Is Toronto’s transit system entering a death spiral?

In today’s Big Story podcast, even if you don’t live in the city, you’ve probably heard about the recent spate of violence on Toronto’s transit system. There have been some really ugly, seemingly random incidents. And while anecdotes may not be reliable, in this case the numbers back them up: Even with far fewer riders, there has been a sharp spike in the number of serious incidents on the system since the pandemic began.

Lex Harvey is the transportation reporter at The Toronto Star. She joins us today to discuss her coverage of what has been a tough few months aboard public transit in Toronto, and how the city aims to restore public confidence in the system.

“I have heard from riders who are saying, ‘this feels like a bigger risk than its worth, maybe I’m going to call an Uber or I’m going to walk,” she said, “that’s fewer people on the system at a time when we desperately need people on the system to deal with revenue issues.”

When fear spreads, that keeps riders away. With fewer riders comes worse service and less safety, which keeps the cycle going. Add in the failings of Toronto’s shelter system and other public health initiatives to help care for the city’s vulnerable population, and you have a collapsing transit system forced to bear the burden of other city services.

Are more cops the answer? What else could the city try? Will they tackle the root cause of the problems? And what happens if they don’t?

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