But it’s not too late for him to change his mind and fairly fund the TTC.
HERE’S HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO FIX OUR #TTCWOES
1. Join us at City Hall on November 28 at 9.15am to call for more funding for the TTC for lower fares, better service, and two hour fare transfers.
2. Sign up to speak for 3-5 minutes to the TTC Commission on November 28.
3. Retweet and share our Woes on the Bus campaign to get a fairly funded TTC in 2018 and to end riders’ #TTCwoes.
HERE ARE 6 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE 2018 TTC BUDGET
1. The budget will not increase service.
Riders across the city are fed up with long wait times, unreliable service, and late buses. Riders desperately need increased service to fix overcrowding. We know the 2018 service levels will be set for 5 million fewer rides, and we are investigating whether this will mean service cuts on streetcar and bus routes.
2. The budget will not fix the extreme overcrowding on the TTC.
The TTC is regularly violating its own overcrowding standards on 50 surface routes. Without increasing service, the TTC can’t fix the sardine-like overcrowding on ¼ of its routes.
3. The budget will not lower fares.
Six years of fare increases is better than seven years of fare increases, but to increase ridership and make TTC affordable, we need lower fares. Fares have increased 33% since 2009, faster than the rate of inflation.
4. The Volume Incentive Program (VIP) is being cut.
Cutting the VIP will mean fare hikes for students and thousands of other VIP users.
5. There is no funding in the budget for the TTC’s Ridership Growth Strategy.
The Ridership Growth Strategy (RGS) is a long-overdue and much-needed plan to tackle the TTC’s declining ridership issue. The RGS would include incentives like 2-hour fare transfers, an initiative that would benefit riders and small businesses alike. Two-hour transfers are supported by TABIA, the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas, which represents 40,000 small businesses, and 82 BIAs in Toronto.
6. The budget is cutting bus maintenance.
When the TTC cuts bus maintenance riders suffer because that means there’s more breakdowns and delays.
7. The TTC capital budget is being starved of funding too.
The TTC needs another $2.7 billion to reach the $9.2 billion target required to maintain the current system, buy enough new vehicles, and complete accessibility upgrades.
