TTC customer satisfaction reached brutally low levels in 2025

The TTC's latest customer satisfaction scores mirror a year filled with negative transit-related headlines – from major delays to countless shutdowns and everything in between.

TTC CEO Mandeep Lali, appointed to the transit agency's top job in June 2025, issued his latest monthly CEO report, which appears to bury the lede. 

The report mainly highlights Wheel-Trans's strong operational performance. For four pages, Lali boasts a 89 per cent customer satisfaction rate and an 18.8 per cent year-to-date increase in ridership. 

However, the broader TTC performance metrics are much more alarming than the stats above, and, compared to the much more prominent Wheel-Trans statistics, seem buried in the nine-page report.

Taking a big hit this year is overall satisfaction with safety, which declined by 6 per cent year-over-year,

CEO's Report Toronto Transit Commission December 2025

Safety satisfaction typically drops by only 2-3 per cent this time of year, making this decline unusually large. The report notes that the decrease is in part due to riders feeling less safe on buses.

Only 56 per cent of riders say they feel safe using the TTC, a 6 per cent drop compared to last month, and a 3 per cent drop compared to last year.

According to the report, the main complaints from riders include long wait times, uncomfortable rides, and dirty stops and stations on buses and streetcars. On the flip side, subway satisfaction has remained steady compared to last year. 

"Subway reliability exceeded targets and boardings rose 4 per cent in October 2025, offset by declines in bus and streetcar use," the report reads.

And satisfaction isn't the only issue the transit agency faces.

TTC ridership is 5.2 per cent below target, while revenue is 3.9 per cent under budget, meaning the agency is at a $33.9 million shortfall this year.

CEO's Report Toronto Transit Commission December 2025

The report, to be presented to the TTC Board at its Dec. 10 meeting, also outlines how the agency plans to support fans travelling to and from BMO Field and the FIFA Fan Festival at Fort York National Historic Site when the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off next June.