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Vintage Toronto Ads: Transit Workers Get Sick Too

By Jamie Bradburn

20090225ttc57.jpg
Source: The Globe and Mail, October 10, 1957

Whether it is a warning to riders of the penalties for assaulting transit employees or simple tips on how to ride an escalator, the Toronto Transit Commission devotes part of its ad space to informing its users about safety issues. The topic of illness prevention occasionally pops up, especially during cold season when your fellow citizens allow their germs to ride the rocket. Drivers are not immune from these unwanted passengers, which appears to have caused havoc for the TTC back in the late 1950s. Today’s ad doesn’t provide any tips on how to prevent further driver sick days, but it does urge riders to be more punctual or build in more time for their trips. We might add a provision allowing riders to toss off the vehicle any sneezing passengers who spend their ride parked at the front, yammering away as their distracting conversation not only causes a stop or two to be missed but adds another casualty to the mounting pile of ill drivers.
Years later, the city took up the fight against sneezing with a poster that made its way into a transit stop or two.

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Comments

  • http://null ambrose

    ooh, from the pre-Do the Sleeve Sneeze! days. How did they ever live without that piece of advice?

  • http://undefined montauk

    Mmm. Transit Men.

  • http://null mightym

    Oh gee thanks! As we weren’t already aware we need to leave early due to over-crowding, not enough trains and peeved bus drivers who just can’t be bothered to stop at designated stops. Give me a break. Maybe stop patronizing us so much and worrying about what passengers do and start looking at yourselves.

  • http://null Gloria

    I dunno about you, but I wasn’t even *alive* to take the TTC back in ol’ 1957.

  • http://undefined montauk

    Yeah mightym, when was the last time you did a yeoman’s service? For me it was last week. Harvested turnips. Fuck yeah.

  • http://null anindividual

    2009 Update:
    “Transit Workers Have Bad Attitudes Too
    Just like some of the losers in your family, we too have workers who don’t really care to do their jobs. We share many afflictions with other unionized workers; complacency, entitlement, grumpiness and demoralized, bitter front line workers.
    The Commission lacks the management skill and imagination to correct this. If you feel helpless, screw you. Others may feel it’s time to buy a bicycle or just take up walking. If you do, please don’t forget to support our budget requests, even if you no longer give a damn about us like we don’t give a damn about you.”