- There used to be advertisements in subways encouraging students to present their student ID cards. The name on the IDs was “B Havin” as in “behaving.” I remember this in high school, because my friend Chris wrote a letter to the newspaper about how insulting these ads were.
- Put your finger on your seat before you sit down; at the very least, look at the seat before you sit down. You could end up sitting in a mysterious liquid. I learned this the hard way many years ago.
- I actually like when people leave behind a newspaper when they exit the subway. I’ll pick it up and say “oh! A newspaper!”
- I still like trying to free-stand on a moving subway. I don’t hold poles, I just rely on my own balance and leg (and butt) strength.
- Sometimes people do have sex on subways and subway platforms. I get it. TTC subway platforms are naturally erotic settings.
- I never care more about manners than when I am getting on or off a TTC vehicle. Let people exit before you enter. Offer your seat to an elderly or disabled person. Don’t listen to loud music. Be polite to the driver. All of these things really irk me on a TTC vehicle more than just about anywhere else.
- Sometimes you get a seat when it’s rush hour, and you feel like a champion. Then a big group of people crowd onto the streetcar, and you end up with a butt in your face.
- I’ve taken transit from one end of the subway line to the other, and ridden busses throughout Toronto to explore neighbourhoods I never would have seen otherwise. Toronto is an incredibly vast city.
- When I sit in the back area of the streetcar or bus, I automatically feel 10% tougher.
- The Queen streetcar is a great place to listen to schizophrenic ranting. So is the Dufferin bus!
Ten things I've learned from the Toronto Transit Commission
March 20, 2012 By 3 Comments
About Josh BowmanJosh Bowman is a professional fundraiser, story-teller, comedian, and blogger. He has worked and consulted in Vancouver, New York, and now Toronto for almost a decade. Josh improvises around Toronto, including regular shows with Opening Night Theatre, and also blogs for the Huffington Post. You can email Josh or follow him on Twitter. If you want to submit a guestpost or know more about Josh, check this post and this post out first.
No. 5 no, they are not. Not at all. I’ve never seen it, I wouldn’t understand it if I did.
I was joking!!
7 and 10, so very very true.