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This isn’t the only recent such story. In October, another STM employee was accused of assaulting an Anglophone customer. Mina Barak claimed that after asking for help with a broken ticket machine in English, she was told (in French) that Quebecers spoke French and she should go back to her country. Ms. Barak then called a manager to complain, at which point she (and several witnesses) allege that the ticket-taker attacked her.

An investigation is ongoing into that incident. As for Mr. No English, his union insists that he has a right to work in French.

That’s when Mr. Byford probably heaved a little sigh of relief. He’s got a thousand problems at the TTC. But a bitter, generations-long language war isn’t one of them. That ain’t much, but it’s better than nothing.

That’s not to suggest that Mr. Byford is the self-pitying type, or that he’s in over his head at the TTC. Not at all. Mr. Byford, who met with the National Post’s editorial board earlier this month, impressed all with his clear thinking, determination and refreshing willingness to admit what’s wrong with the TTC. One of the themes he returned to again and again was the need to reintroduce the TTC’s employees to its ridership.

He stressed that most TTC employees are hard-working and conscientious. I think most who ride the TTC would agree. But Mr. Byford acknowledged that the TTC had had image problems over the last few years: Drivers parking their buses while running out to grab a coffee, token collectors snoozing in their booths, employees yelling at customers who asked for directions. Oh, and the odd unannounced wildcat strike.