Dirty washrooms, drivers who take breaks while riders cool their heels, bunching on bus routes and drivers who fail to open the door at some stops —the complaints about TTC service weren’t new.

But Wednesday was the first time the TTC’s customer service advisory panel heard them face-to-face with riders.

Seven panelists, including hotelier Steve O’Brien, who chairs the volunteer committee, went to the Bloor subway station to solicit comments and ideas from riders who haven’t forgotten the token hoarding and pictures of a sleeping subway collector that have battered the TTC’s reputation in recent months.

After more than two months of learning about TTC operations, O’Brien said it’s clear communication is the biggest issue in improving the transit experience.

“Some of the systems the TTC has to communicate with are somewhat antiquated, and I know the TTC is working on upgrading systems. But it’s communication all the way around, and if you want to change the culture you’ve got to improve the communication,” he told reporters.

Many lunch-hour riders rushing to catch trains grabbed cards or chatted briefly with the panelists, who are expected to report their findings in June.

Some riders had constructive ideas. One suggested the TTC put signs on buses when they’re too full to carry more passengers, so those who are bypassed understand.

Others used the first in the series of subway meetings to vent.

Dufferin bus rider Sharon Susin said she was frustrated by buses that arrive three at a time and by drivers who pretend not to see riders running to board.

“I don’t understand why they can’t separate the buses more. They all come in (together) and then there’s nobody,” she said.

Driver coffee breaks were another source of irritation for Susin.

“I’m sitting in the bus and I’ve got to get to work and another bus passes us while we’re still waiting for the bus driver to come from getting his coffee. That makes us passengers angry — rightly so. I do understand they need their coffee breaks but it should be done in a way that’s not inconveniencing passengers,” she said.

Rider Philip Roy said he was concerned about the safety of seniors and children on the subway during rush hour.

“There’s the gap. People will trip and I’ve seen that happen so many times. Even though they say, ‘Don’t hold the door open,’ I have to when I see somebody trying to get in,” he said.

Roy said the passenger alarm strips should be lowered, following an incident earlier this week in which a senior was mugged on the train and couldn’t reach the yellow strip to summon help.

“It’s about time you guys started looking at that,” said Bob Sabb, when he was offered a customer service comment card by Robert Culling, the sole TTC employee on the panel.

“How does York Region (transit) stack up against TTC as far as general service?” Culling asked Sabb, who lives in Richmond Hill.

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“I would say they beat them hands down,… the buses, the environment, the staff,” said Sabb.

Mayor David Miller and TTC chair Adam Giambrone will be unveiling more electronic next-vehicle arrival signs at the Broadview subway station on Thursday.