TTC to hike cash fares by a quarter — tokens, a dime
Board agrees Monday to freeze Metropass prices, which have gone up 42% in decade.

TheStar.com
Tess Kalinowski
Nov. 23, 2015

The TTC has approved a 25-cent cash increase and added a dime to the cost of a token in the New Year. But Metropass prices will remain frozen, as will senior and student fares.

Despite asking riders to pay more, the transit board is still facing a $41-million shortfall in its approximately $1.75 billion 2016 operating budget.

“I think we’ve taken a pretty balanced approach by freezing Metropasses. Considering the cash fare has been unchanged for the better part of a decade and we are trying to transition people away from cash because of our move to the Presto (farecard) I think that is a fair balance,” said councillor Josh Colle, who chairs the transit board.

It remains unclear what the city’s subsidy to the TTC will be next year, he said.

“We only have two tools. It’s subsidy and it’s revenue from the fare box,” said Colle.

In 2016, the TTC’s decision will leave the cost of a montly Metropass at $141.50; while a single cash fare will go up to $3.25‎ and tokens up to $2.90.

About half of TTC riders pay using passes, 27 per cent use tokens and only about 10 per cent pay cash. But Metropass sales are declining, said a staff report to the board.

By presenting an operating shortfall to council, Colle said the board is demonstrating it has done its part.

It is also endorsing four service improvements that Colle called “modest” and “important”: improved streetcar and bus reliability; earlier opening at 8 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. on Sundays; and a boost to the express-bus network.

“If the city is unable to fill the gap of what we’ve done today in a subsidy, the only two options we have to look at are fares and service. So that will be a robust debate back at this table,” he said.

During the six-hour meeting, dominated by the fare discussion, the board considered deferring the fare increase until council ruled on the amount of the city’s transit subsidy. But ultimately decided its role was to provide advice to council.

The freeze on student and senior fares will be reconsidered next year once the city releases its Framework for Transit Fare Equity.

This year, the TTC introduced a host of service improvements amounting to $95 million annually, including free rides for children 12 and under and, the restoration of service that was cut in 2012.

The fare increase came despite a protest from the TTCriders group that packed the board meeting Monday, and a series of pleas from seniors and residents in low-income neighbourhoods.

“Whatever happened to Toronto the Good? Or was that only a dream?” Paul Codd asked the board. “The people have paid their fair share. When will the province and federal government?”

As usual, the TTC board repeated its plans to continue pressuring the province to return to helping operate the transit system.

But TTC vice-chair Alan Heisey admitted, “The province is not going to arrive on a white horse and save us.”

Also approved by the board is a plan to look at consolidating the TTC’s head office operations and a look at the TTC’s relationship with the Toronto Parking Authority with an eye to raising more parking revenue.

If the TTC doubled its parking fees, it could raise another $11 million a year, said Colle. The TTC makes nearly that much now but it only nets about $2 million of that after it pays the parking authority to manage the lots.

Colle has also asked transit staff to look at money making potential from merchandising and licensing of the TTC name. It likely wouldn’t amount to much revenue, he said, but the TTC should reap some benefit when entrepreneurs make money off the TTC’s name.