Transportation reporter Tess Kalinowski: 'I don’t see the TTC ever catching up'

Tess Kalinowski is the Toronto Star’s transportation reporter, covering one of the city’s busiest beats. She reports on TTC issues and management, as well as transportation issues for the GTA, Ontario and beyond. Her byline can be seen almost every day, and often more than once.

I spoke with her for five minutes about the TTC’s challenges.

What do you see as the TTC’s main challenges? A lot of people say funding’s the top issue, is it?

I think funding is a big issue.

Also, they failed to modernize. Their business practices and staffing are from the '70s or '80s. I think they’re addressing their problems, but there’s a way to go.

Can you give an example of some outdated business practices?

Well we had these people working in booths who were caught sleeping. Typically they had issues in other areas. People who were stressed or having a workplace problem were transferred to the most front-line job.

Some people I’ve interviewed for this project say the TTC needs to have a more aggressive outreach campaign. What are you thoughts?

For five years I have heard the TTC, city council and everyone complain that it’s underfunded. I’ve watched so many outreach campaigns. The funding situation has not gotten better year after year. They still don’t have the resources.

The TTC is run by bureaucrats. There’s only so much they can push because their bosses are politicians. How much they can do is really limited.

We have a big hole. For 20 to 30 years Toronto did not invest in transit — I don’t see it ever catching up.

Does that depress you, as someone who’s covered the TTC for so long?

As a reporter, problems are interesting. They add conflict and make you articles interesting.

I have my own thoughts. I thought Gary Webster didn't need to be fired. I think bringing in Andy Byford from Sydney and London could make things interesting. But I don’t advocate an agenda. If I was a columnist like Chris Hume or Royson James, I could crusading for something. But my job is to observe and report.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

What to do about driver infractions?

A video posted Friday seems to show someone texting while operating a subway train. Here's the video:

A similar case happened earlier this year in Toronto, concurrent with a case in Ottawa.

What do you think should be done in cases like this? To what extent should drivers be penalized? Is it appropriate for these suspected infractions to be posted online? A fare collector made the front page of the Toronto Sun in 2010, months before he died of a stroke.

I'd like to hear your thoughts below.

Update: The driver in question has been called in by the TTC.

Paul Bedford on the TTC: 'You get what you pay for'

As part of my project, I'm interviewing people with insights into issues around the TTC. One of the people I called up is a former city planners for Toronto. I wanted to get the perspective of someone who's witnessed city-building first-hand.

Paul Bedford
Courtesy of canadascapital.gc.ca

Paul Bedford was chief city planner for the City of Toronto for eight years. A self-described passionate advocate for GTA transit and city-building, Bedford became a city planning professor at both the University of Toronto and Ryerson University after his 2004 retirement. He actively advises many city-planning organizations.

What is main cause of TTC service interruptions?

Lack of consistent funding. You get what you pay for. Almost all the funding now comes from our city, and it shows. Since amalgamation in 1998 we've had funding cut from the province.

We need new revenue sources, whether it's from the public or private sphere. Taxpayers can’t make up for the lack of funding, and the TTC can't even keep up with the future of growth. We need light-rail and bus rapid-transit.

What other TTC issues do you see?

Maintenance is obviously a big one. It isn't clean. There’s broken escalators and poor service. There are times when my bus is half an hour late or more, and I’ve just walked. In September 2011 they reached their highest ridership. It’s grown a lot since amalgamation.

We’ve been going downhill for a long time; it has to be turned around. We’ve got great transit for a city of 1 million, but we’re 3 million people!

Why do you think funding hasn't been fixed then?

The average person doesn’t understand governance at all. Because they have their own life to live. They need to have a better understanding of transit issues; how it affects us as a city and what we can do to fix this awful situation.

What could the TTC be doing about this?

The TTC should embark on a  public awareness campaign. Same as GM did around the time of the bailout.

One of the ads in the TTC's
ongoing awareness blitz.
TTC photo

They've posted a lot of ads lately about their funding shortfall. What do you think of this campaign?

It's better than nothing. But they need to be in-your-face. It's a really hard fight for them.

This interview has been edited and condensed.