April Fool's Day video highlights real issues for TTC

Yes, it was an April Fool's Day joke, but the Toronto Transit Commission says the issues being hinted at are real.

The TTC posted a video online Monday, claiming that the organization would be offering "personal" subway cars — one per subway train — so that patrons can clip their finger nails, eat food, blast music, talk loudly on cellphones and put their feet up on seats in comfort.

Two prominent TTC employees — spokesman Brad Ross and chief customer officer Chris Upfold — are featured in the video, demonstrating the type of obnoxious behaviour the alleged personal subway cars would permit.

"On that car, they can do anything they want to and completely ignore all the people around them," Upfold says in the video.

"It's their personal space, it’s their personal car."

But the offer was only to last until noon on April 1, which is of course, April Fool's Day.

And the end of the video makes it clear to viewers that the concept is a joke.

But Ross told CBC News in an interview on Monday that the TTC does want to let people know that some of the behaviours seen in the video are a real-life problem for passengers.

"Primarily, we wanted to get a message out to customers about etiquette and about etiquette on public transit," he said.

Ross said that "the simple message" the TTC wants to get across is for riders to be considerate of others.

The hope is that the video sends that message "in a fun, light-hearted way," Ross said.