I emailed my ward councilor Chris Moise on Feb 20 expressing this exact issue. He's a TTC board member, but he never replied to me.
I am writing to express my deep concern about the lack of cellular reception in the TTC subway. As you may know, only Freedom Mobile provides coverage in the subway, which is not enough for many riders who use other networks. This situation is unacceptable, especially in light of the recent spike in attacks on TTC grounds. We need cellular reception in the subway so that riders can report harassments, attacks, or anything suspicious happening inside the subway. The TTC Safety App is useless without data underground in the subway, and this is a serious issue for the safety of the public.
I understand that BAI Communications Inc. won the contract to build the infrastructure ten years ago, but Rogers, Bell, and Telus have so far refused to provide their services in the subway. This is irresponsible and lacks corporate morality and responsibility. We need these services in the subway yesterday, and especially with the increase in these attacks against public riders on the TTC.
Last Thursday, I witnessed an incident inside a train at the Museum station. A guy accidentally bumped into a girl, and the girl's boyfriend yelled and screamed at the guy. Despite repeatedly apologizing to the girl's boyfriend, the boyfriend wouldn't accept it unless he called him "yes sir." He also threatened him in a fight if he got off the train. A lot of people witnessed the incident, but only I picked up the phone, took a picture of the girl's boyfriend who was screaming, and reported the incident through the app. Citizens of Toronto are paranoid at situations like that, especially with all the attacks recently. We don't dare to stand up, afraid that we'll be targeted and cause bodily harm.
As a Board Member of the TTC, I urge you to press on the issue that the TTC needs cellular reception in the subway. We need to work together to ensure that the safety of the public is guaranteed, and we cannot do that without adequate cellular reception in the subway. There is a TTC board meeting on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, and I hope you can use your position to make a difference.