Crowded Streetcars, 1899-1903

• Author: C. Ian Kyer
• Pages: 63-77



Chapter

CROWDEDSTREETCARS



    approached, the City became increasingly frustrated

with its transit operator Overcrowdinga nd extension of the service into

newly annexed parts of the City were topics that were coming up at city

councilmeetingseveryyearBytheywerepressingconcernsMean

whiletheTorontoRailwayCompanyTRCrevenueswerewellovermil

lionanditsprotswereovermillionManyaldermenrememberedthe

complaints against TRC’s predecessor, the Toronto Street Railway Company

theshareholdersbenetedattheexpenseofgoodserviceandtheriders

It was starting to look like city council was going to tolerate a return to this

form of exploitation, and city council wanted to make it clear that it wasn’t

goingtodoanysuchthingManythoughtitwastimetotakeactivestepsto

bring the TRC into line.

In when the Globe had praised the deal that the City had struck

with the backers of the TRC, they had one reservation: the agreement had

not adequately addressed the issue of overcrowding. The paper was quite

right, although perhaps not in the way that it had in mind. It noted that

the agreement had not included measures to prevent overcrowding. In fact,

the economic terms of that agreement almost g uaranteed crowded streetcars

and drove apart the City and its transit provider. Under the agreement, city

councilsetthefeesinthehopethattransitwouldbeaordableforallThat

same agreement imposed virt ually all operational expenses on the TRC. The

resultwasthattheTRCwasstronglymotivatedtoaractasmanyridersas