TTC subway

American tourist falls in love with the TTC on trip to Toronto

From disruptive budget cuts to the rash of violence that's plagued Toronto's transit system over the past year or so, it may seem like the feel-good stories are few and far between these days.

However, one American tourist visiting over the weekend from San Francisco took to Reddit to rave about their TTC experience - while simultaneously complaining about Toronto's horrible traffic.

"I'm currently on vacation in Toronto, Canada. I rented a car and after 3 days I gave up driving. It took almost 2 hours just to enter the highway from downtown," the post reads.

"For people who do complain about SF traffic, I thought we were bad. I thought NY was bad. Toronto shits on both of them," they wrote.

To Toronto's credit, the past weekend was potentially one of the worst to attempt to drive through the city, with the annual Honda Indy shutting down a stretch of Lake Shore Blvd., and several other major events resulting in street closures and blockages.

After a frustrating few days of sitting in static traffic, the tourist writes they resorted to trying public transportation on their fourth day, and were pleasantly surprised.

"I don't know shit about Canada but they make it so easy! I was blown away. $3CAD gets you a bus ticket with unlimited transfers for 2 hours, including subway."

Comparing our bus maps to a "chess/checkers board," the poster seemed incredulous that the buses come so often.

"Every, and I mean EVERY street has their own bus route that just goes up and down the street, and if you miss the bus, there's another one in 5 minutes," the user noted.

Similarly to Toronto's recognizable streetcars, the city of San Francisco is also known for its network of cable cars. Visitors to The Bay area might have even spotted an iconic vintage TTC streetcar running through the coastal city.

However, it seems that San Francisco residents are less than thrilled with their own public transportation system, particularly ones who have visited Toronto and have witnessed the comparison.

"I understand now why people who move here complain about our public transportation system," the user writes. "It really does suck."

While the TTC certainly leaves much to be desired, it at least appears temporarily impressive to visitors to the city.

Lead photo by

Fareen Karim


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