I enjoy living downtown Toronto. I work, socialize, buy groceries, eat and sleep between Front and Bloor Street. Therefore, I buy a Metropass every month and take the subway at least twice a day.

The city of Toronto is growing. Rush hour, especially in the mornings, makes TTC riders impatient. It is Monday morning, you need to get to the office or school on time and you are not really in the Friday night mood.

There are a few tips that I will love to give people out loud sometimes:

-       Blocking the door: Why are you blocking the door if your stop is not the next one? If you exit at busy stations like College, Queen or King you will not have a problem getting off the train.

-       Living space in the middle: Be considerate with the rest of the world. If you are lucky to find a comfortable spot where you can open your newspapers and read while other passengers are crushing at the door, please leave a small space for someone and it will be much appreciated.

-       Passengers who exit the train need space: if you crowd in front of the door and leave access for one person leaving at a time will delay the whole process and people behind you will have almost no time until the doors are closing.

In general, Torontonians are very polite and helpful. Most of the time people avoid eye contact and I take advantage of it almost every day to analyze my surroundings.

Weird, maybe, but I have taken TTC enough to the point that I already know where to position myself to be close to the station’s exit stairs.

By the way, I work downtown but not for the Toronto Transit Commission 🙂