Market Value

In Toronto, the main public transport system is the TTC, or Toronto Transit Commission. They handle buses, streetcars and subway trains for the Greater Toronto Area, which is a pretty wide circle of commuters. They had a pretty stormy 2007 and early 2008, with disputes between employees and management and fairly poor service for its 2.5 million daily users.

Yet in the last six months the TTC has been visibly trying to repair damaged bridges. They’re decommissioning their aging streetcars and replacing with energy-efficient LRV’s instead. They’re looking to increase the amount of subway connections to the commuters that really need it. Their buses are being replaced by hybrid vehicles, to fall in line with the Ontario eco-friendly program.

Add to this the improved (yet still not ideal) employee structures, the OneStop Media LCD information screens in stations keeping commuters up-to-date with the latest news as they travel and the fact that TTC fares have stayed the same $2.75 since 2007, and things are looking much better for the company.

Compare that with Mississauga Transit, which is about 36 miles from Toronto yet still falls within the GTA area and is serviced by the TTC subway system. They’ve just put their prices up from $2.75 to $3.00 (this is the same whether you’re a child in grades 1-8 or senior citizen – no discount there).

They’ve cut a lot of services, and many don’t run on a Sunday – not even to some of the larger shopping malls where local retailers count on consumers to stay afloat. They recently closed down one of their main bus stations for upgrades and moved the passenger embarking area without any clear cut announcements. Services at peak time are often 20 minutes to half an hour apart.

They do have a shiny new email alert system for delays, so it’s not all bad…

Market value is a key commodity between businesses and their customers. Word of mouth, both good and bad, is the currency behind the value. What are your customers saying about you?

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