Editing Toronto Transit Commission (section)

==Safety==

===Safety programs===
Safety features provided by the TTC include:
[[File:Glencairn TTC DWA.JPG|thumb|A designated waiting area (DWA) at [[Glencairn station]] in 2014. DWAs are well-lit waiting areas that are monitored, have intercoms, and are situated near the location where the guard car stops.]]
* Request Stop: all passengers travelling alone on surface routes (9&nbsp;pm – 5&nbsp;am, excluding streetcar routes) can ask the driver to stop at points between bus stops. The program started in 1991, due in part to the activities of serial rapist and killer [[Paul Bernardo]]. On October 13, 2011, after many requests from the public and, finally, a letter by [[LGBTQ]]+ rights group Queer Ontario,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://queerontario.org/request-stop/ |title=Letter to Councillor Karen Stintz regarding the TTC's Request Stop Program |publisher=QueerOntario |date=September 28, 2011 |access-date=December 27, 2014}}</ref> the TTC announced that it would make the Request Stop Program available to all passengers in need; from 1991 to 2011, the program was only available to women.
* Designated Waiting Areas (DWA) on rapid transit platforms: these are well-lit, have intercoms, are monitored by security cameras, and are near the location where the guard car stops.
* [[Toronto Paramedic Services|Toronto paramedics]]: stationed at key locations within the subway system during the morning and evening rush to assist with medical emergencies and provide a faster emergency response. This also reduces delays on the rapid transit system.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www3.ttc.ca/News/2009/March/TTC_and_Toronto_EMS_place_more_paramedics_in_Toronto_subwa.jsp |title=TTC and Toronto EMS place more paramedics in Toronto's subway system |publisher=Toronto Transit Commission |date=March 20, 2009 |access-date=February 19, 2012 |archive-date=March 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307075145/http://www3.ttc.ca/News/2009/March/TTC_and_Toronto_EMS_place_more_paramedics_in_Toronto_subwa.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Emergency Power Cut stations: indicated by a blue beacon and located on both ends of all rapid transit platforms with a PAX telephone that can be used contact the Transit Control Centre's emergency line (3555).
* Yellow Emergency Alarm (formerly "Passenger Assistance Alarm"): yellow strips on all subway cars since 1977 and on the [[Flexity Outlook (Toronto)|Flexity Outlook]] streetcars since their introduction in 2014.
* Emergency stopping mechanisms (Passenger/Guard Emergency Valve or PGEV): on the [[T series (Toronto subway)|T1]] trains and [[Line 3 Scarborough]] trains (except for the [[Toronto Rocket]] subway trains, which use a two-way intercom for passenger communication with the train crew as with the Flexity streetcars)
* Approximately 12,000 cameras monitoring activities at subway stations and on buses, streetcars and [[Toronto Rocket]] subway trains.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/article.cfm?section=FrontPage&articleID=1055 |title=The TTC is watching you on the bus, the subway |newspaper=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|The Gazette]] |date=October 25, 2007 |access-date=February 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611181807/http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/article.cfm?section=FrontPage&articleID=1055 |archive-date=June 11, 2011}}</ref>
* Underground Alert messages: displayed on the subway platform video screens to notify passengers about criminals.
* TTC Transit Enforcement Unit: consisting of fare inspectors and special constables

====Crisis Link====
<!-- [[Crisis Link]] redirects here -->
{{distinguish|CrisisLink}}
In June 2011, the TTC announced a new suicide prevention program called "Crisis Link" aimed at people who are in a station and in immediate danger of performing self-harm. Special [[speed dial]] buttons have been installed on payphones in station Designated Waiting Areas that "link" the caller to a 24-hour crisis counselling service provided by Distress Centres of Toronto. Signage has also been placed in high-risk areas of the station platform directing those at risk to use the service. The program includes 141 speed dial buttons on the system's payphones and 200 posters placed on station platforms.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www3.ttc.ca/News/2011/June/TTC_Distress_Centres_of_Toronto_Bell_Canada_partner_suicide_.jsp |title=TTC, Distress Centres of Toronto, Bell Canada partner in new suicide prevention program |publisher=Toronto Transit Commission |date=June 16, 2011 |access-date=January 28, 2015 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129033943/http://www.ttc.ca/News/2011/June/TTC_Distress_Centres_of_Toronto_Bell_Canada_partner_suicide_.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====ThisIsWhere initiative and SafeTTC mobile app====
In September 2017, the TTC created an [[iOS]]/[[iPadOS]] and [[Android (operating system)|Android]] app called ThisIsWhere that allows users to report harassment and other personal safety incidents to the TTC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ttc.ca/News/2017/September/09_06_17NR_ThisIsWhere.jsp |title=TTC launches initiative to combat harassment and improve safety |date=September 6, 2017 |access-date=November 20, 2017 |website=ttc.ca |publisher=Toronto Transit Commission |archive-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506201651/http://www.ttc.ca/News/2017/September/09_06_17NR_ThisIsWhere.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://thisiswhere.ca |title=ThisIsWhere |publisher=Toronto Transit Commission |access-date=December 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171221071825/http://www.thisiswhere.ca/ |archive-date=December 21, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The name was later changed to "SafeTTC" and launched on September 6, 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/safettc-app-launch-1.4277524 |title=New SafeTTC app allows passengers to report harassment |last=Whalen |first=Julia |date=September 6, 2017 |website=CBC News}}</ref>

===Transit Enforcement Unit===
{{Main|Transit Enforcement Unit}}
[[File:TTC Fare Inspectors.jpg|thumb|upright|Fare inspectors of the [[Transit Enforcement Unit]] board a [[Canadian Light Rail Vehicle]] TTC streetcar for inspection.]]
From 1997 to 2011, the TTC employed [[Transit Enforcement Unit|special constables]], who were responsible for safety and security and had similar policing powers to [[Toronto Police Service]] officers. During the phase-out of the special constables, the Toronto Police reinstated its Transit Patrol Unit, which had been cancelled in the mid-1990s. The special constables were replaced by [[bylaw enforcement officer]]s known as transit enforcement officers, as part of the TTC's Transit Enforcement Unit.

The negotiation between TTC and the Toronto Police Services Board took place in 2013 resulting in restored special constable status and peace officer authority.

There is a difference between special constables and fare inspectors. Fare inspectors have no authority to detain a person, and so it is possible to simply walk away with no repercussions.<ref>{{cite web|last=Munro|first=Steve|date=February 23, 2019|title=Fare Evasion on the TTC: The Auditor General's Report|url=https://stevemunro.ca/2019/02/23/fare-evasion-on-the-ttc-the-auditor-generals-report/|access-date=April 10, 2021|publisher=[[Steve Munro]]}}</ref> In contrast, special constables have the same authority as police officers.

====Bylaws enforced====
The TTC's By-law No. 1 is a [[by-law]] governing the actions of passengers and employees while on Commission property. It can be enforced by a "proper authority" which is defined in the by-law as: "an employee or agent of the TTC wearing a TTC uniform; an employee or agent of the TTC carrying an identification card issued by the TTC; or a municipal police officer."<ref name=":1">{{cite web |url=http://www.ttc.ca/Riding_the_TTC/TTC_Bylaws/index.jsp |title=TTC By-law No. 1 |publisher=Toronto Transit Commission |date=December 7, 1990 |access-date=December 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021045853/http://ttc.ca/Riding_the_TTC/TTC_Bylaws/index.jsp | archive-date=October 21, 2021}}</ref> The by-law covers rules regarding fare payment and conduct while in the system. Effective October 12, 2009, a revised version of the by-law has been issued. Revisions include the restriction of placing feet or "any object that may soil" on seats, the prohibition against using offensive language (including via the user-generated displays at [[Pioneer Village station]], which are part of the public art installation ''LightSpell'', although the displays have not yet been activated),<ref name="LightSpell-2017-12-22">{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/12/22/ttc-backtracks-on-500000-station-art-installation.html |title=TTC backtracks on $500,000 station art installation |newspaper=[[Toronto Star]] |first=Ainslie |last=Cruickshank |date=December 22, 2017 |access-date=December 22, 2017 |archive-date=December 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223022700/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/12/22/ttc-backtracks-on-500000-station-art-installation.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the provision that one must give up their seat to a person with a disability or pregnancy in priority seating areas.

===Communications===
{{more citations needed|section|date=October 2018}}
The TTC uses three primary voice and data communication systems. The first is the system used by Operations, Security and Maintenance. This system operates on five [[Ultra high frequency|UHF]] conventional frequencies. Channels 1, 3, 4 and 5 are used for day-to-day operations, while Channel 2 is reserved for the [[Wheel-Trans]] service.

The second system, the Communications and Information System (CIS), is used by buses and streetcars, and employs transmission facilities throughout the city. Conceived in the late 1970s and fully implemented in 1991, it consists of a computer unit on board each bus and streetcar, called the Transit Radio Unified Microprocessor (TRUMP). This is attached to a [[transponder]] receiver, which allows CIS operators to [[automatic vehicle location|track the location of the vehicle]] using a computational system known as [[dead reckoning]]. The TRUMP unit also allows vehicle and CIS operators to send and receive [[text messaging|text messages]] for such things as [[short turn]]s and [[detour|route adjustments]]. There is also the option of voice-based communication between the vehicle and CIS operators. With the introduction of [[NextBus]] technology to provide real-time arrival information, the CIS has been updated to use a combination of [[Global Positioning System|GPS]] data and the previous dead reckoning ([[signpost]]-based) system. In the event that internally managed TTC communications are unavailable, the TRUMP unit operates on [[Bell Mobility]]'s [[Code-division multiple access|CDMA]] network to communicate with divisional operations and transit control.

<!--Irrelevant and overly technical details that follow have been removed:
Each TRUMP unit on every streetcar and bus is equipped with a silent "yellow alarm" key which can be activated by the operator in the event of an emergency on board. When activated, CIS supervisors and transit control dispatchers are able to hear what is going on via a high-quality boom microphone located in front of the steering wheel and dispatch emergency responders. There is also a "red alarm" key, which enables one way communication with CIS once pressed. This can be used in events such as fires when immediate assistance is required and two-way voice communication would prove detrimental to safety.-->
In 2012, the TTC began research into transitioning from the outdated and antiquated CIS to a newer [[computer-aided dispatch]] (CAD) system. Utilizing this technology would help improve headways, provide more reliable communications and allow divisional supervisors to locate vehicles in real time (the current GPS system only sends location updates every 20 seconds). Implementation of the system, later named the Vehicle Information System & Integrated Operations Network (VISION), began in 2016,<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Commission_reports_and_information/Commission_meetings/2016/January_21/Reports/Presentation_Vision_Program.pdf | title=Vehicle Information System & Integrated Operations Network | access-date=October 30, 2018 | archive-date=January 24, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124040246/https://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Commission_reports_and_information/Commission_meetings/2016/January_21/Reports/Presentation_Vision_Program.pdf | url-status=dead}}</ref> with the contract for associated equipment awarded to Clever Devices ULC.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Commission_reports_and_information/Commission_meetings/2017/February_21/Reports/6_Presentation_VISION_Program_Update.pdf | title=Presentation: VISION Program Update | access-date=October 30, 2018 | archive-date=January 17, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117230214/https://www.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Commission_reports_and_information/Commission_meetings/2017/February_21/Reports/6_Presentation_VISION_Program_Update.pdf | url-status=dead}}</ref> After extensive testing, deployment of VISION on vehicles in revenue service began in the summer of 2018, with plans to fully equip the entire bus and streetcar fleet by 2019.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.ttc.ca/Coupler/PDFs/TTC%20Corporate%20Plan%202018-2022.pdf | title=Advancing to the next level | access-date=October 30, 2018 | archive-date=January 19, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119094338/https://www.ttc.ca/Coupler/PDFs/TTC%20Corporate%20Plan%202018-2022.pdf | url-status=dead}}</ref>

The third system, known as the "wayside system", consists of UHF [[MPT-1327]] [[Trunking]] radio sets used by the three heavy-rail subway lines. They replaced older devices which communicated by the third rail, and are divided into separate systems representing their respective subway lines. This trunking system allows Transit Control to communicate directly with a single train, a zone encompassing several trains, or the entire line. (Line 3 Scarborough uses a single channel UHF system, much the same as the system used by operations staff.)

All of these systems can be monitored by a [[Radio scanner|scanner]] capable of the UHF Low band (406–430&nbsp;MHz).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://transittoronto.ca/spare/0018.shtml |publisher=Transit Toronto |title=TTC radio – some background information |first=John |last=Lennox |date=November 10, 2006 |access-date=July 21, 2007}}</ref> Numeric codes—often referring to people or positions (299 Bloor – Subway Line mechanic at Bloor)—are also announced through the radio and the overhead paging system. The TTC also has several "Plans" ("Plan A" through "Plan G")<ref>{{cite web |url=http://transittoronto.ca/subway/5013.shtml |publisher=Transit Toronto |title=What do all those TTC emergency plans mean? |date=September 29, 2009 |access-date=October 9, 2009}}</ref> that are used in emergencies but are not announced on the PA system and only referred to on the radio.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://transittoronto.ca/subway/5007.shtml |title=Subway/RT P.A. Code Numbers |access-date=July 21, 2007 |date=November 10, 2006 |publisher=Transit Toronto}}</ref>

====OneStop media system====
[[File:Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station (39176632581).jpg|thumb|Large LCD television screens that display the news and updates for TTC services are installed in most subway stations, such as [[Vaughan Metropolitan Centre station]].]]
The TTC, in partnership with Pattison OneStop (formerly OneStop Media Group), have installed large LCD television screens in most subway stations throughout the system except on [[Line 3 Scarborough]] and at the [[Toronto–York Spadina subway extension]] ({{stl|TTC|Downsview Park}} to {{stn|Vaughan Metropolitan Centre}}) stations. The new media system replaced the old "Subway Online" system, which were decommissioned.

The signs feature third-party advertising, news headlines and weather information. From its inception in 2005 until December 31, 2017, the news feed and advertising for television programs were supplied under a contract with [[Bell Media]]'s 24-hour local cable television news service, [[CP24]]. Since January 1, 2018, the service has been provided by [[Global Television Network]]'s Toronto television station [[CIII-DT]] 41, which is owned by [[Corus Entertainment]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3964710/global-news-ttc-screens/ |title=Global News named content provider for TTC screens by PATTISON Onestop |website=globalnews.ca}}</ref> The signs also provide TTC-specific information regarding service changes and delays, information pertaining to using the system, and [[Toronto Police Service]] alerts about suspects.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.222tips.com/index.php?pt=news&sec=4&sub=1076 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070802112236/http://www.222tips.com/index.php?pt=news&sec=4&sub=1076 |archive-date=August 2, 2007 |title=Toronto Crime Stoppers Launches 'UNDERGROUND ALERT' |date=June 12, 2007 |publisher=Toronto Crime Stoppers |access-date=July 21, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://toronto.citynews.ca/2007/06/12/wanted-criminals-to-show-up-on-subway-monitors/ |work=CityNews |title=Wanted Criminals To Show Up On Subway Monitors |access-date=December 27, 2014 |date=June 12, 2007}}</ref> The system can also be used when an [[Amber alert]] is issued, which also may include announcements via the PA system.

In September 2008, [[Dundas station (Toronto)|Dundas station]] was the first to feature a "Next Train" announcement integrated into the signage. The system has been expanded to many other stations since its initial rollout.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.ttc.ca/Media_releases/TTC_begins_rollout_of_next_train_arrival_signs.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002044429/http://www3.ttc.ca/Media_releases/TTC_begins_rollout_of_next_train_arrival_signs.jsp |archive-date=October 2, 2008 |title=TTC begins rollout of next train arrival signs |date=September 3, 2008 |publisher=Toronto Transit Commission |access-date=December 27, 2014}}</ref> Since mid-July 2009, the majority of stations have been equipped with this service and since January 2018 – coinciding with a content provider switch from CP24 to [[Global News]] – the next train arrival time notices were also updated to provide the line number and the destination of the next train. The TYSSE stations have screens that display the arrival times for the next two or three trains. Unlike the older screens, these screens neither display news nor weather headlines provided by Global News.