Toronto Environmental Alliance

January 10th, 2011
Tess Kalinowski
Transportation Reporter
Toronto Star

Mayor Rob Ford’s not happy, TTC chair Karen Stintz isn’t happy and it’s a safe bet that the 1 million people who take the TTC every day won’t be happy either with the threat of a 10-cent fare hike that would take effect Feb. 1.

While the mayor said the city and transit commission will continue to look for efficiencies to eliminate the increase, “at this point the staff recommended budget includes the 10 cents,” said Stintz.

The TTC board will hold a special public meeting Wednesday to discuss the details of the proposed operating budget.

The increase would bring the TTC about $24 million in revenue at a time when record ridership continues to grow with 483 million rides forecast this year.

Although cash fares would remain unchanged, token prices would increase 10 cents to $2.60 and a regular Metropass would cost $126, $5 more per month.

“We’ve had record high ridership and as we have increased ridership we have increased costs,” said TTC chair Karen Stintz, who underlined that no one will be losing their bus routes.

When the TTC expanded bus service hours in 2008 to match the subways, there was an assumption that ridership would expand to meet that service. That has not been the case, she said.

So, effective March 27, the TTC is reallocating is shifting more buses to to rush hour and mid-day and reducing the operation and hours of those that serve no more than 12 riders per hour, said Stintz. The move is supposed to save $7 million this year. [sic]

That means 48 routes will take a hit to late night, weekend and off-peak service.

Every ride on the TTC costs about $3 but only 9 per cent of riders pay that much in individual cash fares.

The proposed budget gives the TTC $1.4 billion – $66 million than last year. [sic]

About $1 million of that will go toward making the system cleaner, said Webster, who added that many customer service initiatives such as station managers, route supervisors and the hiring of a new customer service executive are already underway.

He also warned of a $2.3 billion capital shortfall in the funding the TTC needs in the next 10 years for new equipment and station modications. [sic]

“At the end of the day it’s not going to be too long before we’re at the wall,” said Webster.

Last year’s 25-cent TTC fare increase was introduced about three months before it took effect and caused all kinds of problems in terms of token hoarding.

Despite Stintz’s insistence that “nobody’s losing a (bus) route,” the effect is a service cut, said Franz Hartmann of the Toronto Environmental Alliance.

Transit riders will be paying more for less service, he said, calling the increase a “bizarre signal” because it will cost transit riders about $50 to $60 a year, roughly the same cost motorists will save on the vehicle registration tax that Ford eliminated last month.

“You don’t reduce congestion by penalizing transit users,” he told reporters.”

Toronto-Danforth City Councillor Paula Fletcher said she would not have voted to eliminate the car registration fee if she had known transit riders would be paying more.

“In my ward, 50 per cent of people use transit,” she said. “It looks like public transit is coming up short.”

If there was any doubt, Ford made it clear that he’s refocusing transit expansion in a new “Transportation City” plan that will redirect building to high speed subways, away from lower speed light rail.

Fare Schedule
Proposed 10-cent fare increase

Adult

Senior/Student

Child

Proposed route changes

The following route changes are recommended for implementation on March 27, 2011.

5 AVENUE RD – No service after 7:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. No service on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

61 AVENUE RD NORTH – No service after 10:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays.

6 BAY – No service after 10:00 p.m., every day.

9 BELLAMY – No service after 10:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. No service after 7:00 p.m., Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

8 BROADVIEW – No service after 10:00 p.m., Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

120 CALVINGTON – No service after 10:00 p.m., Monday to Saturday. No service on Sundays and holidays.

20 CLIFFSIDE – No service after 10:00 p.m., Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

42 CUMMER – No service east of Kennedy Road after 10:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. No service east of Kennedy Road on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

127 DAVENPORT – No service after 10:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays.

105 DUFFERIN NORTH – No service after 10:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays.

26 DUPONT – No service after 10:00 p.m., every day.

32 EGLINTON WEST – No 32D (Eglinton West Stn-Jane & Emmett) service after 10:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday. No 32D (Eglinton West Stn-Jane & Emmett) service after 7:00 p.m. on Sundays and holidays. No 32A (Eglinton Stn-Renforth & Skymark) service west of Renforth on Saturdays.

15 EVANS – No service after 10:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays.

33 FOREST HILL – No service after 7:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. No service Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

135 GERRARD – No service after 10:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday. No service after 7:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays.

14 GLENCAIRN – No service after 10:00 p.m., every day.

122 GRAYDON HALL – No service after 10:00 p.m., every day.

169 HUNTINGWOOD – No service after 10:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. No service after 7:00 p.m., Saturdays. No service on Sundays and holidays.

110 ISLINGTON SOUTH – No service on Horner Avenue or Browns Line to Long Branch Loop after 10:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays.

43 KENNEDY – No 43B (Kennedy Stn-Scarborough Centre Stn via Progress) service after 7:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday. No 43B (Kennedy Stn-Scarborough Centre Stn via Progress) service on Sundays and holidays.

30 LAMBTON – No service after 10:00 p.m., Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

162 LAWRENCE-DONWAY – No off peak service. Service to operate Monday-Friday morning and afternoon peak only.

56 LEASIDE – No service after 10:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. No service after 7:00 p.m., Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. No service west of Laird Drive to Eglinton Station Sunday/holiday daytime.

51 LESLIE – No service after 10:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday. No service after 7:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays.

59 MAPLE LEAF – No service after 10:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. No service after 7:00 p.m., Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

130 MIDDLEFIELD – No service after 10:00 p.m., every day.

132 MILNER – No service after 10:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays.

116 MORNINGSIDE – No 116A/E (Kennedy Stn-UofT Scarborough Express/Conlins) service after 10:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. No 116A/E (Kennedy Stn-UofT Scarborough Express/Conlins)service on Saturday, Sundays, and holidays.

62 MORTIMER – No service after 10:00 p.m., Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

74 MT PLEASANT – No service after 7:00 p.m., every day.

103 MT PLEASANT NORTH – No service after 10:00 p.m., Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

72 PAPE – No 72A service south of Eastern Avenue to Commissioners and Union Station after 10:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday, September-May. No 72A service south of Eastern Avenue to Commissioners and Union Station after 7:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays, September-May.

101 PARC DOWNSVIEW PARK – No service, September-May.

167 PHARMACY NORTH – No off peak service. Service to operate Monday-Friday morning and afternoon peak only.

80 QUEENSWAY – No off peak service east of Humber Loop, every day. No service after 10:00 p.m., Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

48 RATHBURN – No service after 10:00 p.m., Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

73 ROYAL YORK – No 73B (Royal York Stn-Eglinton & La Rose) service after 7:00 p.m., every day.

76 ROYAL YORK SOUTH – No 76B (Royal York Stn-Queensway & Grand Ave) service after 10:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. No 76B (Royal York Stn-Queensway & Grand Ave) service on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

78 ST ANDREWS – No service after 10:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays.

86 SCARBOROUGH – No off peak 86D (Kennedy Stn-Beechgrove via Lawrence) service. Service on 86D (Kennedy Stn-Beechgrove via Lawrence) to operate Monday-Friday morning and afternoon peak only.

115 SILVER HILLS – No off peak service. Service to operate Monday-Friday morning and afternoon peak only.

60 STEELES WEST – No off peak service west of Martin Grove to Highway 27. Service west of Martin Grove to operate Monday-Friday morning and afternoon peak only.

124 SUNNYBROOK – No service after 10:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays.

55 WARREN PARK – No service after 10:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays.

94 WELLESLEY – No service west of Wellesley Station after 10:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays.

112 WEST MALL – No 112C (Kipling Stn-Disco Rd) service north of Eglinton Avenue after 10:00 p.m., Saturdays. No 112C (Kipling Stn-Disco Rd) service north of Eglinton Avenue after 7:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays.

98 WILLOWDALE-SENLAC – No service after 10:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday. No service after 7:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays. No service east of Sheppard-Yonge Station, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

96 WILSON – No 96C/F off peak service to Tandridge Crescent or Thistle Down Boulevard. Service on 96C (York Mills Stn-Tandridge & Thistle Down via Albion) to Tandridge Crescent or Thistle Down Boulevard to operate Monday-Friday morning and afternoon peak only.

As originally published here: http://www.thestar.com/news/transportation/article/919082--ttc-fare-hike-riders-lose-what-motorists-gained