The wait to board TTC buses and streetcars may become lengthier for parents with young children, as transit staff are weighing in on restricting the number of strollers allowed onboard.
The touchy topic of baby strollers came up during Monday’s TTC meeting after a Toronto resident complained that buggies can prevent riders from getting on and off the vehicles, especially during rush hour.
“When you see six baby strollers on a bus, the drivers are put in a very bad position,” 61-year-old Elsa La Rosa told TTC commissioners. “Number one, they can’t pick up any other passengers at a bus stop. Number two, if one of the baby strollers wants to get off, everybody has to get off the bus and then get back on the bus again.
“It’s like something out of a comedy act,” she said.
La Rosa suggested limiting the amount of strollers allowed on the vehicles -- two during peak times and three at other times.
TTC chair Karen Stintz asked staff to look into the issue and possible solutions. A report is expected within the next couple of months.
La Rosa also urged commissioners to impose a $2 charge for strollers, but TTC CEO Andy Byford told CP24 on Tuesday that the transit agency has no plans to impose an extra fare.
“I think that would be wrong. Parents with toddlers rely on the TTC, often they don’t have cars,” Byford said. “I don’t think it’s at all acceptable to charge for strollers, so there’s no way we’re going to do that.”
Byford did say, however, that the agency must come to a “sensible solution” when it comes to strollers on TTC vehicles.
“On occasion we have buses that are very, very full, and it may be on limited occasions that we have to say we’re going to only allow a number of strollers on to maintain safety,” he said. “But I want to get everyone on board.”
Byford said the introduction of bigger buses and streetcars planned for this year may help alleviate the problem.
One mom who spoke to CTV Toronto on Tuesday said the TTC is meant to make Toronto more accessible for all residents – including parents with strollers.
“I can’t carry my child and my bags at the same time, so it’s a safety issue,” she said. “I need to have the stroller and if it weren’t for the TTC, I’d be trapped in my house.”
