TTCriders Spoke Up and Were Heard!

More than 80 TTC riders turned up at the December 14th TTC meeting to speak out against service cuts and being forced to pay more money for less transit service. The voices of TTCriders from all across Toronto were heard at the meeting, with thousands more having sent in emails and letters to transit commissioners. TTC chair Karen Stintz and other Commissioners clearly heard this message and they acted to reduce the number of bus cuts in 2012!

Without TTCriders hard work none of these routes would have been saved. Now we have to continue to press Councillors to save the rest of the threatened TTC services!

It is now in the hands of Toronto City Council to find the remaining funds needed to avoid TTC bus and streetcar service cuts. Please email your Councillor and tell them to vote to stop TTC service cuts.

Unfortunately, the TTC did approve a plan to increase the price of tokens and passes effective January 1st, 2012. Tokens will now cost $2.60 each, Metropasses will cost $126 and all other fare media will go up. As well, the Commission agreed in principle to inflationary increases to TTC fares in 2013, 2014 and 2015. This, along with ensuring the City’s contribution to the TTC’s operating subsidy is not further cut, is being done to help stabilize funding for the TTC.

The Good:

TTC service on the City’s busiest bus routes will not be cut in 2012
All remaining cuts will be pushed back until February or March
This gives us time to tell our City Councillors to stop all of the proposed TTC service cuts permanently at their January 17th meeting

The Bad:

A $0.10 fare hikes starts on January 1st 2012
Current Bus and Streetcar service in “non-peak” travel times is not guaranteed past February / March 2012
TTCriders can expect annual inflationary fare hikes in 2013, 2014 and 2015

The Ugly: