The maroon and grey uniforms being worn by TTC employees are slowly being replaced by a more modern and business casual look.
On Friday, some TTC riders spotted workers sporting elements of the new uniform; however, transit commission officials said the complete ensemble is being rolled out in stages and all employees will have all of the new pieces around mid-2015.
Deputy TTC CEO Chris Upfold was the executive lead in the design and implementation process, but was quick to point out that it was a “team effort.”
He said what most people are noticing are the new blue and red five-in-one jackets and red ball caps, but that half of the staff also have new ties and shirts.
“The way we do things and most transit properties do things is we’re on a two-year cycle. So every other year, frontline employees get a new uniform. What we decided to do is to replace all the jackets this year for everybody, even though that’s off-cycle,” Upfold said on Monday.
He said the TTC was able to find savings elsewhere, so that employees “no longer need to wear that maroon jacket.”
When designs of the proposed uniforms surfaced in August 2013 — consisting of red, white-and blue striped golf tees and red and blue ball caps — they were criticized for resembling the Montreal Canadiens’ colours.
However, Upfold said those designs were only samples brought in to conduct focus groups.
“They were never the final designs. Everybody seemed to turn them into that,” he said.
The TTC wanted to incorporate colours that are being used across the system — red, blue, as well as elements of white seen in the corporate logo.
