Expand access and TTC service, not policing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Transit user group slams fare increase, police expansion, possible cuts

(Toronto, ON) —TTCriders, a membership organization of transit users in Toronto, released the following statement in response to Mayor John Tory’s announcement about the 2023 TTC Budget, which has not yet been published publicly: 

“Welcoming back riders with lower fares and more frequent, reliable service should be the Mayor’s top priority. TTCriders is calling on the Mayor and City Councillors to protect the TTC from service cuts by increasing the transit budget subsidy.

Mayor Tory is asking the lowest-income Toronto residents, including youth, to pay more to get to school and work, rather than raising revenue from those who can afford it. 

The Mayor could raise hundreds of millions for more TTC service with a parking levy on big malls and commercial landlords. Instead, the women, shift workers, racialized, and low-income people who continue to rely most on the TTC are being asked to pay more.

The expansion of the Fair Pass discount to 50,000 more people is an important step will not fully extend the discount to all eligible low-income Toronto residents who need fare relief and who have been waiting for this program since it was approved in 2016. This program should be subsidized by the City of Toronto, not other transit users. 

A thoughtful approach to safety is needed. Creating a welcoming, accessible TTC won’t be achieved by expanding policing. Black and Indigenous people have been grossly overrepresented in TTC enforcement incidents. TTCriders is calling for more supportive staff roles to contribute to a welcoming environment, who are able to de-escalate crisis situations and provide wayfinding and accessibility services.”

Quick facts and background information: 

• Link to 2023 TTC Budget.

• 13 City Councillors have committed to opposing TTC service cuts and fare increases: www.ttcriders.ca/newcouncil 

• If the TTC receives a City subsidy of $958.7 million in 2023 as per Mayor Tory's announcement, TTCriders estimates that the TTC will require approximately $100 million in additional subsidy to maintain service at 100% of pre-pandemic levels. This is a rough estimate, using the 2022 budget and assuming 80% of pre-pandemic fare revenue, as we are waiting for the TTC to publish their budget. 

  Type	2022 (in millions)	2023? (in millions)
  City Funding	851.4	958.7
  COVID Funding	461.2	0
  Reserves	20.7	20.7
  Ancillary Rev	49.5	49.5
  Passenger Rev (projected)	851.9	1083.04
  Total	2234.7	2111.94
  Sources:
  2022 Budget (budgeted 100% pre-covid service); https://stevemunro.ca/2021/12/14/ttc-2022-operating-budget/
  Fares close to 68% pre-covid as of october: https://ttc-cdn.azureedge.net/-/media/Project/TTC/DevProto/Documents/Home/Public-Meetings/Board/2022/December-8/2_CEO_Report_December_2022_Update.pdf?rev=4c8a112fc4f846ea9151e19856009dea&hash=7CEAF5C90B46CD3137E08CE992515DA7
  80% of 2020 projected fare revenue: https://stevemunro.ca/2019/12/14/ttc-operating-budget-2020/

• The Fair Pass was designed to be paid for through the City of Toronto’s Social Development, Finance and Administration, not transit user fares through the TTC Budget. The Fair Pass was approved in 2016 and is meant to be extended to all low-wage workers in Toronto; this final phase would extend the discount to more than 100,000 people (roughly estimated based on a 2016 staff report). 

• A review of TTC data found that Black and Indigenous people were “"grossly overrepresented in TTC enforcement incidents".

• TTC data shows that shift workers, women, and low-income people are the three key groups of people who have been relying on transit throughout the pandemic.

• A single TTC fare cost $1.80 in 2002. If TTC fares had been indexed to inflation rates over the past 20 years, riders would be paying $2.74 per ride in 2022. 

• A Commercial Parking Levy could raise up to $575 million per year, according to a 2021 City of Toronto staff report.

• Toronto’s TransformTO strategy to achieve Net Zero recommends an “increase existing bus and streetcar service levels to encourage shifts to low carbon, sustainable transportation.” 

Note: This release was updated to include additional details about the Fair Pass and which categories of single fares will increase after the 2023 TTC Budget was published publicly. An earlier version stated that Fair Pass single fares would be increased because Mayor Tory's announcement only noted that senior fares would be frozen. The budget clarifies that Fair Pass single fares will be frozen at $2.10.

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