We're pleased John Tory will raise taxes to pay for new transit, but he must do more to improve service and make the TTC more affordable now.

This afternoon, John Tory announced a new City Building Fund that would raise $13M to $65M per year through property taxes, to be used exclusively for building new transit and housing infrastructure.

We are pleased Mayor Tory has listened to transit riders and wants to raise property taxes to pay for transit infrastructure, but we need assurances this new transit tax will also fund the TTC so riders get improved service, less sardine overcrowding, and more affordable transit immediately.   If this new transit tax only funds new transit infrastructure then riders will get nothing for the next eight years.  

TTCriders is also calling on Tory to increase support for transit.  $13M to $65M more per year for transit and housing is not enough to even meet today’s critical transit needs. The TTC needs $41M now just to maintain existing service, and the TTC has a massive $2.8B capital funding shortfall that must be funded, so the TTC can install elevators, buy new streetcars, buses, and subways, and more.  

Due to funding shortages, at its last meeting, the TTC Commission voted not to improve subway service reliability or fund a host of other service improvements, despite the fact that breakdowns and delays are becoming a signature of the TTC. The Commission also approved yet another fare hike. 

The TTC is chronically underfunded, getting the least government support per ride in North America.  The TTC gets just $.89 a ride. By comparison New York gets $1.53 a ride, and Montreal gets $1.21 a ride. 

TTCriders is calling for the City to give $1.26 a ride to the TTC, and the province to match the City’s contribution.  This funding would ensure service can be significantly improved and fares lowered, especially for those in financial need.

Ridership projections for Smart Track and the Scarborough subway are still being studied by the city, and the cost of Smart Track has not been made public. TTCriders is calling for all transit investment priorities to be based on rigorous city planning studies, and recommendations.

Further reading:

Subsidy per ride for transit systems across North America. (page 10).

TTC’s operating budget.

TTC’s capital budget.

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