The TTC's newest commissioner has revealed Toronto's most common transit complaints
A few weeks after asking residents of Toronto to slide into his DMs, Fenton Jagdeo has revealed exactly what the hundreds of people who did so had to say.
As the TTC's newest and youngest ever commisioner, Jagdeo has started his term by reaching out to the city's transit users and asking them to share any thoughts that they may have on public transit in Toronto by messaging him directly.
"The response has been incredible. I've had over 225 constructive DMs (and counting) where riders have shared their stories and suggestions," Jagdeo told blogTO.
"Using social media as a listening tool democratizes feedback giving without the fear of time commitment, judgement, or form. I'm going to continue inviting riders to message me with their thoughts because data is powerful."
Over the weekend, Jagdeo posted his findings to Instagram complete with the most common feedback he received as well as select pull quotes from those who did take time to slide into his DMs.
Safety concerns were overwhelmingly the most popular response, making up over 40 per cent of the feedback received with nearly half of those responses taking issue with a lack of mask wearing on transit.
Technology issues were the next most common response with dozens of people requesting open payment systems were they could abandon Presto in favour of tapping a credit card as seen in many other cities.
Service expansion, racial profiling, and fare costs were some of the other most raised topics of concern.
"The point of this independent research is to understand customer priorities outside of 'the numbers' and I can't talk to every person in the GTA," explained Jagdeo.
As someone who takes the TTC nearly every day, Jagdeo is able to understand the plight of transit riders around the city more than most. Holding one of ten votes on the TTC's board that factor into pushing initiatives and making major decisions, he's reaching out to the community to make sure everyone's voice is heard.
"It's sobering to know how important fundamentals are to driving customer use," Jagdeo explained. "Getting the very basics right is a solution to many concerns and decision points across the rider experience."
"This is encouraging because the TTC's current corporate plan has set in motion objectives and activities to directly address this sentiment for future years to come."
While Jagdeo's term as TTC commisioner has only just started, he's already impressed many people by his willingness to listen and his passion for city transit. He encourages everyone to continue messaging him via Twitter and Instagram to keep the conversation going.
Hector Vasquez
