By Torontoist

Have questions about the TTC? Rocket Talk is a regular Torontoist column, featuring TTC Chair Adam Giambrone and Director of Communications Brad Ross’s answers to Torontoist readers’ questions. Submit your questions to rockettalk@torontoist.com!

Photo by spotmaticfanatic from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

Matt Kim asks:

Why is the configuration of seats on the streetcar and subway the way it is? Couldn’t more people be accommodated with bench seating running all along the sides?

TTC Chair Adam Giambrone says:

The seating in TTC vehicles is fairly customizable, although it comes at a cost after the initial configuration is in place.
Seating configuration has, in fact, been the subject of debate at the Commission several times over the past few years, as it’s something that really affects riders and their experience on the system. The quantity and configuration of seats is probably not perfectible, as it involves, to some degree, personal taste, and not everyone will always agree about what they like best.
The TTC tries to find the right balance between seating and standing room. Operationally speaking, if there were no seating at all, we could fit more people on the vehicles and increase efficiency. But of course, we wouldn’t be serving our riders very well with that configuration—particularly those who travel long distances and have difficulty standing for long periods of time. Conversely, we could put in more seating than exists now, but riders would end up waiting an awfully long time for a vehicle with enough room for them to get on. In any case, the aisles must be wide enough to allow riders to move between doors.
When the new Toronto Rocket subway cars were being designed, perimeter seating—which you’ve described in your question—was given serious consideration. It does have its advantages, including some increase in standing capacity and traffic flow, and an ability to see under the seats for cleaning, and, the Commission was advised, security purposes. However, it was also discovered in rider consultation and market research that riders like the current mix of perimeter and transverse seats. It improves social interaction on the ride, and gives riders a choice of direction to face. Some people are sensitive to motion, even to the point of nausea, and are much more comfortable facing forward or backwards.
In the end, the Commission chose to keep the transverse seating.
The seating configuration on the new streetcars we’re ordering has not been finalized yet, and will be the result of consultation, studies, and focus groups. We will have to arrive at a configuration that is comfortable, accommodates mobility devices, facilitates movement through the vehicle, and maximizes vehicle capacity [PDF].
As for the existing streetcars, some experimentation has been done on reconfiguring the seating to facilitate better movement-particularly in the back [PDF]. As a result of the positive feedback from riders, a program is underway to modify the streetcar by removing one row of seating in the back. This program is piggybacked onto other work being done at the same time, such as lighting upgrades.