For two weeks beginning on Monday, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) will be asking Torontonians what kind of transit agency they want in the city's future.

TTC Chair Adam Giambrone said he will personally hand out surveys to the public, asking for their opinions.

"We're going to be going out and talking to transit riders, but also Torontonians, about what they'd like to see for their transit system," he told CTV News. "And then we'll ask how they want us to go about paying for it."

TTC officials say it is necessary for Torontonians to be consulted before they make decisions on service reductions or fare increases amid a restrictive budget.

Officials with the transit agency say they anticipate an increase in fares or cuts in service as they have been asked to reduce their budget for 2007 and 2008.

The TTC expects 100 new buses to sit idle and officials say that service improvements to keep up with ridership growth have already been cancelled.

"It's essential that we hear from the community -- from the riders and from the people who subsidize these services through their taxes -- before we consider making decisions about service reductions," Giambrone said in a statement.

"At its July 20 meeting, the Commission agreed that consultation with the public would help us make the decisions for the city's transit future.

"Service cuts are something we don't want to do, especially considering the unprecedented growth and momentum the TTC has built this year," said Giambrone. "We must protect the system Torontonians have built together as much as possible, despite the unpalatable choices the Commission is faced with.

Among the questions in the survey:

  • The TTC is facing significant financial pressures. What do you feel is the best way for the TTC to deal with the funding gap?
  • Do you have access to another type of transportation on a regular basis for the trips you now take on the TTC?
  • The survey also asks commuters what they would do if the TTC cut services on the route they currently use.

The TTC will be distributing brochures to the public on buses, streetcars and subways, as well as at stations, malls, and at Humber College and University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus.

The survey in the brochure can be mailed or faxed back to the TTC, or dropped into boxes at any TTC station.

The survey will also be posted online at www.ttc.ca and can be printed in five languages other than English: Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Tamil.

With a report from CTV's Desmond Brown