When George Robitaille decided to have himself a quick snooze during the evening of January 9, little did he know that he would soon become an internet sensation and a symbol for what is wrong in the public service sector.

That’s because at the time of his nap, he was at his post as a fair collector for the Toronto Transit Commission.  And as the result of a quick snapping rider named Jason Wieler, a photo of George sound asleep quickly made it online and into countless Tweets and email inboxes.

While the Amalgamated Transit Union came to the employee’s defence stating that it would have been more appropriate if the photographer tapped the glass barrier to see of George was in need of medical attention, the public outcry went the other way.

Faced with lousy service and rising transit fares, people were quick to use George as a symbol for the TTC’s indifference when it comes to customer service.  In a matter of days, hundreds of complaints poured into the TTC regarding everything from rude bus drivers and unclean subway stations, to continuous service disruptions.

And while the TTC recently announced it will be setting up a customer service advisory panel to hear rider’s issues, I have to wonder of this is lip service or a genuine turnaround.  I say this because I find it impossible for any company, public or private, to not be aware of the feelings of their clients.  And in a town where the opinions of those clients (TTC riders) are often published in local papers, that makes it even harder to imagine.

In the end, the TTC, like most other public transit systems, does not really need to do anything.  After all, beyond driving or taking a cab, how else are you going to make your daily commute?  Maybe the TTC’s slogan of “the better way” should be changed to “the only way”.