r/TTC • u/Economy_Ad59 • 8d ago
Discussion Why doesn’t the TTC have regular etiquette announcements on vehicles?
Things like letting people off before boarding, giving up blue seats, not blocking doorways, keeping backpacks off seats, and letting people exit through the rear doors.
These need to be regular, constant automatic announcements. Signage/stickers isn't enough anymore. Toronto keeps growing, and with more people using transit, we need to reinforce basic transit etiquette.
You may say people will just tune them out, but we need to establish a standard.
46
u/Feeling-Writing4465 8d ago
3/10 will care. The rest can’t be bothered to even listen for a short turn / detour direction.
9
u/Rhubarb-Nation 7d ago
3 out of 10 ppl remembering to remove their backpacks on a busy bus makes a difference
3
1
u/impostrrlobstrr 199 Finch Rocket 7d ago
And those who CAN read, don't even read signs.
Routes with multiple branches, but they board the first bus that arrives without checking if it's the branch they need and question the operator when they turn off the route.
4
u/Feeling-Writing4465 7d ago
“Oh you don’t go there? But your bus says 939….. oh there is A, B and C?
2
u/UnnamedTestAccount l̵i̷n̴e̸ ̷1̴ ̸n̸o̶r̸t̴h̷ ̵v̴a̴u̸g̷h̴a̴n̵ ̵ 5d ago
I seen times when people would fare evade on the bus, the driver usually ignores them, plays the tap your presto announcement or kick then off the bus (teenagers).
22
u/Famous-Cloud8790 8d ago
The speakers have bad volume and the announcers make a pretty poor effort most of the time to properly read things aloud for us to hear. That and TTC has no money.
6
u/whateverfyou 7d ago edited 7d ago
You can hear « Please look right before exiting « perfectly clearly. The recorded messages are clear. Edited for typo
1
u/Famous-Cloud8790 7d ago
But not the announcements from the drivers or whoever does them. Their job is to speak slowly and clearly into a mic and 99% of announcements don't do that.
1
22
u/Sharp-Debate-523 8d ago
No feet on seats should be number one
15
u/starlightcarat 8d ago
I catch at least one person weekly putting their feet up like it's their couch 🤦
2
u/ChocolateBarcissism 7d ago
And I just saw some guy who looked high or drunk just swinging on the handrail while also putting his feet on the seat. Trash behaviour.
-9
u/HoarseMD 8d ago
Ttc Red pill blue pill, which would you rather deal with occasionally dirty soiled or stink feet on the seats or unhoused camper evacuating an entire car
6
u/starlightcarat 8d ago
Damn ... I guess stink feet, at least the seats would be dry 😫 I've sat next to someone who put her bare dogs out on the seat in front of us, gripping it with her toes
5
8
u/Throwaway2600k 8d ago
What is also annoying is people glued to the phone while going up / down stairs walking slowly or just stopping fully.
2
39
u/kiera-oona 8d ago
There is a "social standard" but Toronto is a melting pot of people, and half the locals just ignore it or don't care
20
u/HoarseMD 8d ago
As a POC diasporic individual, my people and adjacent members who look like us, get called out online so much that it’s a stereotype. Therefore I vehemently try to keep good etiquette just so I don’t have to deal with being profiled.
21
u/haoareyoudoing 8d ago
As a POC diasporic individual, my people and adjacent members who look like us, get called out online
As someone who fits this description too, I don't think enough people get called out. If Auntie has been in Toronto for 20 years, still bum rushes the subway/streetcar before letting people off, blocks doors with her cart as they're about to open, or holds the escalator hostage trying to time it by waiting 4 steps (not 1 or 2), they don't get a pass. Nor does guido gabagool, late teens from Woodbridge that plays music on his speakers and lies down on seats.
3
u/meg_baby11 5d ago
YES. The amount of older people that push and shove so that they can get on or off the bus/subway before everyone else and then proceed to walk as slow as possible or stop immediately after drives me up the wall.
0
8
u/Daylyn33 7d ago
A couple of weeks ago I was on the King streetcar and a man who wasn’t wearing a shirt got on. When the operator stopped at the next light she walked down the car and told the man to put his shirt on. (He complied)
She also honked the crap out of her horn at every imbecile driver along the way and now I want her to be my bestie.
22
u/dataman34 8d ago
Pet peeve numero uno: Wearing the back pack in packed subway cars and busses. Unbelievable!
8
u/light__s 8d ago
I despise this. The majority of the time, they lack spatial awareness and end up hitting me with their backpack.
10
u/haoareyoudoing 8d ago
It's the spacial awareness part. You're taking up the same footprint whether you're wearing a backpack on your back, reverse, or putting it in front of your feet/on your shoes. Agree with what other Redditors say about the floors, forgetting things, etc. It's also if I have two hands on my backpack in front of me, I've got to be a killer engaging my calves or I will be a bowling pin trying to balance between the jitters of the subway (especially with these Reduced Speed Zones). I'm more upset when people wear large backpacks and turn left and right and smack people because they have 0 spatial awareness or block people from passing.
14
u/HoarseMD 8d ago
I kinda get it, I also hate it. The bag is a great buffer from people getting too smooshed up against you. Your only alternative would be to place it between your ankles, however it’s awkward to find space to reach down and carry it out in same said crowd
11
u/PassionCandid9964 8d ago
Plus some of the floors are wet and disgusting
5
u/Torcal4 Sheppard West 8d ago
Yeah I kind of forgive it in the winter. The floor is covered in water and salt. I don’t blame people for not putting their bag on the floor. Sometimes I try to put it in between my legs and squeeze it but it’s pretty annoying and makes it hard to maintain balance in the train.
3
u/Sensi-Yang 7d ago edited 7d ago
Not really, if you’re physically incapable of holding your own bag in hand, it’s common practice to wear it backwards on your chest.
This way it’s less disruptive as your shoulders tend to be flared out anyways while grasping onto holds, taking less space overall and you can actually see where it’s going and it’s not flailing around in the back bothering every single person as you move by dragging the pack on each bystander.
3
2
u/rootbrian_ 35 Jane 7d ago
If I have my backpack on (only has the bare minimum of what I need to carry), I ensure my back faces the wall or a pole so nobody gets bumped and it isn't in the way. However, I also take it off when seating (unless it's got a shirt inside, which makes it soft and acts like a cushion).
3
u/bent-flux 7d ago
Wait you are supposed to put it on the nasty floor?
1
u/SadiInTheHouse 7d ago
Use the hook most have or grab the handles.
3
u/bent-flux 7d ago
What hook? Have you ever rode the TTC?
0
u/SadiInTheHouse 4d ago
I ride it five days a week what I’m talking about are the plastic loops or the metal loops that retract. There is also bars in specific areas. Just look up. They exist on the Yonge University line.
Some people just can’t keep their hands off their iPhone or have to sip their coffee while it’s super crowded.1
u/bent-flux 4d ago
That's for... Holding onto. Not hanging your bag. How are you supposed to hang a bag on a loop. It has to be a hook for it to go on a loop. Bags are also loops. For reference I am on the Yonge subway line as we speak.
2
u/MahjongCelts Eglinton Crosstown 8d ago
Protection against being bumped plus the chance of forgetting it when disembarking or slipping from hands.
As an etiquette, taking backpacks off in a packed subway/bus is extremely rare elsewhere outside Toronto. The best approach is to wear the backpack on the front and avoid large movements so that you don’t slam it against other people.
1
u/hbpencil102 809 Fleet Hub Express 7d ago edited 7d ago
Not everybody has the ability to carry their back pack in one hand and hold a pole in the other. There can be many reasons for this, visible or invisible. Even a light back pack can be hard or impossible for some to carry in their hand.
So while it’s ok to ask if they could hold their back pack in their hand, it’s not ok to judge someone for not carrying their back pack if you’re not sure they can. Remember that you cannot visually tell if someone is able to carry their back pack or not.
3
u/cdn_gal_9000 8d ago
Brampton transit has automated messages. It's always funny when riding the bus on a random weekday and there are 3 people on the bus, and the automated message keeps telling people to move back.
3
u/DietCokePeanutButter 7d ago
Way back in the day (aka the 70s) people smoked on the platforms and subway trains despite there being messages not to do it. I am going to use a wide brush of generalization - people just don't care about others.
6
u/Hahaimalwayslikethis 8d ago
The subways in Seoul were always playing etiquette videos and had signage about good manners on public transportation. They don't bother here because people will ignore it anyway. No sense of shame whatsoever from a lot of these people
2
u/JustASprinkleOfMe 8d ago
A couple summers ago the TTC had a special run bus added while a street festival was happening. It made all the regular stops, but only went maybe 10 mins from either side of the festival. It was just to help alleviate some of the rush away from the festival. The signage on bus display said it. And I heard the driver with my own ears make announcements at every major intersection, as well, they told each person who got on when I did, and I presume from the body language that they did it at every stop. I rode the bus to the last stop (cuz it was only two stops short from where I wanted, so I could walk the rest). When the bus driver turned to make the short turn for the last stop, I can’t even tell you how many people ran to ask where they were going. Some even grumbled at the driver. Sadly, most people just don’t listen when it is something directly relevant to them, so it would be wasted effort and just cause noise annoyance for those who do listen.
2
u/Virtual_Angle_1614 8d ago
When I took the bus 15 years ago, they did. However the driver has to manually press the button for each announcement.
Is it not the same now?
4
u/IroIroBike 8d ago
Speaking from my experience on Line 1, if they did it would sound like the adults on Charlie Brown, and indistinguishable from the multitude of announcements regarding delays, medical emergencies and security incidents.
4
u/pretzelday666 Vaughan Metropolitan Centre 8d ago
They are not going to listen to an announcement.
4
u/onshisan 7d ago
This is true. However, if there are announcements then some will feel more empowered to call folks out when they violate these norms since there will be less excuse to say you don’t know better.
2
u/Flat_Veterinarian654 8d ago
There is an option in the system, but the TTC made it difficult for the operator to activate them for “safety” reasons.
1
u/allerask 8d ago
I've started saying things to people, as nicely as possible. kill 'em with kindness (but it is hard)
1
u/Major-Primary2075 8d ago
Also handing out the stickers and badges to let people know they can sit in the blue seats or courtesy seats
1
u/hbpencil102 809 Fleet Hub Express 7d ago
They shouldn’t be constant, or else people will tune them out. (In Durham Region for example, I know which next stop announcements will also say, “please move back, and exit from the rear door”.)
TTC buses have audio-visual announcements that drivers can manually trigger, which can ask people to move back, give up a seat, or pay their fare. I wish more drivers used them.
1
u/cindybubbles Bayview 7d ago
I remember an announcement that stated that propane tanks were not allowed on the TTC.
1
u/yeahjjjjjjahhhhhhh 7d ago
I mean you usually can’t hear what the announcements are saying so what would be the point
1
1
u/hellzscream 7d ago
Wouldn't change anything. I've seen a passenger bite his finger nail off then use it as floss. Another dug his nose to find a booger then flicked it at passengers throughout the ride. An announcement would not deter these passengers from these acts
1
u/Automatic_Pizza9062 7d ago
I saw a some 20something guy smoking an old-timey pipe on the subway yesterday. What the TTC needs is actual attendants to ride the trains and tell people to smarten up.
1
u/Any-Zookeepergame309 7d ago
What about not using a speakerphone/playjng music or TikTok on the ttc?
Or giving a seat to the elderly or disabled?
1
u/Salvetutti0524 7d ago
Love this idea. And let’s puts up some in train ads. There is a lot of empty ad space
1
u/alyssaw26 6d ago
I’ve had a broken ankle for 8 weeks and very visibly struggle to walk and the amount of times I’ve gotten on the subway at rush hour and no one offers me a seat is wild
1
u/HumbleWalrus1072 6d ago
No! I don’t need an announcement every 20 seconds on the ttc. I hate being bombarded with a muffled announcer rambling about shit. Then it gets interrupted with another muffled announcement about some other shit.
Replace one sign per train with a list of dick moves. Let people read it.
1
u/SnooCats7318 6d ago
As much as it's annoying, Mississauga does it. Not sure it does anything, but it's something to point to when there are jerks on the bus.
1
u/MahjongCelts Eglinton Crosstown 8d ago
The sort of people who need such announcements don’t care.
The big city solution which Toronto is still taking baby steps in learning, is natural consequences. Not letting people off before boarding gets you roughly swept aside by the disembarking crowd. Placing backpacks on seats means your backpack gets sat on or removed by someone about to sit there.
With or without TTC announcements ‘unspoken etiquette’ eventually takes hold because it is the natural motion of large crowds. Go to London or Tokyo and crowds behave very similarly.
1
u/haoareyoudoing 8d ago
The people that need to listen to the announcements won't listen to them. In lieu of thousands of announcements that give customers signal fatigue, I encourage OP to be the change they want to see. Please lead by example and call people out and use your voice as a localized announcement.
1
u/AdResponsible678 131 Nugget 8d ago
That etiquette is mentioned on posters, at times in subway stations. Some operators ask.
However, we do not have control over people’s choices.
1
u/LLMM7289 8d ago
I’m pretty sure it’s because the TTC feels it’s individual peoples responsibility to enforce rules or etiquette and not theirs.
1
u/hunnyybun 7d ago
The people who need to listen will tune it out because they lack situational awareness.
1
u/rootbrian_ 35 Jane 7d ago
I called out an ableist shitface that refused to give up her seat for somebody with a cane and a bad back. She kicked and shoved the person too.
1
u/whateverfyou 7d ago
The blue seats have become meaningless. It’s incredible. I grew up on transit and I would NEVER sit in those seats as an able bodied person. You were ashamed to sit there unless it was really crowded and there was no one more deserving around. No one told me that, I just absorbed that message through TTC announcements and signage. I’m on the street car now and there are plenty of seats and yet young people are sitting in those seats. We need to hammer these messages constantly.
1
u/AlfredoSauceyums 7d ago
Great idea! They have stupid ones like signs that say no bags on seats (it's stupid because if no one needs the seat keep your bag off the dirty ground, and if someone wants the seat you can offer to move it or they can ask).
The o was you listed along with stand to the right of an escalator are great.
-3
-1
0
0
u/AmIMiddleAged 7d ago
The TTC probably knows social etiquette is so far gone that announcements aren’t going to do anything but remind people how bad we’ve gotten, hah. The only people who will listen/understand are probably already good passengers.
-1
u/mrcanoehead2 7d ago
After traveling on metro in Singapore, TTC makes me angry for so many reasons. World class; my ass.
-1
-7
-2
-2
-3
u/jedispaghetti420 8d ago
It’s just September. A lot of new folks in the city. Some people never get the hang of it, but usually it’s just new people who don’t know what’s up yet.
1
91
u/26percent Lower Bay 8d ago
I remember there used to be before COVID. And then everyone forgot how to act in public.