TTC streetcar briefly taken out of service after syringe was found sticking out from seat

CTV News

3 days ago

An image of the syringe jutting out from underneath a TTC streetcar seat, seen Saturday morning.
A syringe was seen sticking out from underneath a TTC streetcar seat over the weekend, prompting the transit network to take the car out of service to thoroughly clean it.
The incident happened at around 11 a.m. Saturday onboard a 501 Queen streetcar heading eastbound, according to a Reddit user. The streetcar rider posted pictures of the syringe, needle pointing outward, underneath the red felt seat.
The user, who asked to remain anonymous, told CTV News Toronto that they quickly noticed the syringe after boarding the streetcar with their friend, who was sitting in the seat beside it.
Syringe under streetcar seat
The TTC says they took the streetcar out of service for cleaning, and safely disposed of the syringe after they learned of it.
They said they notified two TTC officials at the time but the streetcar remained operational and the syringe was not disposed in the duration of their trip. The user adds they formally reported the incident hours later via text.
A spokesperson for the TTC said the incident was reported through the SafeTTC App.
'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,' Stuart Green said, adding they did not receive any reports of physical injury.
While incidents like these can be unsettling, Green says they are 'rare' across the transit network 'given how many vehicles are in service at any time.'
'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,' Green added.
Transit riders are encouraged to notify TTC staff—either in person or through the SafeTTC App—or press the yellow strip if there is something they wish to report.