Riders carrying fake metropasses and assaults on TTC drivers or passengers topped the list of offences committed on buses over the last five years, with the 36 Finch West, 35 Jane and 32 Eglinton West routes appearing to be the most dangerous.

According to data provided to CP24, more than 4,000 crimes and bylaw offences were committed on board TTC buses between January 2010 and Aug. 10, 2015.

Fraud accounted for 952 of those incidents, while 896 were assaults on drivers, and 300 were assaults on passengers.

A total of 321 crimes occurred on the 36 Finch West route while 260 crimes occurred on the 35 Jane route and 164 occurrences happened on the 32 Eglinton West bus route. The Eglinton West route had the distinction of being the most dangerous for operators with a total of 42 incidents being classified as the assault of an operator compared to 36 each on the 36 Finch West and 35 Jane routes.

Other dangerous routes by number of incidents included the 41 Keele (161 incidents) and 52 Lawrence (123 incidents) routes.

Here are some examples of crimes committed on TTC vehicles, according to the data:

  • Suspect sat next to victim on the 53 Steeles East bus and began to masturbate. He then ejaculated on the right sleeve of the victim’s jacket.
  • Suspect became angered when the operator closed the front doors on his wife on the Finch East bus route. He then reached around barrier and punched the operator in the head and stole the glasses off his face.
  • Suspect on the 45 Kipling bus threw his sunglasses at another rider for no apparent reason. The operator then asked him to leave. At that point, the suspect spit in the operator’s face and then punched the windshield.
  • Suspect on the 106 York University bus threw a stack of newspapers at an operator and called her a racial slur after she refused to give her a free ride.
  • Suspect on the 39 Finch East bus sat behind a female rider and began pulling her hair and kicking at her feet. He then slapped her before getting off bus.

While the data obtained by CP24 highlights a myriad of disturbing incidents, the TTC says that the number of crimes committed on its vehicles has begun to decline.

The transit agency also says that most riders do feel safe. One recent survey found that between 85 per cent and 92 per cent of customers, depending on their mode of travel, report being satisfied with their personal safety on the TTC.

“With all of this data, the biggest piece is around counterfeiting (passes and tokens) and not public safety,” spokesperson Brad Ross told CP24 on Tuesday afternoon. “Public safety and satisfaction and feeling safe on the TTC is incredibly high.”

In 2015, TTC special constables - sworn peace officers who patrol TTC vehicles and stations - made 113 criminal code arrests, according to the data.

Ross also told CP24 that the TTC hopes to further reduce crime through the release of a new app that will allow riders to report incidents to transit control and upload photos of suspects.

“It will allow people to provide information to us wherever they are in the system, so we can investigate further,” Ross said, noting that the app isn’t intended for more serious crimes where 911 should be called.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mayor John Tory said that the TTC has told him "they are looking at these incidents to keep routes as safe as can be," and "every incident is one too many."