Customer Comments and Staff Responses

Comments

“Could the Wheel-Trans customer service hours be increased from the current times, especially on Mondays? Customer service is also not available on weekends.”

“Please extend Wheel-Trans phone line hours.”

"Why, after three years of promising, are Wheel-Trans customers still treated like second-class when it comes to customer service? Our hours are not 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. like with the conventional side."

“Why is it that the chat feature on the website is only available during business hours? It is not fair that people who are legally deaf-blind do not have the same access to Wheel-Trans service as other customers.”

Responses

Wheel-Trans customer service currently does not operate under the same hours as conventional customer service. That is being looked at. Wheel-Trans has a request in for 2025 to extend the hours. Currently, Reservations is open 365 days, 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the Priority Line is open every day 24 hours for any urgent customer needs.

Right now, customer service employees respond to the chat. If customer service hours can be extended to become more equitable, the hours of the chat will be extended as well.

Comments

“Wheel-Trans wait times on phone for customer service.”

Response

Five new Customer Service agents were added in 2024, to help reduce the wait times for Customer Service.

Comments

“Wheel-Trans booking staff have hung up on the customer.”

Response

Customers should never have to experience this. If this happens again, please advise Wheel-Trans Customer Service and it will be investigated and actioned appropriately.

Comments

“Why is Wheel-Trans starting to contract out of country for booking system for the drivers?”

Response

All TTC staff, as well as contracted overflow staff that assist Reservations, operate within Canada.

Comments

“When you are booking Wheel-Trans and on vehicles, some customers have been threatened. I want that dealt with, please.”

Response

That is certainly not something that should ever be happening. Wheel-Trans apologizes for that. Please provide specific details so the situation can be investigated.

Comments

“What happens if I have a seizure on Wheel-Trans going home? Can the bus driver call for help on my behalf?”

Response

Yes, drivers are able to reach Dispatch at any time, who can then call 911.

Comments

“I had a situation where I was dropped off, but did not get picked up. Who can help me in that situation?”

Response

Please call Wheel-Trans Customer Service and they will investigate what happened to the return trip. 

Comments

“The application appeals process needs to be reviewed. I am a new user as of the last year and half. And I applied. I had to have an assessment done. When the provisional approval was over, they cancelled my eligibility completely with Wheel-Trans. So when I called to book my next trip I wasn't even a Wheel-Trans customer any more. They did very cordially reinstate it. Now I was mailed out an application form. So I had to go back to my doctor, had to refill that, get it back on the radar and then now I have to also send in an appeal because I have Family of Services. And it is proving to be very difficult for a number of reasons. And some of the management called me back from the call centre agreeing that there is not very good communication around that and forewarning when your eligibility will just go away for that matter.”

Response

Wheel-Trans is sorry this happened. Occasionally, temporary eligibility is issued to sort out an appeal issue. Temporary eligibility may also be determined if the customer’s condition or disability may change in the near future. This allows the customer to travel with a temporary account, and Wheel-Trans is better equipped to determine a permanent eligibility when the customer re-applies. Occasionally, Wheel-Trans may have to go through functional assessments or an appeal to make sure everything is correct and updated. If a customer needs anything going forward with the application process, please let Wheel-Trans know. 

Comments

“Why does a person who is blind and never getting their vision back have to re-apply for Wheel-Trans? Nothing changed. This is offensive and totally inappropriate. Some cannot use the Family of Services program. It is nothing short of an attempt to save money on the backs of people with disabilities. Why are people being denied the service they clearly qualified for in the past? Does the TTC acknowledge that if a previous registered Wheel-Trans customer is harmed or injured it must bear responsibility?”

Response

Wheel-Trans understands it can be frustrating when a customer’s disability has not changed and they are asked to re-register. The issue is anyone that applied for Wheel-Trans prior to 2017 did not have an eligibility. AODA requirements dictated that Wheel-Trans must have a defined eligibility (conditional, unconditional, temporary) for all customers. Wheel-Trans needed to come up with an equitable and fair way to do that. It was not equitable to make all legacy customers unconditional customers. Wheel-Trans had to come up with this process whereby legacy customers who registered prior to 2017 would go through the same process as all of the customers who registered since 2017, in order to ensure that customers are assessed using the same eligibility criteria.

Comments

“If you have services in another city such as Hamilton, how does it work when you apply to Wheel-Trans? Do you lose your previous services?”

Response

A customer may ask their home specialized transit agency to forward their information to Wheel-Trans. Wheel-Trans will provide the same eligibility that the customer has with their home agency.

Comments

“Why are so many ambulatory customers using TTC Wheel-Trans while I am told to use Family of Services, including conventional transit?”

Response

Wheel-Trans eligibility is determined by a customer’s barriers to using conventional service. Customers with the same health conditions or mobility devices may have different eligibility conditions with Wheel-Trans, depending on their personal barriers to using conventional transit.

Comments

“I have concerns with the Access Hubs. There are no washrooms, heat, no access to get a drink and there is a safety concern. I was chased by another person trying to take my phone at the Meadowvale Hub and at 4001 Don Mills.”

Response

In response to customers who had safety concerns about the location of the Meadowvale Access Hub that serves as a transfer point with Durham Region Transit, enhanced lighting and a CCTV video camera were installed. All Access Hubs have heaters that can be manually activated by the customer when the temperature is lower than 5 degrees Celsius. Wheel-Trans is also working on decreasing the wait times at all regional transfer hubs. At any time, should a customer feel threatened or in danger, it is important that they call 911 immediately, and report the incident to Wheel-Trans Customer Service as soon as possible. Wheel-Trans has relocated all regional transfer hubs from restaurants and malls to TTC-owned facilities that are open 24 hours per day and 7 days per week and which allows safer and more seamless transfers.

Comments

“Why are Wheel-Trans contracted taxis not permitted on the King Street Transit Priority Corridor? Most of my rides are with third party operators. What I do not understand is why is a significant part of the Wheel-Trans service being left out of this initiative?”

Response

Thank you for this feedback. It will be brought back to staff for their review.

Comments

“Why is Wheel-Trans not following 90 minutes trip policy? Where Wheel-Trans customers should not be in the vehicles no more than 90 minutes according to Wheel-Trans 90 minutes policy?

"One of the big things lately and that I experienced personally is 1.5 to 2.5 hours in one direction for Wheel-Trans users. It is very uncomfortable. I have heard it as well from drivers. They could be on the complete east side of the city have to go west, and then go back to are for a pick up on the east and mean while there is someone there for 1.5 to 2 hours watching all of this happen."

Response

One of the priorities for Wheel-Trans in the last year has been to make changes to adjust to traffic conditions in this city. Wheel-Trans reviews stats to try improving travel times, and continues to advocate for a sufficient budget to ensure there is an appropriate number of drivers. Wheel-Trans is also exploring the feasibility of opening a new Wheel-Trans facility in the west end. This would allow for additional vehicles to be in the west end of the city, which would reduce travel times to pick up customers.

Comments

“Wheel-Trans policy. Driver must pick up a person before the person leaving the vehicle is dropped off. Twice a driver drove past my destination to pick up another person and then returned to drop me off. Adding 15 to 20 minutes of travel time. Is it possible to request a direct return to my home?

“Sometimes the customer is passing his place of drop-off on the way to drop somebody else and then coming back after a certain time. It is happening more often.

Responses

Thank you for sharing these examples. This should not be happening. Please let Wheel-Trans customer service know if it does. The scheduling system is designed to do shared rides and to honour the customer’s arrival or departure times. There is fine tuning being done to the scheduling system.

The driver is assigned a certain route to do pick-ups and drop-offs in order. It is likely an issue with the scheduling system as well. There are a lot of shared rides happening. Wheel-Trans wants to ensure that when shared rides are scheduled, pick-ups and drop-offs are grouped together in the same areas of the city. If that is not happening, please report that to customer service, who can look at specific trips.

Comments

“Schedule changes are sometimes not communicated. Please wait more than 5 minutes. Wheel-Trans not on time, I miss my appointments.”

"Is there any way they can make some kind of concession to make sure we get there on time? Two days ago I was going to hospital for an MRI. The Wheel-Trans bus driver did not come until about 40 minutes after my pick-up time. I just moved a short walking distance to see if he went to Eglinton Avenue. He drove in and he drove out. He did not leave a no-show sign. I got a call from Wheel-Trans about how it is done, and was told I got a no-show. And I said, the driver never came. So then priority said they will send me a ride. That driver was late as well. All the while, I worried I would miss my appointment. This Saturday another MRI at the same hospital. And the driver came late again. I usually build in a lot of time for Wheel-Trans to get me to hospital.”

Response

Wheel-Trans is sorry for that experience when customers are missing appointments. A lot of work is being done to improve on-time performance, as it is very important to customers to arrive at their destination on time. Wheel-Trans wants to assess if customers are arriving within 10 minutes of their scheduled times. Over the last year, customers were arriving within 10 minutes 77 percent of the time, and that has improved most recently to 89 percent. Staff are really trying to account for how traffic impacts getting around the city. An upgraded automatic vehicle location system is being investigated, which would give drivers the ability to have more information available, such as real-time traffic updates as they are going along their route. This should be added in 2025 or 2026.

Comments

“Why are addresses like Scott Mission (500 Spadina Ave) & Daily Bread Food Bank (191 New Toronto St) not given special consideration for not sending sedan taxis when there are two people each with a walker?”

Responses

Vehicles are sent based on numerous parameters that Wheel-Trans systems will use when scheduling trips. The system will not prioritize vehicles based on locations, but it will ensure that there is enough space for customers and their mobility devices. 

Comments

“One thing you could do for Wheel-Trans appointments is to put up letters with each entrance to a building. For example, the address on Yonge Street for this building could be 5120A, the back entrance could be 5120B, et cetera.”

Response

Wheel-Trans cannot dictate signage at third party building entrances. However, if signage is added, Wheel-Trans can add it to the trip notes.

Comments

“Wheel-Trans drivers who arrive late do not apologize or acknowledge why they are late. The find my ride app was launched years ago but still cannot be used to track taxis. I would like a status update.”

“When will the contractors (mini-vans and taxis) have tracking implemented and integrated into the Wheel-Trans tracking system (App). So that customers know where the contractors are instead of falsely being told they are 5-10 minutes away when the customers have to wait more than 30 minutes.”

“When will the mapping system be able to map and give approximate arrival time for sedan taxis and minivans?”

“When can we see penalty points online for Wheel-Trans customers?”

“Is the Wheel-Trans app working as it should? It often shows a vehicle has arrived and they do not show up until a lot later.”

Responses

Wheel-Trans is working very hard on improvements. Accessible taxi providers are being added to the mobile app, and will be completed in 2025. This should help reduce the number of no-shows and missed connections.

Wheel-Trans is exploring how to display “Life Happens” points on the Self-booking Website. This will be reviewed in 2025.

Wheel-Trans is also working to make the Wheel-Trans App as accurate as possible using the most updated GPS signals.

Comments

“Why are maintenance repairs not being done? One week I had 3 rides over the 7 days in the same Wheel-Trans bus with a defective seatbelt that wouldn’t pull down to latch.”

Response

The TTC has very strict vehicle maintenance guidelines. All buses are inspected nightly to ensure they are ready for service the following morning. Due to the frequency of use, all belts on the bus are the responsibility of the driver and deficiencies should be reported to the maintenance team immediately so the issue can be corrected prior to the bus returning to service.

Comments

“On occasion I have been the only passenger on a Wheel-Trans bus and other times 3 people with walkers are in a Beck sedan taxi. I had to be left behind and wait until another ride could show up. How are these pick-up rides determined?”

Response

Sometimes customers do not include information about their mobility device when booking their trip, which sometimes causes capacity issues on vehicles.

Please provide specific trip details, so this can be investigated.

Comments

“I find the suspension on the vehicles not very good. I feel every bump. If you suffer pain, chronic pain or arthritic pain, it makes for a really uncomfortable ride.”

Response

Wheel-Trans buses are put together by two different companies. There is the original manufacturer, and then the bus is modified slightly. Wheel-Trans has heard feedback in the past about the bumpy ride, especially for the shorter (6 metre) ProMaster buses. This has been addressed with maintenance teams, and improvements to the bus suspension were incorporated into the 7 metre buses. It is helpful to know if customers are still experiencing these issues, so that Wheel-Trans can try make the ride more comfortable.

Comments

“The hooks on the bus to secure mobility devices are too low, in the way of the device. Customers are getting stuck because they are on the floor.”

Response

Securement system placement is governed under the ADA to ensure a proper securement angle for all mobility devices.

Comments

“Pushing the buttons to alert the driver that I want to stop, it is difficult for me to push in these newer buses. In the older buses, it was easy to just pull. It was a lot easier for me to alert the bus driver that I wanted to stop. This newer system is more difficult for me to use.”

Response

Buses purchased by Canadian transit agencies meet requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which includes stop request button and pull cord location and height requirements. The TTC has been trialing new buttons in the newest buses, which incorporated past feedback from members of the TTC Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit (ACAT). This feedback has been shared with the TTC’s bus engineers to see if there are any further improvements that can be made to stop request buttons.

Comments

“Bus drivers have to fight with people when the ramp is about to be deployed. I know funding for TTC is getting very tight. And my suggestion would be to bring a big flag down to warn customers that the ramp is deploying..”

Response

The buses currently emit a beeping sound and have a flashing yellow light next to the door to warn customers that the ramp is being deployed. This suggestion will be shared with TTC vehicle engineers as well.

Comments

“I am a blind person and find it difficult to communicate with the drivers on conventional transit. I find it necessary to tap on the plexiglass to gain their attention. As they do not always get a voice response to my question when I have one.”

Response

An improved bus driver shield is currently being designed, with the idea to do a trial. The TTC is hoping that will make it easier for customers to communicate with bus driver.

Comments

“The streetcar horns should be more distinctive. They sound like regular car horns. But they are really big vehicles. They should be like a big truck horn.”

“In response to the louder horn suggestion, I am someone with spastic Cerebral Palsy and I am sensitive to loud noises and I jump whenever I hear loud horns. I would ask that horns on TTC vehicles remain at the volume that they are now.”

Response

This feedback can be passed along to the TTC's rail vehicle engineering team, for awareness of different perspectives on streetcar horns.

Comments

“Why are the seats too low?”

Response

Seat height in buses is dictated by standards in United States and Canada, such as the American Public Transit Association (APTA) White Book. This White Book incorporates requirements from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (United States), the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and the Society of Automotive Engineering.

Comments

“Accessible signage - for streetcars and subway cars would you please add the accessible stickers to the interior of the accessible areas of the vehicle? Riders tend to crowd the doors making it difficult to enter and exit the vehicles.”

Response

Thank you for your feedback. We will look into this further.

Comments

“I want to know who manufactures the TTC vehicles and where? What country?”

Response

Most TTC vehicles (buses, streetcars, subways) are manufactured in North America.

Comments

“Every time I go shopping at Metro and FreshCo, I always miss the Community Bus. I was just walking out the door and the Community Bus came but never stopped, even for 1 minute. Can the driver stop at the stop sign for 1 minute?”

Response

As with conventional bus service, if Community Bus customers have not requested to exit the bus and if the driver does not see a customer waiting at the upcoming stop, they continue on the route in order to maintain on-time performance.

Bus drivers will be reminded to slow down as they approach stops to ensure that customers can reach the bus if they are waiting in shelters or near stops.

Comments

“When will signage and public education be done regarding TTC bylaws of bikes and large items being moved. Blue seats blocked by especially large bikes and no enforcement. Last subway cars on Line 2 full of bikes in front of a TTC employee who closes doors.”

“Too many bikes on the TTC and they sit on the blue seats and do not move for people with mobility devices.”

“General awareness to have standing customers clear a path for wheelchairs, can the drivers ask customers to move?”

“When you get on the TTC with your scooter, other customers do not move at all.”

“Drivers not aiding in putting up seats or worse, not telling non-disabled customers to give up their seats. Drivers and all customers should be reminded of the needs of people with disabilities.”

"Why is it almost every single day, nearly every single bus, I would say about 85 to 90 percent of the time, drivers are not getting up out of their seat to lift the seat or move people back? Why am I being verbally or physically assaulted by other customers in order to get on buses? And when I do try and report it, there is zero to little follow-up."

“Need driver to greet at door then say street names like avenue, place, or crescent.”

Responses

The TTC recognizes that more can be done to change behaviours. There is a new educational campaign for bus drivers to remind them about bus accessibility procedures.

We are working closely with Wheel-Trans on improving customer service experience for customers using the conventional service. That comes with workshops across bus transportation for drivers to refamiliarize themselves with the policies and the securement equipment on buses.

The driver recertification program has been redesigned for 2025 and it will include new accessibility curriculum. These are a few measures that we are taking to improve the customer experience. When we have complaints with enough identifying information to identify drivers, we hold them to account. It is not the experience we want you to have.

Comments

“Drivers get angry when I refuse to tell them my stop (if they do ask at all). It is a safety issue, especially for women or people with visible disabilities. At night, I have been followed off the bus several times, being assaulted on two occasions when the bus leaves, and on another occasion someone stole my headphones and hat.”

Response

Drivers may ask which stop a customer is requesting in order to position their vehicle at that stop that allows for the best alignment of the vehicle and deployment of the ramp. Drivers are encouraged to engage customers to determine how they can best served with or without a mobility device.  Drivers can be reminded during the recertification program that not all customers have the same comfort level when it comes to communicating destination.

Comments

“Having to wait for multiple buses on a given route before being able to get on.”

Response

The TTC implemented service improvements across the bus network in September 2024, restoring service hours to 97 percent of pre-pandemic levels. This should reduce crowding on buses and allow customers to board more quickly. Please let the TTC know if there are specific routes where this has been an issue.

Comments

“I would like to know why the TTC stops signs for accessible transit are not very large and a lot are not marked.”

Response

Thank you for this feedback. It will be shared with TTC staff to review the bus stop signage design.

Comments

“As part of a construction project, I was directed to wait outside for a bus in a non-protected area during winter.”

“Who decides where “temporary” or long-term construction replacement bus stops are located? Clearly they are not someone with physical disabilities or someone who understands the need for safe and wheelchair-accessible stops. Currently, there is a long-term change at Runnymede Station, the stop location is dark, not properly wheelchair-accessible, and drivers have major issues loading and unloading people in mobility devices. The 71 Runnymede bus route has many people with disabilities and elderly people, yet we are forced to wait beside a building, in a narrow space of sidewalk, and it is very dark with zero shelter!”

Responses

That is certainly a challenge the TTC faces. There is construction happening all over the city. And sometimes it is not easy to provide a shelter. If there are more specifics that can be provided, the TTC can look into it further with the appropriate construction teams to determine if there is anything that could be done to better locate pick-up and drop-off locations.

With regard to Runnymede Station, given the overlapping services occurring due to rehabilitation construction at Jane Station, we have had to relocate stops outside Runnymede to facilitate increased capacity and minimize layovers. The temporary bus stop location was chosen as being accessible and as reasonably close as possible to the station given the balancing of objectives we are trying to facilitate for the Jane Station construction. The plan is to wrap up the Jane Station construction work by February 2025, and then regular service for stop locations and bus bay assignments will be restored to within Runnymede Station.

Comments

“I have a question about access doors from malls to TTC stations. Why have there not been automatic door openers installed? College Station and North York Centre are two examples. I walk with a cane. It is hard it pull open the door if I have my groceries with me. I have to rely on other people to open the door. I have discussed this with other people on the TTC. TTC staff say this side is TTC, and that side belongs to College Park. Enough of the fighting over who owns what. It is access to your stations. You want us to integrate into the regular system. Provide us with the tools so we are able to do so.”

“Are any more planned accessibility adaptations going to be taking place at Sheppard-Yonge?”

“It would be great to hear a progress update about the third-party access to Dufferin Station that was mentioned.”

Responses

The TTC’s Entrance Connection policy stipulates that whenever a third-party developer makes a change to an entrance connection, such as a reconfiguration, or when a third-party developer makes a change to their development requiring approval from the City of Toronto, the developer is required to renovate the entrance connection such that it meets the TTC’s applicable accessibility requirements. This would include a requirement for automatic door openers. Unfortunately, the TTC has no other power to require a third-party developer to install such accessibility upgrades. The TTC’s entrance connection policy was updated in 2021, and all new entrance connections must adhere to the TTC’s applicable accessibility requirements. Should the third-party developer be unable to meet the TTC’s standards, they need to justify their reasoning to both the TTC’s Board and Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit (ACAT).

The TTC is working with the developer of 4800 Yonge Street to create a new, fully accessible entrance connection from the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue West. Accessed off Yonge Street, the new entrance connection will have an elevator, meeting TTC accessibility standards, that will travel from ground level down to the Line 4 platform. The entrance connection is anticipated to open late 2026.

The TTC is in the process of reviewing the final designs proposed for the entrance connection between Dufferin Station and 1141 Bloor Street West. The TTC anticipates that this process will be completed in early 2025 and that the third-party developer will begin construction in the first quarter of 2025. The current estimated completion noted on the developer’s website is 2026.

Comments

“Who can check in on Main Station? The elevators have gone down twice since June 2024. It now takes most of us who are on wheelchairs, cane, walkers and scooters, literally anywhere from an hour to two hours to get to wherever we are going.”

Response

TTC Stations staff check elevators every morning. If staff come across an issue, they document it to get repaired as soon as possible. Sometimes there are delays in receiving elevator parts, which slows down the repairs.

Comments

“I moved to a place close to Islington Station which does not have elevators. And it is a very important station, in terms of its location. It is ridiculous that they do not put an elevator there. It is needed. So I have to go to Kipling or Royal York to get an elevator. And buttons to press, all those buttons are hard to reach.

Response

Islington Station is now under construction, and the elevators will be in service by 2026. For more information refer to the Easier Access program schedule.

Comments

“I am trying to use the TTC app. Now we are losing Wi-Fi in subway stations. So those of us that cannot afford a cell phone plan will lose access to our safety because we lose Wi-Fi in subway stations.”

Response

The TTC recognizes that ending Wi-Fi access in subway stations will be an inconvenience for customers who do not have data plans on their phones. Intercoms in stations will continue to allow customers to contact Stations staff, and next vehicle arrival screens keep customers informed about any service changes and about emergency information. Telephones are also available on all subway platforms to enable customers to call for emergency assistance.

Comments

“How does TTC reconcile the need for universal design with diverse and often conflicting accessibility needs of different groups? Particularly when some disabilities like cognitive disabilities may need more tailored solutions than a physical auditory or visual disabilities. Are there any plans to address limitations of a one size fits all approach given practical restraints of budget?”

Response

It is indeed a challenge to try balancing the needs of everybody. The TTC has accessibility specialists within its staff, as well as many other staff within the organization who work on accessibility initiatives as part of their jobs. The TTC also tries to follow best practice standards, that apply not just for mobility but people with vision loss and cognitive disabilities, among others. If there are any more specific suggestions, the TTC is happy to take those.

Comments

“When will One Fare be added to the day pass?

Response

The One Fare program is managed by Metrolinx, so they are they decide what is eligible and what is not. TTC PRESTO tickets, including day passes, are not part of the One Fare program. The TTC is happy to pass on this feedback to Metrolinx.

Comments

“When will Wheel-Trans upgrade PRESTO machines to accept CNIB transit cards? When you tap CNIB transit cards on the PRESTO machines on Wheel-Trans vehicles it gives issues.”

Response

CNIB PRESTO cards issued by the TTC are enabled to work throughout the TTC system (including Wheel-Trans). However, the CNIB national identification card is not a PRESTO card and will not work on any PRESTO devices. Residents of the City of Toronto can apply for a TTC CNIB PRESTO transit card at https://www.ttc.ca/Fares-and-passes/Other-passes/TTC-CNIB-transit-card.

Comments

"I would like TTC to remove cash fares, like buses streetcars along with tokens. It keeps drivers safe, faster, more reliable. Fare disputes, assaults."

Response

Thank you for your suggestion. The TTC will keep it in mind as potential fare policy changes are explored in line with the 5-Year Fare Policy Goals.

Comments

“The Transit app you are using for real-time tracking is very hard on the eyes. Red font not easy to read. Too harsh on the eyes.”

Response

The Transit app is run by a third party, so the TTC does not design the app. We encourage you to provide this feedback directly to the app provider. The TTC does operate the TrackTTC website,  which includes real-time arrival information. Please contact TTC Customer Service with any feedback you may have about TrackTTC.

Comments

“Why in Social Media Sponsorships with Paid Influencers for the Travel Training Program do you show unrealistic situations with lines like “I feel so much more confident and comfortable now I have done the Travel Training program”? These Influencers are on completely empty buses and subway cars, the situation is not at all real. Additionally, it shows a bus driver securing a customer’s wheelchair, which we just heard from a Forum participant and TTC staff that this does not always happen. These ads are misleading and condescending to us. Film a real-life scenario and put their real feelings in the post and then maybe I will be convinced. I understand the logistics, but why are you not willing to show what it is really like for a disabled person to ride the TTC in real life situations to convince us to use the Family of Services?”

Response

Thank you for your thoughtful feedback. The decision to use an empty bus or subway car was made in collaboration with the influencer, who, as an accessibility advocate, requested these settings for a few important reasons:

1. Ensuring Clarity and Focus on Key Elements: In order to convey the main message—helping people with disabilities feel more confident and comfortable after going through the Travel Training program—filming in an empty vehicle allows for clearer visuals, minimal distractions, and a more controlled environment. It is a standard practice when filming content and does not disrupt service.
2. Multiple Shots for Social Media: Social media content often requires multiple angles and takes to create engaging, polished, and professional material. In a busy, real-world environment, the logistics and challenges of filming in an actual, crowded setting –especially one that might feature unpredictable elements like crowds, noise, or delays – make it difficult to maintain the quality and consistency that is expected in these pieces.
3. Real-Life Scenarios: The TTC recognizes that public transit can be unpredictable and challenging, particularly for people with disabilities. The real-world experience can vary widely. However, the influencer’s statement that they now feel more confident and comfortable after completing Travel Training is a personal reflection of how the program has impacted them, and this sentiment can be true even if the actual filming environment does not represent every rider's daily experience. This influencer is an avid TTC user and scripted the content herself without influence from the TTC, as is best practice when working with content creators. It is also important to note that the influencer is speaking from a place of empowerment and confidence gained from the program, not necessarily making a claim that all travel situations are perfect.
4. Addressing Concerns About Bus Drivers and Accessibility: The TTC understands the importance of representing real-life experiences, and is committed to creating content that is both informative and authentic. Moving forward, the TTC would be happy to work on integrating more diverse scenarios that accurately depict the full spectrum of experiences while still maintaining the integrity of the messaging around confidence, independence, and the benefits of the Travel Training program.

The TTC appreciates your perspective and welcome any further suggestions on how these campaigns can be made more representative and impactful for everyone. It is important to note that working with a content creator gives exposure to a broader range of customers with accessibility needs. There is not broad awareness amongst the public about the Travel Training Program, and this is one avenue to ensure the TTC is driving awareness to this audience.

Comments

“When submitting the ACAT application online, is an autoresponse generated indicating your application has been received?”

“When you apply for ACAT. You never receive something letting you know that you have not been accepted.”

Responses

People applying online for ACAT should receive a confirmation that their application has been submitted.  Staff will look into this.

Over the past couple years, approximately 100 people have applied each year. For applications submitted online, applicants should have received a confirmation. Applications submitted to ACAT by email should receive a general acknowledgement of their email, although it would not confirm that their application has been received. This is something that staff can also look into.

The TTC encourages people interested in ACAT to apply again in future.

Comments

“Conventional TTC attendees had a very difficult time making through to the event.”

“Location is not ideal for participants. They had to walk a long way with a walker to get here.”

“Why did we choose to select to host here? Particularly because it is quite difficult to get to using the conventional system.”

Response

The TTC was trying a new location in a different part of the city this year. Feedback is noted about this venue. Other locations will be explored for future Public Forums.

Comments

“Why are the online questions not treated equally? A comment card just had three questions read. There were only five questions answered online. Far more questions were answered on the floor. And even though the Forum moderator said people in the room would have to enter the queue again to ask follow-up, all in-person people were allowed at least one follow-up question. This is not fair.”

Response

Thank you for the feedback. While the TTC tries to answer a variety of questions asked through each of the channels (in-person, blue comment cards, online) and in-person participants are asked to hold off with additional questions, the TTC will aim to address more online questions and comment cards for future events. The TTC tries to respond to as many questions as possible during each event. Responses to all questions are posted online.

Comments

“Want to separate questions between Wheel-Trans and non-Wheel-Trans.”

Response

Thank you for the feedback. The TTC aims to answer as many questions as possible during the Forum, including about both Wheel-Trans and conventional transit.

Comments

“Will you be sending emails to the registrants about where online all this information can be found?”

Response

Registrants can be notified when a summary of this Public Forum has been posted online.

Comments

“Massive thank you to the ASL interpreters, they are incredible.”

Response

Thank you for sharing this. The interpreters and captioner work very hard during the Public Forum, and they do a great job.

Comments

“I would like to tell everyone how wonderful the Wheel-Trans drivers are. They are superb drivers, they are polite, plus they put up with a lot of abuse from some of the public. It must be hard on these drivers seeing people with various physical or emotional shortcomings trying to navigate some sort of normal life.”

Response

Thank you for this positive feedback.