(Toronto, ON) – Membership-based groups TTCriders, Toronto ACORN, and Social Planning Toronto released the following statement about the TTC’s plan to end free public Wi-Fi in subway stations:
“Public Wi-Fi at TTC stations is a necessity for low-income riders who cannot afford expensive data plans. The TTC should have required Wi-Fi in its contract with Rogers.
Public Wi-Fi is a safety and accessibility issue. Transit users need a way to communicate and access information during subway shutdowns and emergencies. The current Wi-Fi network at subway stations can be unreliable and slow to connect to, but low-income transit riders do not have an alternative.
Toronto’s ConnectTO plan aims to close the digital divide and provide more public Wi-Fi access in our city. The RFP for new subway trains being ordered for Line 2 requires that the trains be equipped with the capacity for onboard Wi-Fi.
Transit users report that they feel the least safe in the subway and would feel safer with digital access. Toronto's 2021 broadband study found that 34% of Toronto households worry about paying their internet bills, predominantly low-income, single-parent, and racialized households. Many TTC users are shift workers, women, and individuals with low-incomes.
The TTC says it would cost $17 million to upgrade and keep public Wi-Fi, but the TTC has not shopped around. The TTC granted Rogers a 10-year contract extension for the wireless network in spring 2023 after Rogers bought out BAI Canada. At the time, former Mayor John Tory was collecting $100,000 per year as an advisor to Rogers. Other companies were not offered the chance to bid and there was no public vote or report to the TTC Board.
The backroom deal made with Rogers under the previous administration is not in transit riders' best interests. The TTC did not include a requirement to keep offering public Wi-Fi in subway stations and expand it into tunnels when it signed a deal with Rogers. This could have been avoided if the TTC had installed a public wireless network from the beginning. The TTC now has an opportunity to be transparent and deliver quality service instead of cuts.”
Quotes:
“I rely on TTC’s imperfect Wi-Fi services because I can’t afford data services so I don’t use data. I remember years ago how brutal it was as a newcomer who was clueless about getting around. The PRESTO machines don’t accept certain increments of funds. Many times, I was able to use the TTC Wi-Fi to top-up my PRESTO with $1 or 50 cents to get home. I will probably be forced to become a fare evader if I become stranded with no Wi-Fi to add money to my PRESTO card. Removing Wi-Fi is a further knock down to low-income people.”
- Elton Campbell, TTCriders