operator

bus driver

customer service representative

engineer

project manager

Toronto Transit Commission

As a former employee of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), I feel obligated to share my disheartening experience working for this organization. I had high hopes when I joined TTC, but my time there was riddled with issues that ultimately led to a deeply unsatisfactory and frustrating experience.

The management at TTC was severely lacking in both leadership and support. There was a clear absence of proper communication channels, resulting in misunderstandings, inefficiencies, and a general sense of chaos. Furthermore, supervisors showed little interest in employee well-being, with concerns and grievances often going unheard and unresolved.

Training and development opportunities at TTC were virtually non-existent. New employees were thrown into the deep end with minimal guidance, and there was no ongoing training or professional development to help them grow in their roles. This lack of investment in employees' growth created a stagnant and uninspiring work environment.

The workload at TTC was unreasonable and often unmanageable. Employees were regularly expected to work long hours without any recognition or compensation for their extra efforts. This excessive workload contributed to an unhealthy work-life balance and a high level of burnout among the staff.

Workplace safety was another significant concern during my time at TTC. Proper safety protocols were often overlooked, putting employees at unnecessary risk. Additionally, the equipment and tools provided were frequently outdated or in disrepair, further increasing the potential for accidents.

Lastly, TTC's compensation and benefits package was severely lacking. Salaries were not competitive with industry standards, and the benefits offered were minimal. This lack of financial incentive, combined with the previously mentioned issues, contributed to a high employee turnover rate and low morale within the organization.

In conclusion, my time at TTC was a deeply unsatisfactory experience, marked by poor management, inadequate training, unreasonable workloads, and subpar compensation. I would strongly caution others against seeking employment with this organization.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Toronto transit commission has a wonderful benefit plan and an excellent pension plan. 
    Drivers jobs require you to work in a unionized environment that has seniority status which means the work is often weekends and holiday work schedules that get better as you gain years service.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part of the job is operating transportation vehicles on shedule while passengers are constantly on the move. 
    Different work schedules make commutes very stressful.  Traffic, construction are a constant stress throughout your career. 
   Having a family and friends may be very stressing on any social commitments you may enjoy presently.


What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Alot of work schedules will have you driving/working on your own. 
      Although safety is ttc's highest commitment to drivers with updated safety procedures,  you will try to keep the atmosphere friendly and work each day with a confident feeling that you are contributing to Toronto.
    Employees are everywhere in Toronto and it's nice to talk other Employees about there day while on a coffee break or layover.
      It does take several months to get familiar with ttc shedules, policies and transportation routes and asking for help is something everyone must do to complete job expectations.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Traveling into work was the most stressful for me.
    Once I got to work and reported to the work wicket I would proceed to my starting location and follow a supervisors direction or listen for instructions from transit control. 
     I enjoyed passenger interactions and some shifts were very pleasant; sport game, concert goers were the most enjoyable. 
    There are shifts that you don't get any questions,  no emergencies and they made the shift feel very long and boring. 
    At the end of the shift I would get relieved or run my vehicle into the transit yard. The yard personal were always friendly and wanting to hear stories about our interactions with the public and it helped me relax before going home.

A typical day at work included meeting with fellow employees, who were generally very pleasant, although some felt the job was difficult.   I did not find this , since my enjoyment of the public was about to begin.  I did not find it hard to deal with any member of the public, and there were so many people that came by the Collector Booth,that had problems, and difficulties.   Directions, cost of fares ,  routes, directions to places in the city, and general information regarding the use of the Transit System.i enjoyed all the questions and was able to give answers to most questions., as I feel it is my nature to be able to help others.   I made friends with many of the passengers, and am still in contact with many of them.   The hardest part of the job, was when a difficult passenger , would have unreasonable requests.   My co workers, were, as i was, all in the same situation, and so my sympathies with their problems were easily understood.  Management at the TTC was very supportive, should a problem arise, and were always available for consultation should a difficulty occur.  I respected the management, as they knew the limits of what the commission could do to help difficult situations.  
I learned, that the general public needed assistance, in understanding the operations of a Transit Situation, and needed direction as to destinations, and services available to them, as Transit riders   Also I learned,that any person using a public service, is the same as you and I,   they need assistance, and should be given any help that you can give them, based on your experience, knowledge, and empathy.

If it wasn't for the pay, benefits and most importantly the pension, no one would do this job.
Long hours, terrible shifts, stressful work environment, micromanaged and as contrary as it sounds, no management support.
At the TTC you are just a number. Through your entire career you will be defined by your badge number as everything is based on seniority. As a new hire you will get the worst shifts. Expect no family life, no personal life, no stat holidays for at least 5-6 years if you are lucky. Don't expect regular weekends off until you get to at least 15-20yrs. Worst are the split shifts. 4 on, 4off, 4on. That's a 12hr day but you get paid for 8.
An example: I would report at Cowell at 4:30am. Take the blue light bus to Kipling to take the train out at 5:40am. Will be on the line until 9:40am and have a split until 1:40pm. 1:40pm to 6pm on the line again. That is a long day and you don't get paid for all of it. You get paid only when you are operating
Another downside is customer abuse. Worst for bus and streetcar operators. By the time help gets to you, the person is gone. Last time I had an incident, the management response was " with your experience, you should have been more aware of your environment." Someone swung a skateboard at my head when I stuck it out to check the platform when opening/closing the doors FFS!! Plus if we don't do that, we get written up and suspended.
That was the straw that broke the camels back for me.
 After 10years I have had enough. Missed too much of my kids' life. My wife was basically a single mom.

TTC has always been a fantastic place to join at an entry level position and work your way up through the ranks. Unfortunately, the past few years the organization has become incredibly bloated and top-heavy to the point where nothing actually gets done and most managers simply trudge through a brutal 12-13 hour day putting out one fire after another. Nearly all staff positions are working from home now and with ModernTO coming where everyone shares a desk there will never be that fun, collaborative office environment that TTC was once known for. I do not recommend joining this company in any sort of leadership capacity because this organization is no longer capable of balancing employee performance with overall job satisfaction. It is a comfortable place to work if you don't really want to accomplish anything, but if you are a diligent worker or someone looking to build a team and make positive change this is no longer the place to work. Only a few years ago, the TTC was lead by a 5-person executive; now it has tripled in size to 15. The pay, which was once the top in Canada, now lags many other public sector agencies and they are losing their best employees to more progressive and caring companies that can keep up with the times. A lot of good, hard working people have become sponges here and its sad to see. Glad to be retirement age, that's for sure. 

$14 an hour is the wage of most outsourced TTC ambassadors (red bib) employees. Even TTC bus drivers get approx. $34 an hour range yet we get $14 for doing more customer service work in one shift than most of the drivers, particularly subway op's, have done in a week.

Employee benefits are minimal (CPP and EI only) in comparison to other, non-outsourced/contracted TTC employees who get several fully paid vacation days, yet still, complain that they don't get enough. TTC employees also get a free employee metro pass and a pax key but us, outsourced staff, still have to pay the fare, even when going to our assignments and have to wait for an employee to lend their pax key to use the facilities and break room (although some of have obtained their own set of pax keys...???)

Some TTC employees hate us because apparently, we 'stole' their union jobs, however, the TTC is to blame for outsourcing - we just applied to a job opening and were hired. I've been personally confronted by several TTC employees who think otherwise when using the 'unionized employees only' washrooms and break room.

The public is generally ok with the odd few disgruntled passengers. I find several miserable and self-righteous 'unionized' TTC employees to be even worse in their attitudes and temperament towards us, outsourced staff.

We are expected to stand for our entire shifts, minus an unpaid hour break, and even if we lean for a split second, we'll be written up. 

Overall, the job is ok.

I have only fond memories of my years at the Toronto Transit Commission. "The Better Way,"is the official slogan and a.k.a. TTC, which has been around for more than a century serving Toronto and the greater Toronto area with its massive fleet of public transit vehicles and more than ten thousand dedicated employees comprising of management and union employees, whom I have had the pleasure of working with. 

Come hail or snow, bracing well below freezing temperatures I used to be out there day after day at the controls of my Bombardier built T1 train serving station after station trying to get our commuters to their destination on time. A typical day for us consisted of track fires, weather related delays,disgruntled commuters, medical emergencies and equipment failures that we attended to in a timely manner while maintaining our high customer service standards and adhering to our slogan " Work safe, home safe." 

The hardest part of the job was to be unable to resolve delays as a team within a timely manner and watching loyal commuters suffer.

The most rewarding part of the job was a fulfilling day that was a direct result of keeping our commuters happy, be it with uniting a lost child with his or her parents, returning a lost article to its rightful owner or comforting a frightened pet.

I’ve been a Streetcar operator for 4 months but I had to throw in the towel because it took over my life. There is no work life balance. You do shift work and they start you off on spare board where you have to call at 5pm the day before to know what time you’re working. It is hard to make plans outside of work. You are forced to work weekends and holidays. You sit all day and you have no set routine so it’s easy to gain weight on this job. It is a very mundane job. Doing the same thing over and over again making the days feel super long. The other operators are mostly negative and is a toxic environment. People sleep in the division because they are sleep deprived. You start off with $26/ hr but you have many deductions and end up with a small pay cheque. The training was so intense. People were told to quit their job and fully commit to the training. They ended up firing half the people in my class for minor mistakes. You are constantly in fear of losing your job. You are at high risk. People run out of nowhere and it is hard to stop the street car when the rails are slippery. If you lose ground or something happens with the overhead, you risk getting electrocuted with 600 volts. If you don’t follow proper procedure, you can be liable for the 200+ people’s life’s. This job is totally not worth it in my option.

1. Positive values
A positive mission statement outlines the goals and demonstrative behavior that exemplify the highest commitment to quality and service to each other, the company, customers and shareholders. The company sets out to achieve its goals in ethical, honest ways with an elevated sense of purpose to improving the planet and humanity.

2. Relaxed and productive atmosphere
People enjoy coming to work and feel appreciated, acknowledged and rewarded. Signs of fear, domination, bullying, sexual harassment, and intimidation are absent. Creativity, productivity, and thinking outside the box flourish.

3. Commitment to excellence
Employees give 200%. They strive to be the best and to deliver top-quality products and services. They take responsibility for their actions and decisions.

4. Open and honest communication
Everyone communicates in a cards-on-the-table manner, solving difficulties in a positive way. They don’t play nasty revenge games when given difficult feedback. Instead, they view feedback as an opportunity for growth.

5. Cooperation, support, and empowerment
Can-do, go-the-extra-mile and win-win attitudes are evident signs of workplace wellness. Employees have a sense of camaraderie, cooperation, and empowerment. Healthy competition exists without vengeful, spiteful backstabbing.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The Company was Good the Management Culture of was a problem 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
This actually Varied depending on dept & Job title. I worked on Staff for 16 yrs as a photographer then transferred to uniform working as a Collector then Bus / Subway Driver up to retirement

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Became very negative TTC had every national and Culture but when Management started pushing the race culture it took over and actually divided  the operators into  black on one  room white in another. This was never a issue until 2000 on then the racial divide became prevalent. Gladly i retired in 2006 but have heard since it has only become a more serious divide 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Again depended on Position I was working as a photographer it was anything from doing legal work construction to accident investigations. As a operator it was dealing with Management rules that could change with the political enviro to then dealing with the public in nice situations or some of them having a meltdown

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Operator 3 salaries reported	$34.67 per hour
Bus driver 9 salaries reported	$78,556 per year
Customer service representative 3 salaries reported	$29.00 per hour
Engineer 3 salaries reported	$26.74 per hour
Project manager 1 salary reported	$98,553 per year

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