January 7, 2025 (Toronto, ON) – Transit advocacy organization TTCriders welcomed proposed investments in the TTC’s 2025 Budget to freeze fares, restore service levels, and invest in state of good repair:
“Transit riders have been asking for more reliable service,” said TTCriders Executive Director Shelagh Pizey-Allen. “We applaud Mayor Olivia Chow and Chair Jamaal Myers for freezing fares and investing in maintenance and more frequent streetcar, subway, and bus service.”
“The TTC had even more ambitious plans for better service in its 5-Year Service Plan, but the plan has not been fully funded. That’s why TTCriders is urging City Council to approve new revenue tools like a Commercial Parking Levy, which could raise up to $150 million per year. Now is the time for a serious plan to bring back TTC ridership and an honest conversation about how much it will cost, including what it will take to get subway slow zones to zero.”
“The TTC needs stable operating funding from upper levels of government to invest in frequent, reliable, and affordable transit. Past budgets shielded homeowners from larger property tax increases by raising fares and squeezing transit service. As a result, TTC fares have risen faster than inflation for decades.”
QUICK HIGHLIGHTS and BACKGROUND:
- Link to 2025 TTC Operating Budget, Capital Budget and Plan and 15-Year Capital Investment Plan, and Real Estate Investment Plan Update: https://cdn.ttc.ca/-/media/Project/TTC/DevProto/Documents/Home/Public-Meetings/Board/2025/January-10/1Recommended2025TTCOperatingBudget20252034-CapitalBudgetandPlan15YearCIPandREIPUpdate.pdf
- TTC fares have risen 1.8 times the rate of inflation over the last 30 years (click here to view fares vs. inflation graphic).
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The TTC’s 2025 Budget invests in new staff positions to enhance preventive maintenance on subway work cars.
- Fluid leaks from faulty work cars have caused subway shutdowns in 2024 and the cars have not been at 100% availability at all times.
- The TTC has implemented dozens of restricted speed zones on the subway network where defects have been identified, which add an extra two minutes of travel time per zone.
- The TTC’s 2025 Budget invests in 10 new outreach staff positions on the downtown streetcar network.
- The TTC’s 2025 Budget makes a welcome investment in surface transit reliability by “establishing pilot programs to reduce bunching and gapping on 10 of the most problematic routes with enhanced on-street presence.”
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The TTC’s 2025 Budget makes a welcome investment in starting to restore service standards on the bus network.
- The TTC changed their off-peak service standards in 2023, which has resulted in less frequent and more crowded daytime, nighttime, and weekend service.
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The TTC’s 5-Year Service Plan is not fully funded in the TTC’s 2025 budget:
- The TTC’s 5-Year Service Plan would “increase ridership from 422 million annual customer trips in 2024 to 479 million annual customer trips by 2028.”
- This target falls far short of 2019 ridership, when the TTC saw 525 million trips.
- Some measures in the 5-Year Service Plan have been accelerated, such as the 6-minute streetcar service, while others have only been partially funded in 2025.
- Select measures funded in 2025 TTC Budget compared to the TTC’s unfunded 5-Year Service Plan:
|
Service improvement |
2025 TTC Operating Budget |
5-Year Service Plan (2025) |
5-Year Service Plan (2026) |
5-Year Service Plan (2027) |
5-Year Service Plan (20280 |
|
Restore service standards - Bus |
$3.2 million |
$18 million |
$18 million |
||
|
6-Minute Streetcar Network |
“$3.3 million to reduce wait times on the streetcar and subway network” |
$14 million |
$23 million |
||
|
Restore 6-minute or better service - Subway |
“$3.3 million to reduce wait times on the streetcar and subway network” |
$1 million |
- A Commercial Parking Levy could generate gross revenues between $100 million to $150 million annually, according to a City of Toronto report from February 2024.
