Will the Budget Committee fairly fund the TTC and low income fares?

On February 7th and 11th the City Budget Committee visited four locations around the city to hear members of the public speak about their priorities for the 2019 budget. Dozens of residents and TTCriders members made powerful deputations about the need to invest in better transit that is affordable for everyone. The Budget Committee also heard from many others who supported our call to action for a fairly funded TTC in order to build an equitable and thriving city that takes real climate action.

You can watch the February 7th deputations at the following links: City Hall 9:30am 1:30pm 6pm | Scarborough Civic Center 3pm 6pm 

What's next?

The fight for lower fares and service improvements is not over. We still have three weeks before the final budget vote on March 7. We're planning a Phone Blitz on Tuesday February 26th to make sure that City Council hears us loud and clear. We're going to set up phone booths at transit stops to encourage riders to make a call to their local representative.

Sign up to join our Phone Blitz: https://goo.gl/forms/zoxQ5cWljHEFwEMt2

Key dates:

  • Wednesday February 20th - Budget Committee final wrap-up to finalize the 2019 budget recommendations to Executive Committee
  • Wednesday February 27th - TTC Board Meeting
  • Monday March 4th - Executive Committee meeting to review & approve budget
  • Thursday March 7th - City Council votes on the 2019 City Budget

What are we calling for?

  1. Extend the low income transit Fair Pass program to people receiving both childcare and housing supports this year & commit to fully funding the 3rd phase of the Fair Pass next year. Offer deeper discounts: Make TTC free on extreme weather alert days and people on social assistance, and $50 passes and $1 fares for people living on low incomes.
  2. Cancel the proposed fare increases (10-cents for regular, students, seniors & 5-cents for Fair Pass) and lower fares for all.
  3. Fairly fund the TTC in the 2019 operating budget.
  4. Improve service in 2019. Implement a bold Ridership Growth Strategy, including more frequent service to fix overcrowding and transit priority to address congested and unreliable routes.
  5. Prioritize sensible, cost-effective rapid transit expansion where its needed most.
If you haven't take action yet - make sure to send a message to your Councillor and the Mayor now!

In the news

Deputations at Scarborough Civic Centre by TTCriders members Kingsley Kwok and Gillian Sumi were covered by Scarborough Mirror reporter Mike Adler. Gillian called for lower fares for Fair Pass users, and Kingsley said that TTC underfunding means that riders will pay more to wait longer. 

Toronto Star reporter Ben Spurr spoke with Anapaula Oliveira about her budget deputation at City Hall, calling for deeper discounts for low income people and for the next phases of the low income transit Fair Pass to be funded. “I am using this pass but cannot afford it,” Anapaula told the Budget Committee. 

The Star's Jennfier Pagliaro covered a deputation by Eli Aaron, Transit Lead for the Toronto Youth Council, who urged the Budget Committee to freeze fares. “Today you are considering a budget that will make life increasingly unaffordable in Toronto — a TTC budget which hikes student fares by 5 per cent or roughly double the rate of inflation.”

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