John Tory's transit budgets are methodically and systematically destroying the TTC through less frequent, slower and overcrowded service.
For the 2017 budget, John Tory is now talking about a minor increase in funding to avoid service reductions. The reality is that service already has been reduced due to TTC budget shortfalls. In addition to this, today's service does not even meet the TTC's own standards, due to overcrowded routes.
When the November Service Changes were released, we saw that service was being slashed on 20 routes and immediately suspected that these were cuts. In the past month, the TTC has intentionally misled the public to believe that these changes were merely routine tweaks to match service to ridership. Through Ben Spurr, we now know that if the TTC was only making changes to match service to ridership, service would have been improved on 43 routes. Zero of the improvements were made.
Not everybody loves details, but some people do. Here, we are providing riders of the TTC with information about service cuts in 2016 and 2017. This information is necessary because:
1) John Tory is starving the TTC of funding while claiming that he supports transit, and
Today, TTCriders released its first ever report card evaluating the TTC’s performance from the perspective of TTC users.
The report card rates the TTC on how well it has done in achieving five goals important to TTC users which are key parts of TTCriders' Vision: creating fair and affordable fares; building modern, fast transit to all corners of the city as fast as possible; making public transit fully accessible transit; providing frequent service that connects all of Toronto; and environmental sustainability.
Let’s do the positive news first. The TTC Commission approved a motion to request the City allocate an additional $2.1 million to the TTC’s operating budget to expand public transit service in Toronto. With a record number of more than 512 million rides expected to be taken on the TTC in 2012, we’re pleased the TTC Commission approved the motion to direct most of the projected increase in revenue from rider fares back into the TTC.
During the City budget vote at the January 17th City Council meeting, Councillor Josh Colle moved a motion to use $15 million of the City’s 2011 surplus to avoid cuts to a number of valued city services. This included directing $5 million to the TTC to prevent service reductions.
Today TTCriders revealed information from a secret TTC report that shows the City’s proposed 10% cut to the TTC’s operating subsidy will mean longer waits for more crowded buses and streetcars on routes in every ward in the City. Click this link to our media release and the list of service cuts: