A TTC Metropass costs $133.75 for a month of rides. That's equivalent to 49.53 tokens, meaning you have to ride on average 1.6 times per day in a month with 31 days, 1.7 times per day in a month with 30 days, and 1.8 times per day, every day, in Febraury, to make it worthwhile. Take out 8.6 weekend days per month if you're just commuting with your Metropass, and you'll need to ride a minimum of 2.2 rides every weekday on the TTC to make it worthwhile.
How does that compare with other cities?
Montreal charges $79.50 for theirs. That means as of the 27th ride, you're getting a break on the $3 fare, way less than here. Next year the pass goes up to $82, while single rides climb to $3.25. A pass will make your 26th ride and all following a bargain in Montreal.
Ottawa charges $124.50 for theirs if you want to ride the express buses (to the suburbs mostly), or just $100.75 if you're content with regular routes. Cash fares in Ottawa are a steep $3.45, $4.90 for express, so the passes are a bargain comparatively. Of course, Ottawa also has Presto, where fares are only charged at $2.77 per ride. The discount kicks in with the 30th ride on regular routes, 26th ride on express routes.
Calgary? $96. Single rides are $3 each. The break starts on your 33rd ride.
Edmonton is $89, or $3.20 for single rides. The break starts on your 28th ride.
Vancouver has a zone fare system that runs from $2.75 per ride in zone 1, to $4 for zones 1-2, and $5.50 for zones 1-3. That translates into passes that cost $91, $124, and $170. With all of Vancouver's passes, you're getting a discount on anything more than 33 monthly rides.
Shouldn't the Metropass be based on giving people a break—at minimum—starting after they've taken one ride beyond the two per weekday? Theoretically, the TTC should want to sell to every TTC commuter, so fares should be based on making the Metropass attractive to people doing the 2 per weekday or better. That would be the equivalent of 42 rides, not 49. 42 times $2.70 would be $113.40, about $20 less per month than it costs now.
If you want a break on your Metropass, then you can order it for every month of the year. That will cost you $122.50, taking off the equivalent of 4.16 rides per month, so even that doesn't get you down to 42 times per month.
Take any vacation days? Take national or provincial holidays off? You're still paying to ride on those days.
It's time to roll back the price of Metropasses to something less punitive, which is how it feels to me now, or hold the price on Metropasses from here on, and have the average number of rides need to make them make sense gradually decline.
So, is it just me, or are Metropasses obnoxiously priced?
42
How does that compare with other cities?
Montreal charges $79.50 for theirs. That means as of the 27th ride, you're getting a break on the $3 fare, way less than here. Next year the pass goes up to $82, while single rides climb to $3.25. A pass will make your 26th ride and all following a bargain in Montreal.
Ottawa charges $124.50 for theirs if you want to ride the express buses (to the suburbs mostly), or just $100.75 if you're content with regular routes. Cash fares in Ottawa are a steep $3.45, $4.90 for express, so the passes are a bargain comparatively. Of course, Ottawa also has Presto, where fares are only charged at $2.77 per ride. The discount kicks in with the 30th ride on regular routes, 26th ride on express routes.
Calgary? $96. Single rides are $3 each. The break starts on your 33rd ride.
Edmonton is $89, or $3.20 for single rides. The break starts on your 28th ride.
Vancouver has a zone fare system that runs from $2.75 per ride in zone 1, to $4 for zones 1-2, and $5.50 for zones 1-3. That translates into passes that cost $91, $124, and $170. With all of Vancouver's passes, you're getting a discount on anything more than 33 monthly rides.
Shouldn't the Metropass be based on giving people a break—at minimum—starting after they've taken one ride beyond the two per weekday? Theoretically, the TTC should want to sell to every TTC commuter, so fares should be based on making the Metropass attractive to people doing the 2 per weekday or better. That would be the equivalent of 42 rides, not 49. 42 times $2.70 would be $113.40, about $20 less per month than it costs now.
If you want a break on your Metropass, then you can order it for every month of the year. That will cost you $122.50, taking off the equivalent of 4.16 rides per month, so even that doesn't get you down to 42 times per month.
Take any vacation days? Take national or provincial holidays off? You're still paying to ride on those days.
It's time to roll back the price of Metropasses to something less punitive, which is how it feels to me now, or hold the price on Metropasses from here on, and have the average number of rides need to make them make sense gradually decline.
So, is it just me, or are Metropasses obnoxiously priced?
42