Episode 055: Post-Pandemic Transit Ridership

Before the pandemic, the Toronto Transit Commission was actively looking for ways to grow its ridership. Now, after taking a hit in numbers during the pandemic, it's important to think about ways to recover, as we slowly vaccinate the city. TTC Commissioner and Councillor Shelley Carroll speaks about a study she proposed to look at changing rider concerns, as well as the impact of ride-hailing services like Uber. University of Toronto Professor Akawsi Owusu-Bempah talks about a study he co-authored, commissioned by the TTC, which shows Black and Indigenous people are disproportionately represented in interactions with fare enforcement and special constables, and what the service needs to do about it. And, in celebration of Spacing's latest Public Health Issue, we talk to senior editor John Lorinc about his story "Valuable Crap," all about using sewage to detect community COVID-19 outbreaks.