TTC Buses Are Looking Overcrowded Despite Social Distancing Measures (PHOTOS)
It looks like crowds are now back on the TTC. With Toronto now in stage three, more people have been packing onto public transit and standing a bit too close for comfort. TTC overcrowding photos has been observed on several routes this week.
In multiple photos that have been posted on social media this week, passengers can be seen standing shoulder to shoulder with barely any room to move around.
The throngs of people are definitely an unwelcome sight, and many have taken to social media to express their thoughts.
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"How are people supposed to practice social distancing when the bus driver lets everyone on? Some without masks! We need more buses on the 112 route!" wrote one user.
"So much for the social distancing?" wrote another.
Narcity reached out to TTC representative Stuart Green, who has admitted that buses are the routes most affected by high volumes.
Green told Narcity the TTC does have extra vehicles operating should people need to be dispersed
"On bus routes where we see the most ridership, we have additional vehicles ready to respond to individual situations in real time and as needed," he wrote in an email.
Now that the city has been allowed into the next stage of reopening, the amount of passengers has been growing.
"With each phase of re-opening we have seen more riders back on the TTC," said Green.
"We are now at 35 per cent of normal ridership across the system so in most cases, vehicles and stations have plenty of room for people to space out."
Earlier this year, the TTC announced that it would be making some changes to accommodate the circumstances.
Some of the new methods included having buses skip stops if there were too many people on board.
They also added at least 100 extra buses to their most popular routes in order to help practice physical distancing.
However, the TTChelps account on Twitter recently tweeted that "with the City re-opening physical distancing is not always possible on public transit. That is why we've made masks mandatory."
Subway stations are even subject to have their entry restricted if there are too many people on the platform, according to the TTC.