Transit Facts
We Live in Smog City
1700 Torontonians die from smog every year. Close to five hundred of these deaths are directly linked to pollution from vehicles.
Over the last 20 years transits share of all trips taken in Toronto has dropped by 10%. We have the most expensive monthly passes of any large North American City.
The Province once paid more than half of transit costs. They now pay less than 1/3rd.
Paying More Fares for Less Service
From 1990-2000 TTC fares almost doubled and overall bus and streetcar service dropped by 10-20%, resulting in crowded vehicles and longer waits.
Between 1998-2004 fares increased by 14% while the city's transit operating subsidy decreased by 17%. Meanwhile capital spending on transportation (roads) has increased by 57%. Essentially, TTC riders are paying more today and getting less.
2004 to 2007 – Cash fares increase $.75 and the monthly pass goes above $100 – cementing the TTC as one of the most expensive public transit systems to ride when compared to other major North American cities. The fare increases are slightly tempered by improvements to service and better fare arrangements like transferable passes, which are implemented as part of the TTC’s Ridership Growth Strategy.
TTC Still The Better Way
The majority of residents that live/work South of Bloor Street do not own a car and take transit to work.
The Dufferin Bus moves 40,000 people a day that's the entire population of Cornwall, Ontario.
The St. Clair right-of-way will save $6 million dollars a year in operating costs (initial cost: $7 million).
Toronto’s New Vision for Transit
I n 2004, TTC has adopted a Ridership Growth Strategy to increase
ridership by millions of new riders and rides (more individual trips) through increased service and better fare arrangements like transferable passes.
2005 brought good news - new funding from federal and provincial governments
(although still below past amounts).
In 2007, TTC set a bold new vision for expansion with its new Transit City Plan. The plan proposes building 7 new light rail rapid transit routes, namely streetcar lines with dedicated lanes. In total, 120 km of service will be added over the entire city. By 2021, the new lines would carry 175 million riders per year.
The estimated cost of building the Transit City routes is six billion dollars. The province has committed to significant funding through its “MoveOntario 2020” plan. Questions still remain whether the Province’s commitment will be kept and how Toronto will pay for operating these new lines when it can barely afford to run the system it has today.
Now, Metrolinx (formally the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority) is considering prioritizing subway expansion inside and outside Toronto over light rail options – potentially threatening funding promised for Transit City.
Subways are Not Always the Right Answer
50 years ago (pre-subway) Yonge Street had bumper-to-bumper streetcars that moved 1000s of people at a time. The Yonge and Bloor Subway Lines have been a huge success, but subways are not the right answer for every transit route.
Subway lines are best suited for medium distance trips in areas with exceptionally high ridership/density. The city and province ignored this principal when they built the Sheppard Subway Line. Most streetcar lines and some bus routes carry more passengers than this subway.
Sheppard subway - more people would be riding transit in Toronto today, if this subway had never been built. Why? At just under a billion dollars, the
TTC could have bought 500 new streetcars (and installed track on new routes). Instead, streetcar service in high ridership areas has declined because of service cutbacks (by 30% on the Dundas Street route alone).
In 2005, the government subsidy to the Sheppard Subway was approximately $8.00/rider compared with a city-wide average subsidy of 0.47/rider (other revenue comes from the fare box).
The Sheppard Subway is an example of politicians abandoning their plans and
priorities when making decisions. It may not be an isolated mistake. The city and province are currently spending time and resources on other "supersized' transit projects like the proposed York University Subway line. Metrolinx is of the verge of recommending more subway lines to the detriment of cost effective light rail transit options.
Comparing Transit in Toronto to the GTA
Ridership numbers and cost* in 2003:
TTC - 415 million rides at a cost of $0.47/rider
Go Transit - 44 million rides at a cost of $4.71/rider
York Region - 10 million rides at a cost of $2.44/rider
Across Toronto the TTC accounts for 28% of all morning peak period trips - in the rest of the GTA its 8%.
In Durham Region only 3% of families do not own a car. Predictably, Durham Region has a poor transit system.
(*These costs represent government subsidies received by each transit system,
after fares are accounted for. In Toronto, the fare box pays for 80% of
the TTC operations. York Region's subsidy is far greater than this).