Our Accomplishments

TTCriders turns donations into public transit wins. Some of our recent accomplishments:

  • Initiated a national coalition of transit supporters that convinced the federal and provincial governments to provide emergency transit funding. 

  • Trained and supported dozens of people to speak to City Councillors at public meetings about transit decisions. 

  • Launched a Transit Organizer School to build grassroots leadership in the transit movement.

  • Continued to be Toronto media’s go-to transit organization (our spokespeople appeared on The AgendaCP24CBC National and more). 

  • Supported local campaigns for bus-only lanes and to keep local stops on Eglinton East. 
  • TTCriders worked with Scarborough Transit Action and other Scarborough groups to organize support for the Eglinton East LRT. The TTC now plans to fast-track bus-only lanes on Eglinton from Kennedy Station to the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus in Fall 2020 thanks to years of organizing.

  • We organized with allies and hundreds of volunteers to oppose the provincial upload of Toronto's subway system, with a number of city-wide actions. In Fall 2019, the provincial government announced that it would drop the plan to upload the subway.
  • Our organizing convinced the TTC to pause the phase out of tokens and tickets until problems with Presto access are fixed; Metrolinx has an exclusive agreement to sell Presto products at Shoppers Drug Mart and subway stations, which are not accessible in suburban areas. 
  • TTCriders and the Fair Fare Coalition were key in pushing for the city to agree to develop a plan to provide low income TTC passes and fares so the TTC can be affordable to everybody. The first phase of the Fair Pass was implemented on April 4, 2018 and provides $2.05 fares and $119 passes to people who receive OW and ODSP, and in 2019 the discount was extended to people receiving a childcare fee subsidy. 

  • Our organizing around over-crowding pushed the TTC to add $11 million in new annualized funding in 2018 for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) to add 7 new express bus routes and add service to relieve peak and off-peak crowding.
  • We worked with residents, business, and other civic organizations to make transit priority on King Street permanent between Jarvis and Bathurst. Our report, Better Transit Now, built support for expanded transit priority on suburban bus routes. 

  • We successfully advocated for the TTC to introduce 2-hour timed transfers. They will roll out in August 2018 after the TTC and the City agreed to fund the cost of transfers in the 2018 budget.

  • Our organizing and extensive mainstream media coverage helped create the climate where elected officials, like John Tory, decide that public sentiment wants transit to be a priority.  

  • We launched the Our Union Pearson Coalition to get more stops, TTC level fares, and clean trains on our new Union Pearson train service. As a result of our short campaign, it now costs GO fares to ride our new train, and airport workers can board for $3.50. 

  • We launched our #GrumpyRider social media campaign to channel rider frustration into political activism that calls for more TTC funding, more service, and lower fares. Mayor John Tory is already showing interest in restoring service cut during the Ford years, which is a great first step. We will win even more service and lower fares if we continue to connect, inspire, and work with our fellow 1.8 million TTC riders.

  • We hosted our 2014 Transit Champion and Transit Troll Awards to recognize our transit leaders and boo our transit laggards, which was reported on in Metro News, and other outlets.

  • We have become one of the most high profile transit groups in Toronto. We are regularly approached by the media to respond to stories, especially radio and TV outlets. Read our recent media stories.

  • We hosted a transit mayoral debate and released transit report cards on the Mayoral candidates in 2014 and 2018. All mayoral candidates included commitments to improve transit in their election platforms.

  • The TTC received about a $95 million increase in funding (that’s about a 10% increase in the budget) in 2015 and 2016, which will improve service across the city, reduce wait times and overcrowding. Some of the $$$ came from a fare increase, which we're not happy about, but we did get over $43 million in new funding from the city.

  • We gave out our first ever TTC Sardines Award to MPP Glen Murray for failing to fix overcrowding on the TTC.

  • We launched our Fair Deal for Riders campaign. We are calling on the province to contribute its fair share of funding to the TTC so service can be expanded by at least 25% and fares reduced, especially for those in financial need.

  • We have evolved into a volunteer powerhouse with more than 600 volunteers and over 30 active committee members, a fantastic campaigns committee, and a Scarborough chapters. Join our committees here

  • We have over 250 individual dues-paying members and some awesome organizational supporters, including TTC workers at ATU Local 113, Jane Finch Action Against Poverty, the Toronto & York Region Labour Council, the Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario, CUPE 3902, CUPE 3903, University of Toronto Graduate Student Union, University of Toronto Scarborough Student Union, CUPE 4400, and OSSTF Local 12, and more.

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