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Shouldn’t the police just get a few buses of their own?

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The decision to reroute two TTC buses to scoop up Mayor Rob Ford’s high school football players continued to draw fire on Monday, with the transit chair issuing an apology to riders who were deserted, the police vice-chairman demanding answers, while the mayor declared the issue “has nothing to do with me.”

Riders on a packed Finch West 36 were left on the curb Thursday afternoon after Toronto police called the TTC to provide a “shelter bus” for the mayor’s Don Bosco Eagles amid fears that an argument between the opposing coach and the referee could escalate between the teams. The first bus had trouble finding Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary in Etobicoke, so the TTC rerouted an empty Martin Grove 46, which was called off when the initial driver located the field.

“If the police decide that there’s a situation that seems to be serious, that’s their call, they decide to make the call. It has nothing to do with me,” Mayor Ford said Monday.

“It’s terrible that these people got kicked off the bus. That’s not my call. Okay? I don’t know how much clearer I can be,” said Mr. Ford.

“You guys are trying to go after me on something … there’s nothing here. I’m as clean as the days are long.”

The mayor, who already had drawn flak for missing part of a council meeting for the game, said he was “assisting the police” when he placed a call into TTC CEO Andy Byford to find out why the bus was taking so long.