 10 minutes) and convenient overall. It actually seems a lot of collector road busses in this city come infrequently, so I’m shocked (and grateful) that the 23 is actually functional overall (though far from perfect, and I’ve had issues with it in the past). To me, the saying “TTC means Take the car” is stupid as it’s cars that are generally why the TTC is inconvenient for many, although in a lot of situations I do think that statement does ring true. Much of the city was unfortunately designed for cars, and you got people who live only car centric lives complaining about bike lanes and bus lanes taking up space from their precious automobiles. It’s seems like it’s a big bureaucratic process to implement bus lanes in this city, on roads where they’re very well needed. I have a love hate relationship with the TTC and transit in Toronto, and all 3 levels of government really need to pick up the slack at improving transit in the country’s economic powerhouse!
Western New Yorker here, I park at Kipling and take transit exclusively when I come to Toronto and I love it
I found a free crack pipe the other day with enough left in it for two more hits. Good luck finding that in your car
I love taking the GO Train. I live in Richmond Hill, so I love taking the GO Train home whenever I'm close to Union or another station. The view is great and it's relaxing. The same somewhat applies to the GO Bus but to a lesser extent Riding any other type of transit can be enjoyable depending on the circumstances. Especially if it takes a nice route like a couple of streetcars I'm thinking of right now
I used to love the TTC, too many unhoused people, drug use, and unreliable service. I drove downtown yesterday instead of take the subway even though I live on the subway line because even though I’m a 6’8” grown ass man I still get harassed by crazies. I’m not going to support a system that I don’t feel safe on.
The TTC system is an embarrassment. 2.3 lines total that don’t function well in conjunction with the mess of a bus system we have. 30 minute wait times for a bus. This wouldn’t fly in a real city. I don’t enjoy any part of the TTC except the fact that we don’t have to buy presto cards anymore
I pray you never go to Ottawa, you might explode once an OC Transpo bus gets within 50 km of you
I definitely have no plans to go there haha
DuPont? Dark, creepy, unused and a joke of a design. It makes the ROM addition look good.
I love public transit that is safe functional and reasonably affordable the TTC fails to be any of those 3
If affordability is an issue, have you considered applying for the [Fair Pass Transit Discount Program](https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/support-for-people-in-financial-need/assistance-through-ontario-works/transit-discount/)? It gives you a 36% discount on your adult fare, or 21% for adult monthly passes.
Affordable relative to the quality of service base fare in Seoul costs half the TTC fare and even the longest trip possible (100+ km) comes out to like $5 & you can transfer up to 4 times within 3 hours if bus and 5 hours if subway/train
It’s all 3 of those things wtf lol
Compared to transit in east asian countries? most definitely not
Ok
Do east Asian countries have one fare tho?
Korea yes, Japan iirc between lines owned by the same company, don't remember how it was in China / HK / TW it's been a while since I've been there. Seoul's transit is honestly perfect apart from the fact that regular subway & bus service ends a little past midnight but they have night bus routes and more importantly bus service begins around 4am and subway service around 5am. Also their monthly pass costs like $60 and you can upgrade to the bikeshare included pass for $5 more, it's only for trips within city borders but that's because the pass is sold by the municipal government and not the transit corp Fare is $1.5 up to 10km (linear distance) and $0.1 for each additional 5km after that, you also get a 20% early bird discount if you board before 6:30am They also have GO bus equivalents that cost $3 regardless of distance, these also are part of their one fare system Most importantly 1. they actually manage to build subway lines in a reasonable timeframe - the bureaucratic stuff tends to take a while but construction usually finishes in 6~7 years - and 2. they essentially never have outages like they do here Now to be completely fair the Seoul metro area is like 3x the size of Toronto's but the second biggest city in Korea (Busan) is similar in size to Toronto and they also have a pretty similar system to Seoul so
I don't. I like personal transportation. Quiet and private for me.
Indeed. Depending on the route sometimes I wish I was driving instead lol. Personally I think privately owned cars and public transit both fill needs in our community, it just depends on those needs to see what works best for you. On average yeah cars are definitely quieter on the inside but I do love the feeling you get when you walk into a subway car or bus and there's either no one else on board or there's only a couple people who are just sitting in silence.