Transit Blues

I think I witnessed a revealing episode that would certainly convince me to never depend on public transit in Toronto. Here I was waiting at a streetcar stop in the east end, right by the big yard where they park and repair the streetcars. From 6:30 to 7:00 pm I waited at the stop while one streetcar after another arrived at our stop but then turned into the yard. I guess the rush hour was winding down and they were finished their last run but can you imagine waiting through *eight* drive-bys before we actually got a car that was going west. There was a bit of grumbling as the level of frustration grew but the most visibly upset was a guy wearing a TTC uniform. It turns out that he was on his way to start his shift but he had to take a this streetcar to the rendezvous point and now he realized he was going to be late. After about twenty minutes he just started walking, but before he left he told one person that now he was going to be late to start his shift and you could see the exasparation on his face that the TTC was responsible for him being late...even though he's on his way to work for the TTC. Despite the gas increases, I'm still glad I've got my car and I won't be taking a streetcar until the next time it breaks.