Toronto Transit Users Want The Subway To Start Earlier & Here's What The TTC Has To Say
No one wants to take the bus.
A TTC subway at Union Station. Right: A crowded TTC bus.
The TTC isn't everyone's cup of tea but if you ask the average Toronto transit rider, they'd take the subway over a city bus any day of the week.
A post on Reddit has started a bigger conversation about why the TTC subway doesn't start running until 6 a.m., at the earliest.
The post depicts a sight that any early-morning or late-night commuter is probably all too familiar with — a jam-packed bus. The image is coupled with the caption, "I think many people would benefit from a 5am subway start time."
Many commenters appear to agree, with some pointing out just how many Torontonians start work at 6 a.m, while others said the subway starting an hour earlier during the week should be the new norm.
from toronto
Despite the push from transit riders, it doesn't seem like the TTC is ready to get the subway going at 5 a.m. anytime soon.
"We’ve looked at changing subway hours in the past but opted not to proceed," said TTC Senior Communications Specialist, Stuart Green.
What are the TTC's subway hours?
Toronto's subway runs from 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m Monday to Saturday. Sunday hours are 8 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. The TTC calls these times "approximate."
Some might be quick to compare Toronto to American counterparts like Chicago and New York City, there subways run 24/7.
In London U.K. though, that isn't the case, their trains operate between 5 a.m. and midnight.
That five-hour break for the London Underground is in place for the same reason that Toronto's system shuts down overnight.
"Our single biggest challenge to doing this [earlier subway service] is negatively impacting our upkeep and maintenance by reducing overnight work hours," said Green, about the challenges of starting the subway an hour earlier each day.
"We need as much time as possible to do that important work even with creative solutions like early night closures and alternate track use. Research showed that closing an hour earlier would negatively impact as many customers at that time."
So as packed as the buses may be, late-night and early-morning commuters will have to tough it out for the foreseeable future.