We need the money,’ TTC considering opening physical merchandise store to bring in revenue
The TTC is considering opening a physical merchandise store in an attempt to bring in non-fare revenue.
The 2015 Fare Freeze: a Victory we Riders Have Earned and Must Protect on Election Night
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TTCriders and allies at rally outside of City Hall on Jan 29, 2014. (Photo by
Ken Tang)[/caption] Last week on May 28th 2014, mayoral
candidate Karen Stintz put forward a motion to use an “unexpected” extra $47
million found in the TTC’s budget to pay for a fare freeze. The motion was
accepted by all members
including the new chair of the TTC Commission, Maria Augimeri. After four years
of fare increases this seems like a small but great victory for riders. But we
should keep a few things in mind:
1) This fare freeze is likely a one-time thing. The savings in the TTC’s budget were partly a result of lower than expected insurance claims from accidents. So the next year could bring more unexpected costs. These savings can’t be relied on every year to freeze fares.
2) With all levels of governments refusing to fund the TTC’s operating costs, 2015 may be the only year that we see fares stay the same. Without more city, provincial or federal funding, our service on the TTC will continue to get worse.
3) It is strange that this so-called surplus was not found before the TTC instituted a fare hike on January 1, 2014.
4) Prior to this announcement when Karen Stintz was still the TTC Chair, she had voted to cut funding for 150 new buses which would have alleviated crowding on the TTC. Now all of the sudden, Karen Stintz has decided to stick up for riders just a few months after entering as a mayoral candidate. It’s hard to know whether she really cares about the concerns of riders or whether she used this as an opportunity to gain popularity.
Now here’s the news that no one else has mentioned: People like you who ride the TTC, came out to the TTC Budget meetings last November and December. Despite busy schedules, riders like you came to talk to TTC Commissioners about the service inadequacies and how expensive the TTC is for all of us. Its people like you with the help of TTCriders that put pressure on the government to make the TTC better. Events like the TTC Sardine Award ceremony and the rally at Queen’s Park attended by more than 100 transit users like you forced the provincial politicians into making transit one of the top issues in their platforms in the run-up to the election. Without transit riders putting pressure on our politicians and without the help of our volunteers, there may have never been a fare freeze. No politician can claim this victory for themselves. The political party that wins the provincial election coming up on June 12th will have a huge say in whether or not TTC riders will have to pay higher fares and better or worse service in the future. Now that we know our actions really DO count for something, we all need to remember that June 12th is when our voices will count the most. So do yourself a favour and take two minutes to review our quick run-down of the stances that the three main provincial parties are taking on transit. Then tell friends, tell family and get out there to vote on June 12th!Latest posts
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2025
TTC hires New York City transit executive as new CEO
The TTC has hired a new chief executive who said he hopes to get the city’s buses, subways and streetcars moving more efficiently.
