TTC ridership has spiked back up to 78 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and the random acts of violence that regularly plagued the network during parts of last year have subsided significantly, but a few incidents in recent days have some commuters once again feeling a little uneasy.

Various videos being shared across socials this week show admittedly frightening scenes on Toronto public transit, from people openly smoking hard drugs in subway stations to tense interactions between police and riders.

Shortly after midnight on Monday morning, Bloor-Yonge Station was evacuated for reports of a man waving around a firearm (which thankfully turned out to be a BB gun), and then just over 12 hours later, authorities found shell casings on a bus platform at Ossington Station after initial reports of, yet again, a man with a gun.

and how are ppl supposed to feel safe on the ttc today?

— torontotrashpanda julia (@julzpak) November 20, 2023

Then on Tuesday around 4 p.m., the Toronto Police Service received a call about a customer allegedly brandishing a knife on a subway car near Bloor-Yonge, though after a search, no such weapon was uncovered.

And yesterday, another clip went viral on socials, this one showing officers running down the Line 1 platform at the same station, one of them holding an assault-style rifle.

Though the force was unable to confirm when this last recording was taken and whether it was related to any of the above incidents, it still managed to jar viewers, some of whom questioned whether they would be riding the subway anymore in the comments section.

Just a normal day on the TTC.

— Quentin Bixby 🇨🇦 🇬🇧 (@QBixby) November 22, 2023

Residents have also been sharing their own personal experiences online: one spotted what appeared to be human feces in the middle of Don Mills Station on Wednesday, another saw emergency responders flood Keele Station on Thursday, and one witnessed a person smoking crack on a Line 1 subway train that same evening.

One citizen took to NextDoor yesterday to share how she was almost pushed onto the subway tracks at Broadview Station last week, cautioning others to "be careful... stand back by the wall if you can, be wary, and worse case scenario, walk away."

Smoking Crack on Line 1 Northbound Train
byu/JJWAHP intoRANTo

While it's nothing near the multiple fatal stabbings and other attacks that have taken place on the network in recent memory, it's still been enough to leave transitgoers more on edge than usual.

The TTC did move to add more staff and police presence across the system earlier this year, and also made it easier to report misconduct. The new addition of 5G wireless service from Rogers across all subway stations and a portion of the city's tunnels should also help make people feel more secure.

The commission has also added a slew of new safety measures over the last year, saying in a summer release that security incidents had decreased by 33 per cent from January to June.

This is thanks to $5 million devoted to enhanced cleaning, training, and increased staffing of station supervisors, special constables, community safety ambassadors, security guards, and more.

Mental health, addiction, and homelessness experts have also been brought in to assist with incidents like the aforementioned open drug use in stations and on vehicles — something that unfortunately becomes more common as the weather gets colder.

The TTC always encourages riders to report any suspicious behaviour as soon as possible so that the transit agency can properly address it.

As per the Update on TTC's Partnership Approach to Community Safety, Security and Well-Being on Public Transit that the TTC Board released in late September, the organization's key priorities for managing community safety are to maintain a high-visibility presence of staff for incident management, social support for vulnerable groups and community safety program support.