GO-TTC discount fares to end as Ontario pulls the plug on funding

Thestar.com
January 22, 2020
Ben Spurr

The popular program that provides discounts for trips between GO Transit and the TTC will expire at the end of March, after the Ontario PC government declined to continue funding it and the two transit agencies failed to reach an agreement to make up the shortfall.

The province has contributed $18.4 million a year to pay for the program, which was launched by the previous Liberal government in January 2018 and offers riders transferring between GO or the Union Pearson Express and the TTC $1.50 off their trip if they use a Presto fare card.

Premier Doug Ford’s government signalled last year it would end funding for the initiative. But on Tuesday TTC CEO Rick Leary asserted in his latest monthly report that Metrolinx, the provincial agency that operates GO, was “in discussions with the province to secure funding to extend the discount double fare” beyond its March 31, 2020 expiry date.

Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney’s office declined to answer questions about whether the province would continue to fund the discount Tuesday, referring the Star to Metrolinx.

Tuesday evening Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins confirmed that the program “will end as scheduled on March 31, 2020.”

She said that the program had exceeded its allotted budget each fiscal year, by $2.6 million in 2018-2019 and by $6.7 million in 2019-2020, for a total of $9.3 million. Metrolinx made up the shortfall in both years.

Aikins noted that Metrolinx has introduced other fare discounts in recent years, including letting children ride free and lowering the cost of shorter trips.

“Metrolinx and the Ministry of Transportation will continue to work collaboratively with all of its municipal partners, towards more accessible and affordable transit across the region,” she said.

Ontario NDP transit critic Jessica Bell blamed the Ford government for not extending funding for the program, calling the decision “very disappointing.”

“This government is going to be making transit more expensive, and it’s a step backwards,” said Bell (University-Rosedale).

“We don’t want to double whammy riders with very long commutes of two hours or more, and then high fares. We want to encourage these commuters to leave their cars at home and take public transit.”

When the Ontario Liberals announced the initiative more than two years ago, they pitched it as an important step towards integrating the fare systems of the two biggest transit agencies operating in the GTA.

Shortly before the program launched, Metrolinx estimated that roughly 50,000 people transferred between GO or the UP Express and the TTC every weekday.

Since 2018, millions of transit users have taken advantage of the lower fares.

In a July 5, 2019 letter to the TTC, Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster said there were 1.6 million transfers between GO and the TTC in March 2019 alone, and the discount collectively saved riders more than $2 million that month.

In the letter, Verster sang the discount’s praises, saying it offered “attractive and convenient connections” for customers and had “clearly benefited Toronto residents.”

“Removing barriers between our services is beneficial to customers and contributes to ridership and revenue growth,” Verster wrote.

In his letter Verster said the provincial funding wouldn’t be extended past March 31, 2020 and proposed a new arrangement, under which the TTC and Metrolinx would put up matching funds to continue the discount.

The two agencies never reached such an agreement.

In an email Tuesday, TTC spokesperson Stuart Green signalled little immediate appetite on his agency’s part to fund the discount.

He said the GO-TTC program was “part of a broader and ongoing conversation about fare integration and would need to be considered in that context.”

Green said the discount caused a slight increase in TTC ridership, and the agency expects to lose $1.1 million in foregone fare revenue this year as a result of its cancellation.