The TTC as a provincial body?

According to this story in the Star this morning, there's talk about having the province take over the TTC. The thinking comes out of an extension of the idea of the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority:

"The Greater Toronto Transportation Authority already has the province's mandate to plan the entire transportation network for the Golden Horseshoe. Its report is expected in spring.

It's also poised to take over GO Transit, fuelling suggestions that it could be the vehicle the province needs to co-opt all or part of the TTC as part of a harmonized GTA transit system that would garner provincial resources, parcel out service fairly across what is now nine transit systems, and make it simpler for commuters to travel across city borders."

The idea of having GO Transit in the hands of a provincial body is sensible as the service runs all over the Golden Horseshoe. The same cannot be said for the TTC or any of the other municipal transit services. The reality is that things like smaller residential-area bus routes would be far more vulnerable to cuts if the system is provincially controlled. The GTTA does have a role to play, but outside of managing GO Transit, I think they are best suited to harmonizing fares and acting as a go-between for local services so that the whole system operates seamlessly.