About one month ago, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has officially launched its SafeTTC mobile app.
SafeTTC for iPhone allows riders a “a quick and discreet method for reporting harassment, safety concerns or suspicious activity” to the Transit Control Centre, no matter where incidents are spotted along TTC systems.
The TTC is crediting the app for assisting in the arrest of a man suspected of two sexual assaults on the subway. In a statement, TTC spokesperson Brad Ross said:
“This app actually did what we wanted it to do, it allowed a victim to report to us directly an assault. We were able to use that information to make an arrest, to get somebody off the system who was already wanted as a suspect for another assault.
I think that is powerful and is very positive.”
The two reports were instantly reported through the app, which notifies special constables. Even though the app allows users to report anonymously, the second victim supplied her phone number, which allowed officers to contact her.
The app has a ‘Report a Problem’ button which lets users send a text message, photos and videos to Transit control, with the ability to select where incidents are taking place from drop down menus.
Another app feature is ‘Call Police’, which will connect users to 9-1-1 dispatch, in the event of fire, medical assistance or when police presence is required.
SafeTTC is available as a free download from the App Store. The app requires any device running iOS 8.2 or later and contains no in-app purchases.
