Recent PostsOn the Road – Lazy Fare Inspectors, Sleepy Passengers, Hot Buses and More
May 12, 2026
Highlights and lowlights from yesterday’s voyage to and from the universe’s center:
1. The cyclist who boarded at Beamsville and disembarked at Burlington didn’t have the courtesy to put the rack back up.
2. Once again, there was a fare inspector at Burlington, but this time, instead of standing at the top of the stairs, he was just hanging out at the accessibility platform, only bothering to check those who happened to pass nearby. Which kinds of defeats the purpose, methinks. Any would-be fare evader could have just turned the other way.
3. This would have been a prized commodity by many of those in the Old Country who ride for free . . .
4. Despite chugging down a Red Bull, the guy seated across the aisle from me who was wearing a CIBC jacket was still sleepy and had a hard time keeping his eyes open during the entire ride to Union.
5. Just because fares haven’t gone up, doesn’t mean you’re not paying for the added costs in your property taxes . . .
6. Seated in front of me on the #1 line was a woman in her 60s with a puffy face who spent some time checking her Facebook feed on one phone before putting it away and checking her email on another phone. Are people that addicted to their phones that they need more than one?
7. Seated across the aisle was one woman with brown-painted fingernails who spent several minutes brushing makeup that she dug out of a jar all over her face. Then she looked at herself using the camera on her phone before applying more makeup. She moved on to apply generous quantities of mascara on both eyes.
8. Boarding at St. Clair was a gnarly woman in her 20s with a nose ring toting a cup of beef-flavored Mr. Noodles MSG and salt.
9. It was nice of the TTC to crank up the heat to full blast on the #36 Finch West bus I was on. After all, it was a bone-chilling +7 outside. Brrr.
10. Scenes along the new #6 Finch West line:
I give it a positive review, but it took 40 minutes to get from end to end on account of the fact that, like the cars, it has to stop for all the lights. It’s better transit, not rapid transit.
11. Various DWAMs™ spotted throughout the day. Just call me a DWAM™ shamer.
12. It’s even harder to spot when you’re deliberately turning a blind eye toward it, as our government is . . .
13. Inside the Cedarvale station . . .
14. For those in the market for gay chocolates . . .
15. Take all your worldly belongings with you . . .
16. One way to keep someone from quickly making off with your bike . . .
17. The story this stain could tell . . .
18. It was customer appreciation day on the Niagara-bound #12 GO bus as the Presto machine wasn’t working. But I get the feeling they’ll fix that promptly, unlike the case with the machine at Fairview Mall, which has been troublesome for months now, despite my repeated complaints to Metrolinx.
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