OPINION: Stop being a TTC hater — it’s not that bad

Is TTC hate overplayed?

Torontonians love to talk trash about everything Toronto, especially our transit system. In my opinion, the TTC isn’t that bad. (Before you come at me, I agree that our buses, streetcars and subways can be safer, faster and cleaner.)

I grew up in and around Beirut, Lebanon, a city of more than two million people with barely any public transit. The country got a few public bus lines in 2024, but growing up, there were none. My only options were a few privately owned and operated buses or vans with set routes, no real schedule.

You just had to test your luck, standing by the side of the street and waving down drivers to pick you up. I had to go to school, work, the supermarket, my friend’s house, my dance studio and really anywhere by car (cue in road rage and parallel parking anxiety).

I haven’t driven a single time since I moved to Toronto three years ago — and I couldn’t be more grateful.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) runs five subway lines, nine streetcar routes and more than 160 buses. While transit access isn’t at all equal across Toronto, you can pretty much get anywhere with a combination subway-bus trip. 

I genuinely enjoy using the TTC’s services. I love watching my neighbourhood pass by as I daydream on the streetcar. I’m delighted every time I catch an express bus. I feel like a pro when I take the subway station exit that takes me closer to my destination.

I’ll gladly plan for an extra 30 minutes on my commute if it means reducing my carbon footprint, eavesdropping on other riders’ conversations and even sometimes socializing with fellow passengers.

The TTC after providing the most god awful traumatizing public transit experience resulting in hours of lost time & wages to millions of people everyday pic.twitter.com/kaZrpdImUK

— ICHIBAN BABY (@DemiCaruso) June 8, 2026

Delays and service disruptions are real — and really frustrating. Safety, especially for women riding alone, is a legitimate concern too. Cleanliness could be better (though I’ve found it less stinky here than New York City’s MTA, for example). 

All that to say, I’m not dismissing the criticisms we all have — and I don’t have all the answers.

However, I think it’s more useful to hate with nuance and care, rather than just express blanket disdain towards our public transit. 

I notice that many people who hate and refuse to take streetcars are usually misdirecting their frustration with the city’s homelessness crisis. It’s undeniable that stations and vehicles have become a needed resort for unhoused neighbours. It doesn’t mean that the TTC is serving us any less.

If you want better transit, there are many ways to advocate for safety, speed, affordability and accessibility. (If your problem isn’t with the transit itself, then there are many ways to get involved in asking for systemic solutions and support in Toronto.)

How to make the TTC better

If you want cleaner, faster, safer, cheaper transit in Toronto, there are many ways to get involved.

• You can submit complaints, compliments or suggestions about TTC services through different forms on its website. You can also report an elevator or escalator outage here.
• You can attend and speak at public meetings held by the TTC board at City Hall. The next meeting is on July 22, and the agenda and details will be shared on the City of Toronto’s website closer to the date. You can learn how to make a deputation with The Green Line’s guide to deputing at City Hall.
• You can check out TTCriders, a grassroots advocacy group made up of transit riders. You can either join as a member on one of the committees or simply volunteer to help with ongoing campaigns, which include advocating for platform doors, fare capping, transit-only lanes and more.