Yet Another Transit Fare Increase
Update: January 16 2013
Unfortunately, in the 2013 Toronto Capital & Operating budget process, Council did not vote to provide TTC funding to stop another fare hike. Transit riders are now faced with higher costs, and reduced service.
Background:
For the second year in a row, TTC users who are also helping the environment are being penalized through a new fare increase for essentially reduced service. Every year, City Hall contributes to paying transportation costs such as road repairs, sidewalk maintenance and operating the TTC. Unfortunately, the TTC contribution is going down, when calculated on a per ride basis, and that means people who do the right thing must pay more.
A September TTC Report (page 8) shows that Toronto City Hall provides a dramatically lower transit contribution than any other jurisdiction in Canada and the U.S.: $0.87 per rider vs. $1.25 per rider in New York City and $5.16 in York Region. As if that isn’t bad enough, the City Hall contribution keeps going down: from $0.91 per ride in 2009 to a proposed $0.79 per ride in 2013 (see here).
As TEA and TTCriders noted in a letter to the TTC “Everyone agrees using the TTC benefits not just transit users but Torontonians in general: more people on the TTC means less traffic congestion, shorter commute times, better economic productivity, cleaner air, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, healthier communities, and a better quality of life. So if everyone benefits, why is it that only those who use the TTC are having to pay more every year?”
That’s why we are asking City Councillors to support a very simple idea: everyone who benefits from the TTC should help pay their fair share of TTC operating costs, not just TTC riders.
More information: