Brad Ross, longtime face of the TTC, takes job as city's communications chief
Longtime TTC spokesperson Brad Ross revealed Wednesday that he's leaving the transit service for a job as the city's communications chief.
Ross, who previously worked at city hall, joined the TTC in 2008. With a notable presence on social media channels, he quickly became the most recognizable face of public transit in Toronto.
"As a teenager from Scarborough, I took the TTC everywhere — school, part-time jobs, concerts, the mall, Yonge Street pinball arcade... It was a lifeline," Ross said in a message posted to Twitter.
"It's crazy to me that a few decades later I became the TTC's go-to for public explanations. It has been a humbling experience to play that role. I'll miss it," he added.
Ross's last day is scheduled for Dec. 14. He will begin as the city's first chief communication officer — though the position already existed with a different name — on January 7.
He joined the TTC during a transitional period that brought tremendous changes to the service and also to communications more broadly, as social media became a key tool for getting messages to the public.
His profile meant Ross often endured social media floggings from angry commuters.
"Certainly there were messages that we would get that weren't so polite, but I'd put that down to frustration. It's certainly frustrating if you're delayed on transit and we're not getting you where you need to go or we're not communicating effectively," he told CBC Toronto.
His empathetic approach in dealing with those kinds of messages earned him praise, as well.
"A lot of people do go out of their way to let us know when we get it right," Ross said.
Ross said that his decision to take on a new role was fuelled by a number of different factors and that going back to work at city hall was akin to "going home."
"I'm a communications guy first and foremost, so when a leadership role in Canada's largest city comes along, I think I would have been remiss if I didn't take a chance."
He steps into the role as Toronto prepares for its first term with a 25-member council.
"There's a brand new council, and a new city manager. It's an exciting opportunity to try some new things and maybe do things a bit differently," he said.
