What are best and worst seats on the TTC?

On my lap.

Best: the back of the streetcar, the one at the front of the streetcar with your back to the door, the single subway seat with the divider near the door and of course the one at the front window on the older trains.

Worst: most streetcar seats if you are tall and manage to bash your knees on the back of the seat in front.

The sneaky single seat by the middle door of an articulated streetcar. Easy access to exit, leg room (if not absurdly packed), no one can stand to either side of you, just slightly in front.

The single seat behind the driver/guard cabs on older subway trains (not the new Rockets or the accessible T1s). Plenty of width and you're protected from people invading your space.

Streetcar:
Any aisle seat close to the back doors
back row of the streetcar if it's not full

Subway:
The edge of a three seater

Bus:
- sideways facing seat closest to the back doors before the steps
- any single seat - but often have to relinquish those seats for elderly

It's funny that this discussion came up because just the other day I turned the last page pf my book in the subway and with 20 minutes left in my ride, had some time to kill. Observing the 3 seats that face inward, I started a sitting-method taxonomy. Here's what I came up with:

Here are the top 10 seating strategies for subway passengers (in no particular order)

1. The Pole Dancer

This passenger is usually in high heels or just has balance issues. She scoots into the train just before the doors close, grabs the nearest pole as the train lurches forward, and projected by the momentum of the train going from stop to go, swings around the pole and lands flawlessly into the seat.

2. The Worm (or Nesting Hen)

This passenger enters the train eyeballs a seat, stands in front of it and wiggles in, claiming their territory by jostling their already-seated neighbours.

3. The I don't give a damn that my rear is 1.5 times the width of the seat!

This passenger, can be combined with The Worm or The Reversing Truck. Regardless of the seating procedure, this person boldly sits and ends up with a large portion of their meaty backside in your lap (or on top of your book if you're reading). As you struggle out from under the mess, the owner of the caboose shoots you an aggravated glare as if you've touched him or her in an inappropriate way.

4. The Reversing Truck

This passenger enters the train from the far doors, catches a glimpse of a free seat and proceeds to walk backward toward the seat craning his neck to visually aim as he walks, homing in on the free seat, making the sitting part easy as he is already bent into chair position during the reversing process, that is, unless Slick Sam gets there first.

5. Slick Sam

This passenger sees the free seat and sees The Reversing Truck, puts two and two together and darts in like a sparrow completely confounding The Reversing Truck who looked away for a moment to stretch his neck.

6.The Think Thin, then Relax and Expand

This passenger is conscious of others and makes an effort to squeeze into tight fitting areas like an octopus through underwater cracks. She walks in, sees a prime middle spot, immediately squeezes herself into a thin, miniscule form, sits and then content that she is in the seat, relaxes into her full form, enveloping her neighbours with elbows and hips.

7. The OCD Mr. Fidgety

With darting eyes, this passenger finds a free seat, inspects it, brushes it off, inspects it again, brushes it off again, sits down, adjusts his pants, stands up, sits down again, adjusts his pants again, remains seated, adjusts his pants, straightens his shirt, stares accusingly at the person across who has raised an eyebrow, adjusts his pants, shifts in his seat, adjusts his pants and so on ad nauseum...I have not decided whether it's more irritating to be the person across from Mr.Fidgety, or beside him.

8. The Bag Lady

In she lopes usually at Dundas Station (where the downtown shopping centre is), with 5 bags (the scrunchy expensive paper kind) on each arm and another being carried on her middle with her arms wrapped around it. The bags whip everyone like Medusa's Serpents in attack mode. The Bag Lady, who after all that shopping feels like she deserves a seat, aims for the nearest one, bulldozing everyone in her path before sitting down and overflowing with newly purchased goods whacking the spectacles off of her neighbour.

9. The Aisle Hog

This is the young guy who slouches into the train like he doesn't want to live till tomorrow, plunks down on the seat, slides down so that his rear is at the edge of his seat and his head can lean on the back of the chair, and sticks his ripped jean legs with feet mounted on a skateboard as far out into the centre aisle as he can. When people trip over this obstacle, he grimaces at them as if he is injured and the whole world hates him.

10. The We're All Made Equal

This passenger enters a packed train and notices a newly liberated seat marked with the handicap/elderly sign, and takes it. Around him are standing an elderly man with a cane, a pregnant woman, and a girl on crutches. He stares off into oblivion repeating in his head "We're all made equal and I deserve this seat just as much as any of them", forcing the others to try to withstand the jerky movements of the train.

STINK!

The best seat for me (in the subway) is the one in the car closest to the station exit. Someone should make a guide of which cars to ride to be closest to the exits. I know for St. Clair West and Eg West it is the back of the train.

Second last row of seats on the new buses- about a foot lower than the wheel well seats. And the King street car- no one under thirty ever gives up there seat to anyone. Oh- and the Dufferin bus, always a long wait and then four packed buses show up- always!

The back area of the new articulateds, which will never be used because the TTC stupidly chose a 3 door and not a 4 door model (which places the last set of doors at the very end of the vehicle). This back area will be impossible to reach, the doman of unruly teenagers, and covered in garbage in no time.

Did I mention I enjoy eating the corn out of my grandmother's shit? How's that for FAMILY VALUES???!

I've seen one of these... a "subway efficiency guide" I think it was called.

It's been a while, but I do remember the advice of: when in doubt, wait by the orange dot. The exit at something like half the stations is near the orange dot.

agreed, yuck.

best seat is the single seat on the streetcar that's in between two windows that can open...you open yours, the guy in front opens his...wind galore! since there's no A/C this is by far the best seat on a streetcar!

The best seat on the Orion VII is the sole inside forward facing seat on the right, lower deck. It is a shame there are not more such seats since the TTC has traded such modest comfort for absolute maximum passenger capacity via expanded standing room. Hopefully the new articulated buses will address this, and allow future 40' buses to have a more comfortable seating arrangement (something like on YRT 40' buses, with more double forward facing seat sets on the lower deck).

Also, why are our subway seats so damn hard? I love the new trains, but was really disappointed they didn't go with a nicer seat design like those found on some newer buses in the GTA. Hell, even using a plastic base like in Montreal or New York would be better than using wood like our subways do.

Came here just to say (and agree with others): STOP stealing content from Reddit. I saw this a while back about "the worst seat on the TTC", and then bamn, here's an article about just the same thing.