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TTC Fare increase being considered

Markster

Markster

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[Update] Well, looks like they found some money stashed in the back of a cupboard somewhere.

[EDIT: direct from the source] TTC Fare increase proposal

Adult
(Current Fare, Proposed Fare)
Cash
$3.00 $3.00 (unchanged)
Token
$2.50 $2.60
Weekly Pass
$36.00 $37.25
Regular Metropass
$121.00 $126.00
VIP
$107.00 $111.25
MDP
$111.00 $115.50

Senior/Student
Cash
$2.00 $2.00 (unchanged)
Ticket
$1.65 $1.75
Weekly Pass
$28.00 $29.75
Regular Metropass
$99.00 $104.00
MDP
$89.00 $94.00

Child
Cash
$0.75 $0.75 (unchanged)
Ticket
$0.55 $0.55 (unchanged)

Day Pass
$10.00 $10.50

GTA Pass (TTC Portion)
$28.00 $29.00

Post-Secondary Student Metropass
$99.00 $104.00
[/EDIT]

From the CBC (though, every major news outlet is covering it).

Under the TTC staff proposal, adult cash fares would remain unchanged at $3, but tokens and tickets for seniors and students would go up by 10 cents.

A monthly adult Metropass would rise to $126 from $121 under the proposal. A weekly pass would cost $37.25, up from $36.
Click to expand...
What's Ford got to say on the matter?
Ford said he will meet with staff "to find a way to reduce this fare increase, or to avoid it completely."
Click to expand...
So why the need for a face increase?
TTC chair Karen Stintz, speaking after Ford, said the transit system has had record high ridership in 2010, and is projecting a further increase in 2011.

Stintz said the commission "has been given direction" that the city will not increase funding for the transit system next year.
Click to expand...

Good luck avoiding this increase, if you aren't going to increase funding.
 
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WindyCity said:
that is unbelievable.

expect more riders, so increase fare and decrease service.
Click to expand...

Hmm the Rosedale bus escaped without any service cuts, but poor Forest Hill was reduced to weekday daytime only.

I wonder if there were stats behind these selections or they were just made up based on someone's perceptions.

Welcome back to the era where you have to figure out first if the bus is actually running or not. We need a route classification system if they want this to be "customer service friendly", like A ROUTES - all day every day, B ROUTES - all day wekdays, until 10pm weekends, C ROUTES - all day weekedays, no weekends, D ROUTES - until 10pm weekdays, no weekends etc..
 
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Wow, the optics on this are terrible.

A $60/year tax cut for car drivers. Followed by a $60/year increase for TTC Metropasses?

Given the huge TTC uprising last year over customer service, I'd think that this is going to blow up big time.
 
Estimated increase in TTC revenue as a result of a $0.10 fare hike (based on 2008 ridership numbers): $46.5 million.

Estimated loss of revenue as a result of the elimination of the Vehicle Registration Tax: $50 million.

You do the math...
 
From the numbers in the Toronto Star it seems that the services cuts wouldn't have to happen if fares went up a further 2.9 cents (7 million savings from the eliminations; $24 million taken in from a 10 cent fare increase). Doesn't the Sheppard Subway lose $10 million/year, with the Vaughan subway to lose something similar?
 
nfitz said:
Wow, the optics on this are terrible.

A $60/year tax cut for car drivers. Followed by a $60/year increase for TTC Metropasses?

Given the huge TTC uprising last year over customer service, I'd think that this is going to blow up big time.
Click to expand...

+1
 
Jan 12 meeting for Jan 30 hike...

Doesn't the TTC normally need about six weeks to implement a hike? IIRC, the usual reason is lead time to print Metropasses with the new price. Hmmmmmm......
 
Ed Drass said:
Doesn't the TTC normally need about six weeks to implement a hike? IIRC, the usual reason is lead time to print Metropasses with the new price. Hmmmmmm......
Click to expand...
There's nothing in the TTC press release that says that the fare increase is Feb 1st. The media is reporting this - what is their source?

Presumably it would be a March 1st Metropass increase then ... but if they don't raise the token price almost immediately, then we will have yet another period of no token availability - which was the precursor to the rider revolt over service issues last year.
 
Ford said during his press conference this morning that it was to take effect February 1st.

It's a total scare tactic, designed to wring concessions from other agencies and, more importantly, to keep the media distracted as other cuts and user fee increases work their way through the budget process. At the end, Ford announces that he has been able to cut enough 'gravy' such that the increase is no longer necessary. Then the villagers rejoice and chant his name.

A good story if it gets told right.
 
If true, no worse than the tactic Giambrone used with the 2007 fare increase. Where they announced that they would have to close the Sheppard subway and cut a lot of service if they did't do something. They practically had people begging for the 9% Metropass increase, which broke the $100 barrier.

What's the implication this time though ... that we'll be begging for service cuts instead? Be careful what you wish for.
 
That was actually tied up in the introduction of the Land Transfer Tax and Vehicle Registration Tax, if I'm remembering correctly. When council surprisingly voted against the new taxes, Miller started making a list of items that would be cut unless council changed their minds. The Sheppard subway was on that list.

In the end, the taxes were implemented (LTT was altered slightly) and fares were increased.

This case is different in the sense that the City could have easily increased the TTC subsidy a few points to make the fare increase unnecessary, but instead the city killed a bunch of revenue sources. The 1.8% property tax increase Ford campaigned (and won) on would go a long way.
 
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