Giamboner Beats Boner
Published February 9, 2010 @ 15:17 in TTC ~ Toronto Transit Commission

Adam Giambrone, member of Toronto City Council and chair of the TTC, wants to be mayor of Toronto. Now that his affair with 19-year old university student Kristen Lucas has been revealed, he's got some heat to deal with first.

With a name like Giambrone, the fist natural reaction is to nickname him Giamboner. It's just too easy, and this is a pain I know all too well. In grade six, my teacher anointed me "Boner".

That nickname stuck for a while, until I successfully morphed it into "Booner". But still, Boner creeps up now and then.

Giamboner beats Boner. And don't worry Adam, this too shall pass.

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TTC Sleeper Hit of the Season
Published January 24, 2010 @ 16:22 in TTC ~ Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto News ~ Toronto Focus

I waffle between loving the TTC and hating the TTC. On any given day you can find me singing the TTC's praises or wondering why a world class city like Toronto is so under served by its public transit system.

Here's a nice YouTube video sendup of the infamous TTC sleeper. The TTC sleeper, who appeared on the cover of Friday's Toronto Sun, has been revealed as George Robitaille. George, an almost 30-year TTC vet, claims his nap can be explained by "health issues".

[via @JimRichardsShow]

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Free TTC on New Year’s From Midnight to 4am
Published December 30, 2009 @ 10:55 in TTC ~ Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto News ~ Toronto Focus

For those Torontonians planning their New Year's Eve festivities, don't forget that the TTC is offering free service from midnight to 4am.

I'm pretty sure other transit systems in the GTA have free service as well. GO Transit, for example, is free from 7pm on December 31 until 2:10am on New Year's Day, and Mississauga Transit is free from 7pm to 4am.

Note how the TTC makes you pay to get to the party whereas everyone else is taking you to and fro free of charge...

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Free TTC Tonight
Published December 31, 2008 @ 15:44 in TTC ~ Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto News ~ Toronto Focus

Don't forget Torontonians, the TTC is completely free tonight from midnight to 4 am. Go ahead, get drunk and stupid as you ring in the new year, then leave your car and TTC it home.

The free ride tonight is thanks to Liberty Entertainment Group. They've formed a coalition called the Toronto Entertainment Alliance which I don't fully understand but you can read more about here.

I'm glad the TTC is free tonight, but I think it would be wiser to start the free period at about 8pm tonight instead of at midnight. That way you could TTC to the party and back home, and you don't have to worry about leaving your car. Think of it as a two for one promotion and leave your car at home, k?

Have fun tonight, kids.

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TTC Rap: I Get On The TTC
Published December 11, 2008 @ 08:50 in TTC ~ Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto News ~ Toronto Focus

I'm a few days late on this one, but "I Get On (the TTC)" is a parody of Young Jeezy and Kanye West's "Put On" by Humber College student Syrus Watson and Centennial College student Randal Medford.

It's gone viral in the 416. If you're outside the 416, I suppose you can still watch.

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MyTTC a Sweet Community Effort
Published July 26, 2008 @ 19:21 in TTC ~ Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto News ~ Toronto Focus

MyTTC.ca wants to make one thing perfectly clear. They are not the TTC, nor are they affiliated, endorsed, or otherwise associated with them. They are a community effort to make using the TTC a better experience for everyone, and they've succeeded.

I love their "Plan a Trip" feature. Tell it where you are, where you have to go and when you're leaving, and instantly you're rewarded with awesome detail. I've been trying to break it but it's pretty smart.

If you ride the TTC, you've got to bookmark MyTTC.ca.

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TTC Tickets Are Dying
Published July 9, 2008 @ 19:01 in TTC ~ Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto News ~ Toronto Focus

I once wrote that 'tickets or tokens' is the Toronto equivalent of the 'boxers or briefs' question. Outside of the Metropass crowd there are two types of TTC riders: those who buy paper tickets and those who buy tokens.

I still prefer tickets to tokens. I can put paper tickets in my wallet - I slip them in front of my credit card. I never lose tickets. Tokens, on the other hand, get mixed with my loose change. I don't use any entrances unattended by a TTC operator, so I've been happily buying tickets for as long as I can remember.

That's all coming to an end this summer. TTC tickets are dying. After September 28, they'll no longer be accepted. The paper ticket is dead, murdered by counterfeiters.

I hate tokens.

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Beta Testing the New TTC.ca
Published June 5, 2008 @ 21:30 in TTC ~ Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto News ~ Toronto Focus

Has it really been two years since I complained on this site about how totally crappy the official TTC website was? Here's what I wrote that fine May 2006 morning.

Finally, if you want to see how out of touch TTC marketing is in this new age of viral communique, one needs to look no further than their official web site. It's one of the worst commercial sites I've ever come across and a complete embarrassment. If you're interested in a challenge, try and learn from ttc.ca what a single adult fare would cost you today. Good luck! The official TTC site looks especially horrible when compared to Transit Toronto, a fan site that's vastly superior to the TTC sanctioned site.

Today I give you the beta version of the new ttc.ca. I remember being completely baffled by the old site just trying to figure out how much damn tickets cost and here's that information clearly listed on the home page. Wow.

And wait... is that what I think it is? It can't be... but it is! An RSS feed for service alerts... I think I'm going to cry.

TTC, welcome to 2000s.

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Surprise! 48 Hours Notice My Butt
Published April 26, 2008 @ 15:15 in TTC ~ Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto News ~ Toronto Focus

When my mom told me at about 10am this morning that the TTC was on strike, I didn't believe her. Firstly, it seemed like a pretty good deal, so why would the union reject the offer on the table? Secondly, the TTC union promised 48 hours notice before striking, and when I turned of the laptop last night, there was nothing about a strike on the wire.

There's something rotten in the state of Denmark. How many Friday night clubbers and bar hoppers staggered onto the streets after midnight only to discover the TTC was closed for buisiness? As I type, there's a sold-out crowd at the ACC for the Raptors game and at BMO Field for Toronto FC. The Better Way wasn't an option, which meant more cars clogging the streets. Thousands of Torontonians are actively working on contingency plans, figuring out how they're getting to work Monday morning. It just doesn't seem right, does it?

The Ontario legislature will meet tomorrow to debate legislation to force 9,000 striking Toronto transit workers back on the job as soon as possible. To his credit, John Tory has said the Progressive Conservatives will back the Liberal bill, but Howard Hampton isn't tipping his hand. Without NDP support, the bill could be delayed up to five days. Oh joy.

I've got a complaint, so I'm going to use this handy TTC complaint form. You should do the same. Let 'em have it, Toronto.

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Kill Me Now
Published April 24, 2008 @ 11:48 in TTC ~ Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto News ~ Toronto Focus

The TTC has agreed to study the feasibility of selling corporate naming rights to subway stations as a way to raise money.

The controversial request for a study of practices in other cities came from commissioner Peter Milczyn, who cited an ad from the Middle East city of Dubai inviting corporations to "Turn your brand into a destination" by buying rights to two new transit lines and 23 stations being built there.

"If one of the wealthiest jurisdictions in the world is looking at doing this, we should at least look at it," he said.

Saying "beggers can't be choosers," Milczyn noted the TTC is embarking on an ambitious expansion while struggling to raise operating funds.

Boy, do I hate this idea. Does absolutely everything have to be corporatized? I don't want to take the subway to Home Depot station or McDonald's station.

Here's hoping this idea dies a quick death. Better it than me.

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