Metropass price freeze and early Sunday service inch forward

Cash fares would increase to compensate, committee members said at Monday committee meeting.

Thestar.com
Nov. 9, 2015
By Oliver Sachgau

The TTC budget committee approved to open the subway an hour earlier on Sundays and freeze the price of the Metropass for 2016 at a meeting on Monday.

Five decisions were up for debate at the meeting, which included the presentation of the 2016 operating and capital budgets.

Originally the plan was to recommend a fare scenario for the operating budget which might have ranged from freezing all fares for the year to increasing cash fares by 25 cents, with six other scenarios in between.

Instead, committee chair Coun. Josh Colle moved to freeze the price of the Metropass, and let the TTC board, which has to approve all recommendations, figure out the cash fare increase at its meeting on November 23.

The TTC still has to figure out a $53-million shortfall on its proposed $1.75-billion operating budget for 2016. Colle said he wanted the board to know how early Sunday service would impact that number, and let them make a decision on fare increases based on it.

“I think there will be an increase to the cash fare, definitely. I think there might be an increase to other fare media too, but I wanted to put a line in the sand to leave Metropasses alone,” he said.

Committee member John Campbell was the lone vote against the price freeze. He said lower-income riders don’t buy the Metropass - currently priced at $142 per month, or $112 for seniors - and wouldn’t benefit from a price freeze.

“I just think it should have been a more measured, balanced approach to all fares across the board,” Campbell said, adding he thought the cash fare would now increase by a minimum of 25 cents.

The committee also approved a motion by Colle to ask the province to increase funding for the TTC so that the combined subsidy from the province and City reaches $1 per ride in 2017, increasing to $1.30 per ride by 2020.

The city has repeatedly called for a per-rider subsidy increase from the province, to little avail, but Colle said it’s still important to keep asking.

“I just don’t care where the province gets the money from. Just give us a sustainable amount we can budget on,” Colle said.