The TTC's chief general manager says he can't defend poor customer service in the wake of a series of highly publicized incidents, including a napping ticket agent and a driver taking an extended coffee break.

"There's no way we can defend or explain an employee sleeping on the job. (And) we don't deny our employees a coffee, but there is a right way and a wrong way to get a coffee," Gary Webster, told CBC's Metro Morning on Friday.

A Toronto transit driver was suspended earlier this week pending an investigation into a video that shows a driver taking a seven-minute break.

The video purportedly shows the operator taking a washroom break and buying a coffee at a doughnut shop at 3:00 a.m. last Friday.

After returning to the bus, he is seen putting his finger to his lips in a gesture meant to silence a rider who complained about the delay.

The video was shot by passenger Reuven Politi and posted online.

Webster said that in such a case, the TTC would expect a driver to pull the bus to the side of the road, announce to his customers that he's leaving the vehicle and that he'll be right back.

"Many of our employees say 'If you'd like to come for a coffee, let's go. Can I buy you a coffee?' You know, we're not hearing some of those kind of stories," said Webster.

The TTC recently apologized to riders over another incident in which a photograph surfaced of a subway collector caught napping on the job.

"We are in the customer service business," said Webster. "The vast majority of our employees get it. Some of them don't."