‘Disastrous’: Union berates TTC’s storm response after hundreds of buses stranded

The TTC was ill-prepared to handle Monday’s snowstorm, leaving “hundreds of TTC workers, riders and vehicles stranded across Toronto,” the union that represents thousands of TTC employees said in a release Tuesday night.

The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) which represents around 12,000 TTC workers, called the TTC’s response to the snowstorm “disastrous” and urged better planning to assure Mother Nature doesn’t get the best of the Better Way again.

“While the TTC doesn’t control the weather, the snowstorm revealed major gaps in how the TTC deals with severe winter weather conditions,” ATU Local 113 President, Marvin Alfred, said in a release.

“To protect workers and riders, ATU Local 113 calls on the TTC to be better prepared for snowstorms by implementing a service plan in which vehicle accumulation levels are assessed and a hazardous service level is determined. Once that level is reached, the TTC must pause service to allow road crews to plow roads so buses and streetcars can keep Torontonians moving safely. The TTC can and should do better.”

The union says 540 TTC buses were stranded, and claims calls from trapped operators “were left unanswered.”

In an update Tuesday, the TTC said hundreds of its buses remain trapped in deep snow after Monday’s blizzard.

“At this time we have fewer than 400 buses still trapped and more are being retrieved by the hour,” TTC spokesperson Stuart Green told CityNews.

Green said staff “have been working tirelessly since yesterday to keep service moving as best we can” but admits that every single surface route is facing delays because of the storm.

There’s no timeline for when full service will resume.

“We’re working as quickly as we can to restore full service, but as most people can appreciate, we must operate to conditions in order to ensure everyone stays safe,” Green stressed.

Alfred said that’s not good enough.

“The TTC’s lack of a proper contingency plan that addresses impact, order and risk mitigation is concerning and unacceptable, especially for a major city like Toronto that depends on public transit,” he said. “ATU Local 113 members and our riders, who depend on safe and reliable service, must be the TTC’s top priority.”

In a release earlier Tuesday, the City of Toronto said the TTC has increased staff where available and continues to monitor route disruptions.

Nearly 40 centimetres of snow fell in Toronto on Monday, leading to numerous road and business closures.

Toronto police even made the rare decision to temporarily close the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway to help safely remove trapped motorists.