By David Topping

With some 2,212 responses in just under two weeks, our TTC survey is done, and the complete data is in the hands of Michael Anders, the TTC’s Market Research Director. Tomorrow, Wednesday, the organization will be holding a special meeting in Committee Room 1 at City Hall to discuss their next steps, and Anders has told us that they “will be prepared to discuss [Torontoist's] findings” (whatever that means!––either way, Torontoist will be in attendance).
You can view the summarized results of our survey online now, or download the summary as one of those lovely printable PDFs. For the sake of convenience, clarity, and brevity, here are some of the more salient results from our survey.

Usage & Fares

• Work (74.9%) and entertainment (75.1%) are the front-runners for why people use the TTC, though visiting friends (62.5%) and shopping (63.6%) aren’t far behind. Only 24.8% of all respondents said that they regularly use the TTC for school––though 50% of people 25 and under do so.
• Many respondents (40.3%) use the TTC for more than one trip a day; only 5.5% use it less than once a month.
• Most (44.0%) say that their typical trip on the TTC lasts between 10 and 30 minutes.
• A good half (49.1%) do not have access to another type of transportation for the trips that they now take on the TTC.
• Tokens (45.1%) are doubly preferred over tickets (21.0%) to pay for a TTC trip.
• 50.6% have a favourable impression of the TTC, while 19.7% have an unfavourable impression. As for its employees, the numbers are a little different: 49.5% have a favourable impression of the TTC’s employees, and 18.4% have an unfavourable one.

Cutbacks & Solutions

• 82.1% feel they have not been informed or consulted enough about proposed cuts to TTC service.
• A vast majority would like to see the TTC get additional funding via help from the municipal (57.5%), provincial (81.6%), and federal governments (74.5%) rather than by reducing service (5.6%), closing the Sheppard subway line (15.2%), canceling bus routes (4.9%), and other similar cutbacks.
• Car-related taxes––congestion charges (69.8%), a motor vehicle registration tax (68.0%), and road tolls (62.6%)––all lead the way for the forms of taxes that respondents believe the city should instate or raise. Though there have been concerns expressed about the unequal amount of bike riders (versus car drivers) taking the survey, 27.4% of respondents bike at least several times a week, while 28.8% drive at least several times a week. If you include those who are driven by a family member or friend, borrow a car, use a car-sharing service like Autoshare or Zipcar, or take taxis, a full 47.4% of respondents use a car in some capacity several times a week.
• 56.9% believe that the TTC should use any additional funding that it receives to improve service rather than freeze or lower fares (20.0%) or clean and fix existing equipment or facilities (17.9%).
• 64.6% said that the TTC’s proposed changes will have some effect or a great effect on them.
• 98% of respondents could afford to pay an extra 10–25¢ per ride––though half of those wouldn’t be happy about it, and a quarter would have to reduce their use of the system.
• If the TTC’s service was vastly improved (as our survey put it, “fewer delays, more vehicles, less crowding, better cleanliness, and better functions”), 3.6% would be willing to pay $1 extra per fare, 12.5% would be willing to pay another 50¢, 33.6% would be willing to pay another 25¢, and 21.2% would be willing to pitch in 10¢. All told, then, a whopping 70.9% would be willing to pay at least an additional 10¢ per ride to see a better TTC.

We’ll have more data over the rest of this week, including a selection of the more interesting responses from the “My TTC Is…” fill-in-the-blank question, as well as the responses (and, in some cases, amazing stories) from the “Any Additional Comments” box shortly thereafter.