If the federal government keeps funding the TTC to the tune of $447 million or so a year ($165 million a year from the gas tax, and then $280 million a year of this new money), the TTC will be on track maintain the current system. That's good.
What remains uncertain is whether this is all the money the federal government is going to contribute to public transit in the GTA over the next three years. If that's the case, then it’s not enough.
This is because the TTC also needs money for operations. The failure of all governments to fund the TTC’s operational costs is the reason why there's overcrowding, not enough service, and fare hikes every year. Let’s not forget that the TTC is the most efficient system in North America, getting the least amount of government funding per ride of all the major transit systems. Riders already pay their fair share.
The other thing that needs to be funded is new transit projects, like our LRT network and the downtown relief line. Mayor John Tory is convinced that Prime Minister Trudeau has promised funding for Smart Track, but we haven’t seen evidence of that.
In fact, TTCriders estimates that Toronto needs at least $1.4 billion a year to build the transit projects the city planning department is considering, as well as adequately fund the TTC’s operating and capital budgets.
Let’s see what federal government announces next.
