Meet Andy Byford, the TTC’s new French-speaking, trash-collecting, mediocrity-busting CEO

The TTC has decided to skip the headhunt and just hire interim leader Andy Byford to remain on as CEO (at least until he starts praising LRTs). To mark the occasion, the Globe and Mail’s Marcus Gee explained why Byford will make a capable transit boss: he was quick to respond after a ticket collector was shot at Dupont station; he speaks fluent French; he carries around a plastic bag to pick up litter; and he doesn’t tolerate “mediocrity.” What’s more, Byford is so keen on tracking service disruptions that he carries a pager, because his BlackBerry doesn’t work below ground. Goodness, maybe Rob Ford wasn’t so far off when he suggested Byford was a superhero who turned the TTC around in a day. [Globe and Mail]