Who's Still Riding Transit During the Pandemic? Evidence From Toronto

Transit routes used by workers in Toronto heading to industrial jobs have still been crowded with riders during the coronavirus pandemic.

1 minute read

April 9, 2020, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

Bus riders use the TTC on March 16, 2020, before the worst of the coronavirus pandemic had struck. | ThirdFloorDraft / Shutterstock

Ben Spurr reports from Toronto, where the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is providing commuting service for essential workers through the pandemic, leading advocates to call for better service on crowded routes.

Local blogger and transit advocate Sean Marshall mapped the busy TTC routes in the city, where riders are still relying on service despite a reported 80 percent dip in ridership, locating the busiest routes in industrial areas populated by a high concentration of warehouses, food processing plants, light industrial facilities, and industrial bakeries. The jobs tend to pay low wages relative to other sectors of Toronto's economy, according to the article.

As a response to the current state of transit ridership in the city, the TTC announced on April 1 that it would add "at least 47 buses to 15 of its crowded bus routes during busy morning periods," reports Spurr. "The agency said it would monitor crowding, and the routes receiving extra service would change as needed."

FULL STORY: Who’s still crowding into TTC buses amid the pandemic? Evidence suggests many are Toronto’s working poor

Tuesday, April 7, 2020 in The Star

Transportation Ontario Toronto Toronto Transit Commission Transit Ridership Low Wage Workers Industrial Area Public Transit Transit Service Coronavirus COVID 19 View More

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