The Toronto Transit Commission swiftly removed a streetcar from operation following widespread public anger after a photo showing a used syringe protruding from a seat went viral.
Transit officials verified the image and promptly pulled the vehicle from service upon becoming aware of the situation.
The photo, reportedly taken aboard a 501 Queen streetcar, raised alarm among transit riders Tuesday after it was shared widely online.
In response to True North’s inquiry, the TTC stated they initially learned of the problem from a customer report via the SafeTTC App, leading to the removal of a streetcar from service.
“The streetcar was immediately taken out of service and returned to the carhouse, where the syringe was safely disposed of and the car thoroughly cleaned,” the TTC said in a statement. “Thankfully, we have not received any reports of injury.”
Transit officials emphasized that rider safety remains their top priority and encouraged customers to continue reporting suspicious or hazardous items.
“We treat matters like this, involving safety of customers and employees, as our top concern,” the statement continued. “While we don’t know how this got there or what it was used for, we can assure customers that as soon as something like this is seen, reported or discovered, we immediately take the vehicle out of service and do a full cleanup.”
Despite daily operating volume, the Toronto Transit Commission acknowledged that while incidents such as this do happen in public spaces within the city, they are infrequent occurrences on their transit system.
Customers are reminded to report safety concerns to any TTC employee, press the yellow emergency strip, or use the SafeTTC App.