Toronto transit strikes out big time post-World Series!
TTC stands for Toronto Transit Commission. But for us, TTC will forever mean either "Take the Car" or "Telephone the Cab."
What was worse for Toronto Blue Jays fans after their World Series loss: the team's defeat or the public transit's failure, stranding thousands downtown?
On Saturday night, hundreds of thousands of people were downtown. The SkyDome was packed, Nathan Phillips Square hosted a huge watch party, and every bar and restaurant was overflowing. Local politicians had issued their usual pre-game warning: "Don’t drive downtown, people. Take public transit. It’s more convenient. It’s greener. It’s the better way!"
The promise of public transit for the game was a bait-and-switch. When the game went into extra innings, transit essentially abandoned customers, refusing overtime service. This was more shocking than Alejandro Kirk’s bat breaking at the worst time.
The City of Toronto posted an astonishing message on X during the SkyDome drama: "Reminder: we know the game is running late but transit will not wait!" What the hell? Rhyming couplets from City Hall? Who's writing this stuff? Andrew Dice Clay?
Fans who paid exorbitant ticket prices wanted to see Game 7 of the World Series end, but the City refused to work overtime for their commute. Thousands were stranded at Union Station with no subway service, as documented on social media, due to indifferent TTC staffers. "Sorry suckers, no subway service for you!"
Heads should roll, or at least a groveling apology should be issued, for this fiasco. But bureaucrats are untouchable.
TTC CEO Mandeep S. Lali's promise of "enhanced service plan" regarding anticipated downtown crowds was tone-deaf, likened to the Titanic captain's "mission accomplished." Lali later blamed Metrolinx, shifting from denial to deflection.
Metrolinx, Ontario's public transit agency for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, is highly incompetent. Their Eglinton Crosstown LRT project, a 19-km track in midtown Toronto, began construction in 2011, is $1 billion over budget, five years past its 2020 opening date, and still unfinished. Metrolinx refuses to provide a new opening date.
Thankfully, Metro-Stinks prioritizes essential initiatives, like painting GO buses in rainbow colors to welcome transgender individuals on public transit.
Metrolinx stated that many customers were accommodated on GO buses and UP Express, but they cannot operate overnight or add additional trains due to "track ownership and operational considerations." Metrolinx, whose sole job is to ensure trains run, seems more concerned with its "personal gravy train."
Meanwhile, the TTC, much like Deputy CEO Bruce McGregor, focuses on trivial matters. McGregor, earning nearly $400,000 annually, cancelled Halloween Fest, deeming it "non-inclusive," yet struggles to operate subways late after major events like Game 7 of the World Series.
The Blue Jays' magical World Series run, which captivated the city and nation, was unfortunately overshadowed by the incompetence of public transit, ruining the experience.
How many will abandon public transit after Saturday's incident, where Toronto transit officials abandoned thousands of riders? Many will now opt for climate-controlled cars, enduring gridlock, over unreliable public transit.
Put another way, the initialism TTC stands for Toronto Transit Commission. But for us, TTC will forever mean either "Take the Car" or "Telephone the Cab."
David Menzies
Journalist and 'Mission Specialist'
David “The Menzoid” Menzies is the Rebel News "Mission Specialist." The Menzoid is equal parts outrageous and irreverent as he dares to ask the type of questions those in the Media Party would rather not ponder.
COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-11-03 21:24:43 -0500Has this been an issue with the union? Sensible people would pay the drivers overtime on such occasions. But we’re talking about bureaucracy where common sense is neither common or makes sense to the brass.
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-11-03 21:21:40 -0500I can imagine what that was like.
I attended the Eagles concert at McMahon Stadium in Calgary in 1978. I lived in the other end of the city and it was quite an experience getting home that night. The bus I took to downtown was packed to the rafters. Sardines, by comparison, had a lot of elbow room.
But there were buses when the show was over late in the evening and the stadium was full.