Mapleson
Active Member
Why must TTC strive to be the only profitable transit system in the western hemisphere?
Because the GTA is home to 1 in 6 Canadians, because the City of Toronto continually runs on the red, because funds to maintain the level of service from the mid-1980s to late-1990s are not forthcoming, and because the GTA will grow by 1.5 million people over the next decade.
I personally hate justification by comparison. Canada has the lowest debt to GDP ratio in the G8, but it still costs 20% of taxes annually to maintain. The TTC is amongst the highest cost-recovery rates in North America, but that extra $1 per trip still comes out of our collective pockets. IF the TTC were profitable, it could secure it's own future and plan long-term rather than being tied to short-term political decisions.
Instead of zoned fares I would suggest that the TTC should implement a mixed system of flat fares for surface routes and fare by distance for the subways and other heavy rail (GO).
The key benefits for such a system from my perspective is that it provides a fair cost to those who use the system short distances (buses in the suburbs) or subways in the core, and also provides discounts for those who use a less comfortable and slower form of transportation (buses and streetcars) while pricing longer and faster trips more appropriately. I would also suggest that such a model could also be used for GO service integration (for example price GO at $1 per station) and would eventually lead to full GO and TTC integration.
Interagency ticketing has been increasing and with Presto should lead to an integrated GTA transit payment system within a decade or so. The key issue presented in the topic is Operating Costs. First, zonal or any similiar multi-branch pricing is more costly to operate. Second, it runs counter to the idea of 'all you can eat' type passes such as the current MetroPass or DayRider tickets. Charges set per use will increase the dialectic between car and transit rather than giving transit its main advantage in being a pre-paid lump sum.
I would use a system where I know I will pay $120 per month, but may not if it'll vary between $60 one month and $180 the next. Overall revenues are the same, but predictivity of prices are not. If I don't have a MetroPass and want to jump on the TTC, I know it'll cost me $3 and can plan accordingly. Having distance pricing, I can't and will pay a premium for not having a Presto card.
Rather than zones, I would discount non-peak TTC trips (6AM-10AM, 3PM-7PM) to 50% of peak-period trips (I'm expecting something like a $3.50 / $1.75 split from current revenue levels). People know what to expect and flat-rate packs, like the MetroPass, can place their price point somewhere in the middle.
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