GTHA Transit Fare Integration

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

Metrolinx has abdicated it's responsibility when it comes to fare integration and it's Torontonians that are paying the price. Even if ML can't yet figure out how to coordinate all the systems together in a fair and easy to understand fashion that all transit agencies will accept, it does have 100% contol over it's massive GO system fares and it hasn't done anything in that regards either.

Metrolinx conducted 2 separate rounds of consultation on fare integration (the second one being basically a consultation on the first consultation). It was the Liberal government's decision to stick them in a drawer. All the behind the scenes work on this has long since been done. Just like how there is no power municipalities have that the Province hasn't delegated to them, Metrolinx can't do much without cabinet letting them do it; so they haven't done anything.

And despite people here, there and everywhere talking about how hard it would be here and it would be so unfair and blah blah blah as if we're inventing fare integration or fare-by-distance or fare-by-zone. This stuff is par for the course all of the planet, including in "world class cities" like London, as mentioned above. We always need to act like we're reinventing the wheel and it's so darned hard to do (see also: Presto). Used to be, back in the 70s, people came from around the world to study how TTC did things, Now we're so backwards and far behind, we can't even study others about how they do things we can barely conceive of.

 

[Allandale25]

Possible update soon on fare integration?

GO Transit: Davenport Diamond Grade Separation | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx

^ Maybe they'll time the first revenue service train for May 26, 2014 which I think was the first revenue service day for the West Toronto Grade Separation.

urbantoronto.ca

 

[nfitz]

More importantly, an announcement on fare integration is imminent apparently.

Must be an election coming ...

Maybe Ford is going to flip-flop of his previous cancellation of the $1.50 fare break.

 

[MiExpress]

There is a report on Mississauga's January 12 General Committee agenda regarding the MiWay/GO co-fare arrangement which allows for reduced travel on MiWay for 80 cents before or following a GO Transit trip if one has a PRESTO card.

The co fare has historically been set based on Metrolinx reimbursing 75% of the adult fare price for trips with the co fare making up the difference. Effective February 1, 2022 Metrolinx will reimburse 100% of the adult fare which allows the 80 cents co-fare to be eliminated and the MiWay trip before or following a GO Transit trip will be free of charge for PRESTO card users.

https://pub-mississauga.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=18563

 

[Northern Light]

There is a report on Mississauga's January 12 General Committee agenda regarding the MiWay/GO co-fare arrangement which allows for reduced travel on MiWay for 80 cents before or following a GO Transit trip if one has a PRESTO card.

The co fare has historically been set based on Metrolinx reimbursing 75% of the adult fare price for trips with the co fare making up the difference. Effective February 1, 2022 Metrolinx will reimburse 100% of the adult fare which allows the 80 cents co-fare to be eliminated and the MiWay trip before or following a GO Transit trip will be free of charge for PRESTO card users.

https://pub-mississauga.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=18563

Great Find!

The relevant text from the report brought forward:

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Not perfect, GO will remain pricey for many........

But if this is what's coming forward for the GTA (including the TTC) I would not be unhappy with this as a 'down payment'.

As an East Yorker, I like that I could pay GO $3.70 to get to Danforth GO and the hop TTC for free, or the other way around.

 

[Haydenpoon]

Also found it in the City of Burlington meeting's agenda

agenda

 

[ARG1]

There is a report on Mississauga's January 12 General Committee agenda regarding the MiWay/GO co-fare arrangement which allows for reduced travel on MiWay for 80 cents before or following a GO Transit trip if one has a PRESTO card.

The co fare has historically been set based on Metrolinx reimbursing 75% of the adult fare price for trips with the co fare making up the difference. Effective February 1, 2022 Metrolinx will reimburse 100% of the adult fare which allows the 80 cents co-fare to be eliminated and the MiWay trip before or following a GO Transit trip will be free of charge for PRESTO card users.

https://pub-mississauga.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=18563

I wonder how this will impact the 905 transfer agreement as well as other agencies in general. Assuming this only applies to Mississauga, does this mean if you get on GO, then get off at say Malton, you get a free MiWay ticket, which will carry over the BT then YRT, allowing you to get from say Malton to VMC for free?

 

[APTA-2048]

I’d be happy if they just bring back to co-fare with the TTC.

 

[Haydenpoon]

So when exactly will Miway and Burlington Transit have a free transfer with GO Transit?

 

[Northern Light]

Report to next week's TTC meeting deals with both fare and service integration.

Some details, many questions still.

Link first: https://ttc-cdn.azureedge.net/-/med...51238b5&hash=6BFAE34E42AF01383E8C59C0AD6131E5

From the above:

****

 

[Allandale25]

Announcement tomorrow. Speculating on what this could be so I put it here.

MEDIA ADVISORY

Associate Minister Cho to Make an Announcement
February 28, 2022
Ministry of Transportation

Stan Cho, Associate Minister of Transportation, will be joined by Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, Nina Tangri, MPP for Mississauga-Streetsville, and Bonnie Crombie, Mayor of Mississauga, to make an announcement about improving public transit affordability.

Date:
Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Time:
Remarks at 9:00 a.m.
A media availability will follow.

Location:
Mississauga, ON

Livestream:
Ministry of Transportation Twitter

 

[Northern Light]

Announcement tomorrow. Speculating on what this could be so I put it here.

The Education Minister is coming to the announcement, but not the Transportation Minister?

Seems rather odd.

 

[ssiguy2]

It maybe something more significant. The Minister of Ed is from Miss as stated so she maybe there strictly for the photo-op. There is an election coming soon so i don't think she would want to miss it regardless if it is under her jurisdiction or not.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Ontario Newsroom

news.ontario.ca

Eliminating fares on local transit when connecting to GO, and increasing the youth / student fare discount to 40%.

No TTC fare integration with GO, no local transit fare integration between local transit agencies.

This will be important for GO to lower it's dependency on parking at stations, but wasn't exactly a high priority fare integration need, particularly lowering student and youth fares.

 

[Northern Light]

Ontario Newsroom

news.ontario.ca

Eliminating fares on local transit when connecting to GO, and increasing the youth / student fare discount to 40%.

No TTC fare integration with GO, no local transit fare integration between local transit agencies.

This will be important for GO to lower it's dependency on parking at stations, but wasn't exactly high priority fare integration needs, particularly lowering student and youth fares.

Key excerpts from the above:

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**

****

My take:

Nothing bad here; but omitting the TTC is ridiculous (obviously a $$ savings)

Beyond that though, its simply not sufficient, in one way or another the cost of inter-regional travel needs to decline substantially. Including system to system discounts, and using GO.

I continue to think the 'big switch at GO, is a move to charge for parking and use that revenue to lower the fares; reducing the need for additional subsidy.

But in the shorter term it would have been nice to see a reduction in the base GO fare to $3.20; and extending the base fare cap from 10km trips to either of any trip within one region, or 15km.
There's no magic in that, it just makes it a bit cheaper to make a big move later on.