Toronto’s $140M Fare POO Uniforms: Inspectors in Grey Patrol Subway Surrealism

TTC’s Provincial Offences Officers—POOs—now roam Toronto’s transit in grey, not yellow, uniforms, enforcing $235-$425 fare fines amid a $140 million annual shortfall. “Just spotted some POO’s on the street. (Did ANYONE workshop this?),” quipped City Hall reporter Matthew Bingley as “TTC fare inspector name change” and “Toronto fare evasion fines” spike in search trends, cementing the city’s accidental embrace of absurdity.
After Toronto’s POO debut, the city’s transit system finds itself the answer to “What does POO mean on TTC?” as grey-clad inspectors wield official titles and body cameras while locals share memes about “Toronto subway POO patrols.” The TTC insists, “the acronym was thought through,” but the rebrand’s true legacy may be millions saved—or a generation forever haunted by Provincial Offences Officer sightings.
TTC’s $140 million annual fare loss now rides alongside POOs issuing $425 fines, as Toronto’s transit authority arms itself with grey uniforms, body cameras, and a name destined for meme immortality.