Office of the Chief Executive

First, thank you. To everyone who worked through the festive period – on Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and every shift in between – your professionalism kept Toronto moving safely and reliably. From frontline crews in stations and divisions to teams in Transit Control and maintenance, you delivered for our customers and for the city. The NYE operation, co-ordinated through the Unified Command at Union Station with our partners, showcased One TTC at its best: disciplined, safety-led, and customer-obsessed.

In 153 days, Toronto will welcome the world as the FIFA World Cup™ brings fans from every corner of the globe to our city. Six matches at Exhibition Place and celebrations at the FIFA Fan Festival™ across Fort York and The Bentway make this our moment to show what One TTC looks like: thousands of us moving as one team, with one purpose: impeccable service.

We’ve made strong progress. Cross-department planning is underway to ensure smooth service to and from Toronto Stadium (BMO Field) and festival sites, with transit priority on key corridors like Bathurst and Dufferin, integrated with the City’s Mobility Plan and partner agencies. Our focus now is flawless execution, guided by values you’ve seen in my weekly messages: leadership at every level, empowerment to make smart decisions, and an uncompromising commitment to safety.

Safety first – always. We’ll keep our system secure for customers and employees, strengthening co-ordination with Toronto Police Service, Emergency Management, Metrolinx, and others for readiness exercises and real-time response. Reliable, rightsized service is essential, so Transit Control, scheduling, subway, and surface teams will align headways and crowd management plans around matchday peaks and festival programming. Stations, subways, buses, and streetcars will meet enhanced cleanliness standards, ensuring every customer experiences the TTC at its best. Customer care will shine through wayfinding support, multilingual assistance, and proactive engagement to make first impressions memorable.

We’ll work as One TTC through cross-team playbooks, matchday checklists, and station-by-station staffing plans tied to the City’s mobility and crowd flow strategies. We’re collaborating on an integrated visitor pass with Metrolinx and PRESTO, so fans travel seamlessly across the region. Leaders and teams will continue onsite visits, listening to frontline feedback, and turning insights into action.

Starting now, own your zone. Accountability with empowerment means: if you see something that needs fixing, fix it; if you can help a colleague, help them. Empowerment to make decisions in a controlled manner is how One TTC wins the day.

Whether you’re in a station, behind the wheel, in Transit Control, maintenance, security, or customer support, take pride in every detail customers see and feel. Share information fast, escalate issues early, and lead by example. Titles don’t define leadership – actions do.

Together, we move Toronto with pride. Soon, we’ll move the world’s fans. Let’s show them what excellence looks like when One TTC brings its best.

With gratitude and resolve,

Mandeep S. Lali
​Chief Executive Officer
​January 9, 2026