>If you want to join us then contact Brenda at
[email protected].
Send a message
to your elected official calling for more TTC funding.
Riders are in for big fare hikes and possible service cuts because the TTC
needs to find $95 million above this year’s budget just to maintain current
2015 service levels. TTC staff are recommending up to $41 million of the $95 million shortfall be raised through fare hikes.
The TTC needs to find an additional $33 million to implement the TTC’s recommended improvements to service, including more express bus routes and Sunday service opening at
8.00am.
Various fare hike scenarios are being presented to the TTC board, including
a 25 cent cash fare hike, a 10 cent across-the-board fare hike, and raising
student and senior cash fares to $3.25.
A 10 cent hike on tokens would force riders to pay up to $73 more a
year.
“Riders are sick of paying even more for sardine-level overcrowding,
breakdowns, and spotty service,” says TTCriders spokesperson, Brenda
Thompson. “We need fair funding from all levels of government so we can get
great service and lower fares,” she said.
“If all levels of government fairly funded the TTC we wouldn’t have to
punish riders with fare hikes,” said TTCriders spokesperson, Jessica Bell.
“City Hall should be encouraging Torontonians to ride the TTC by lowering
fares and improving service, not penalizing riders that do.”
TTC fares have been rising faster than inflation. TTC riders shouldered a
fare hike on March 1, even though Mayor John Tory promised to freeze fares
during his election campaign. The TTC has the most expensive monthly
metropass in Canada.
Toronto suffers one of the
longest average commute times
in North America. Transit riders, on average,
spend 150 more hours
a year commuting than drivers.
The TTC receives the least amount of government support per ride compared
to all other major public transit systems in North America. Currently, the
TTC gets just 85 cents government support a ride. The TTC received about 93
cents a ride in 2010 under the Mayor Miller.
The
TTC’s 10-year capital budget will also be presented at tomorrow’s
budget meeting. The TTC’s capital budget is currently short $2.8B. Additional funding is needed to improve Yonge line subway service,
replace old buses, street cars, and subways, and make the TTC more
accessible by installing elevators, and more.
TTCriders is calling on all levels of government to fairly fund the TTC.
The provincial government failed to
provide any new funding to the TTC
in its 2015 budget, released in April this year.
No Federal Party has promised to contribute operating funds to the TTC.
TTCriders will be releasing a Vote Transit report card that ranks the
federal parties plan to fix public transit in Toronto in the coming
weeks.
The TTC board budget committee’s
agenda is online.