Another public transit post??  Of course!  My commute is where I do my best thinking.   Here’s what I was thinking as I went up the stairs at Spadina Station in Toronto.  ‘Man I wish that escalator worked’.

It’s not the first time I lamented about the escalator not working at this particular station.  I’d say this thought crosses my mind at least 40% of the time, because that’s how often the escalator doesn’t work.  I’m not suggesting that there’s any lack of willingness on the part of the Toronto Transit Commission to have this fixed.  They have repair men there a lot of the time.  Therein lies the problem……but I’ll get that in a minute.

I heard recently that the TTC is going to increase the fares next year, and that they want to outsource ‘bus cleaning’ to save money.  This is all going to result in a pissing contest of some sort, and a possible labour dispute.  While I agree that they can probably get people to clean these busses for less than the $25/hr that I heard they’re paying them, I know for a fact that there are better ways to save money.

HIRE NEW ESCALATOR REPAIR GUYS!!!!

Listen, I’m not just here to rant.  I’m here to help!  As a frequent passenger of the TTC, I just want what’s best for everyone.  I’m sure they have hired consultants who haven’t been able to uncover this money-saving opportunity.  Let me break it down (not the escalator, the situation).

Repair guys cost a lot of money.  These guys are fixing the same escalator at least 3 to 4 times a month.  I doubt it’s ‘just maintainance’, because they have to be smart enough not to do that during rush hour (well maybe).  They are fixing it, but rigging it to break down again in a week, so they can come back and fix it again.  I know that may seem unfair.  We’ve all known mechanics who we’ve probably wrongly accused of this, but this isn’t unfair at all.  I’m no mechanic, but I know one thing for sure.  ESCALATORS ONLY DO ONE THING!!!  How complicated could the machinery possibly be??  These guys are taking advantage of the TTC!  As they should, because the TTC is too dumb to put a stop to it.  I’ll bet these guys don’t have any other clients.  They don’t need them, they’re raking it in.  The cleaners and the passengers will be paying the price.

This advice is free, TTC!!!  Sorry, escalator repairmen!!!  Somebody had to blow the cover off this conspiracy.

Thoughts and Rants in Jogging Pants…….Saving Toronto commuters, 5 cents at a time!!!