Our Story

TTCriders is building a grassroots movement of transit users. If you share our vision for accessible, frequent, dignified public transit that connects all Toronto neighbourhoods, donate or become a member to make it a reality. We want a more equitable city where public transit is a right that everyone can enjoy.

Unequal access to affordable, high-quality, and frequent public transit is a public health and equity issue that disproportionately affects low-income people, people with disabilities, and Black, Indigenous, and people of colour in Toronto.

Public transit investment is a climate solution. Making public transit service more frequent and affordable increases ridership, enabling people to choose public transit instead of personal vehicles and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a new public transit funding model that depends less on the farebox. Public transit keeps essential workers moving but faces serious operating budget shortfalls in the coming years.

Capital projects dominate the conversation about transit, but improvements to the bus network and fare policies could be game-changing and implemented quickly and economically.

TTCriders’ two long-term goals:

Fixing the transit funding model

Increased and stable transit operations funding from all levels of government means we will be able to increase service and make transit more affordable, both of which are critical to a fair pandemic recovery. Transit improvements will also increase ridership, which helps reach climate goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Building transit rider power and leadership

TTCriders will be most effective when we have members and leaders in all corners of the city with the capacity to lead local and city-wide campaigns. That’s why leadership development and training will increase our ability to win campaigns and build TTCriders membership and the wider transit movement. The more members and donors we have, the more we’ll be able to build a transit system that works for all of us.

Our Accomplishments

Becoming one of the most high profile transit groups in Toronto, appearing on CP24, CBC, the Toronto Star and more.

Initiating a national coalition of transit supporters that successfully campaigned for the federal and provincial governments to provide emergency transit funding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Training and supporting dozens of people every year to speak to City Councillors at public meetings about transit decisions, meet with their local elected representatives, and speak to the media.

Launching a Transit Organizer School in 2020 to build grassroots leadership in the transit movement.
Successfully campaigned for the TTC to recommend transforming the Scarborough RT corridor into a bus rapid transit corridor when the RT shuts down in 2023.

Convincing Metrolinx and TTC to eliminate the stigmatizing light and sound made by Fair Pass cards.

Organizing high school students to mobilize the Toronto District School Board to advocate for free TTC to high school students.

Collaborating with Scarborough Transit Action and other Scarborough groups to organize support for the Eglinton East LRT.

Successfully campaigning for a bus-only lane on Eglinton East, Kingston, and Morningside from Kennedy Station to the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus and supporting community efforts to keep local bus stops on Eglinton East.

Organizing with allies 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.

Persuading 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 discounted fares and passes to people who receive assistance from Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). The discount has been expanded to people receiving a child care fee subsidy and will soon be expanded to people in rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing.

We worked with residents, businesses, and other civic organizations to make transit priority on King Street permanent between Jarvis and Bathurst streets. 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 in 2018.

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 the same as GO fares to ride our new train, and airport workers can board for $3.50.

Our Values

Transit Equity

We prioritize transit improvements that help people with unequal access the most, including riders who have disabilities, are low-income or racialized.

Democratic

We are member-driven and grassroots.

Organizational Equity

We build the leadership of our members and those most affected by unequal transit access to build the power of transit riders as a constituency.

Sustainability

We know that better transit can support climate goals by increasing ridership and reducing greenhouse emissions.

Public Good

We believe public transit is a right and public good.

Alliances

We work with organizations that share our values because we are stronger together.