A TTC streetcar heads west on Queens Quay West on Jan 12 2015.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
A kinder gentler security presence is coming to the Toronto Transit Commission, amid concerns about their equipment and a call for "customer-friendly" uniforms.
For the second board meeting in a row, the issue of transit fare inspectors sparked lengthy debate. These employees, who check to make sure people have paid, have raised eyebrows among some councillors by carrying batons and handcuffs.
The TTC says that these are essentially workplace safety tools, allowing their employees to protect themselves from aggressive people. But critics are worried about public safety, escalation and oversight.
On Wednesday, the TTC board approved a pilot project that would relieve inspectors of batons on a few as-yet-undetermined streetcar lines. And they backed a call for a different uniform.
"I'm afraid, if the batons are taken away, that there will come a time when one of our fare inspectors gets a beating," said deputy mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong, who sits on the TTC board. "I don't want to be responsible for that."
Councillor Joe Mihevc, the author of the motion, counters that arming the inspectors invites escalation. And he argues they can be more effective using gentler methods of persuasion.
"A person would be very tempted to go to that fallback position much more quickly than if they didn't have [a baton] at their hand." he said.
"The strongest tool that you have to control bad conduct is your mind, is your behaviour as a TTC employee." he added. "Use the tools of persuasion rather than the tools of coercion."
The councillor had no specific suggestions for a better uniform. "I think it's just good to do a review," he told reporters after the vote.
There are 18 fare inspectors in the system, with more expected to be hired this year as the TTC expands all-door boarding on streetcars.