What the 2021 City Budget means for transit riders

Toronto City Councillors are voting soon on the 2021 City Budget, which affects transit service and fare levels. City Council must do more to make transit affordable and safe during the pandemic.

GET INVOLVED

Email your comments to [email protected].

Register to speak to City Councillors on January 25 or 26 about the 2021 City Budget by emailing [email protected] or calling 416-392-4666. You must register to speak by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, January 22, 2021. Contact [email protected] for support or if you have questions.

Resources:

Register for TTCriders' January 20th training to prepare to speak to City Councillors.
Check out Social Planning Toronto's January 21st Budget Townhall discussion.
Click here to download TTCriders' 2-page background info about the 2021 City Budget (PDF).
View TTCriders' deputation template to prepare your speech.

KEY TRANSIT DEMANDS

Fully fund the Fair Pass program

$2.9 million has been allocated in the 2021 City Budget to expand the Fair Pass discount to 25,000 people receiving housing supports, such as rent-geared-to-income housing.
An October 2020 staff report said the City was considering expanding the Fair Pass to residents receiving means-tested supports (e.g. recreation subsidy), but this is not funded in the 2021 budget.
Funding to expand the Fair Pass to all low income people in Toronto is not budgeted this year, nor in 2022 or 2023. Approximately $20 million per year would be required for full expansion.

Increase TTC service levels

Instead of adding bus service as more riders return, the TTC’s plan is to “move the goalposts” by increasing the crowding standard from 25 people on a bus to 35.
303,000 fewer service hours are planned for 2021 than for 2020 (3.7% reduction). TTCriders thinks any savings should be reinvested into additional bus service.
Service hours have been reduced on the Eglinton East RapidTO corridor.

[caption id="attachment_10548" align="alignnone" width="601"] Image illustrating capacity and crowding standard from July 2020 TTC staff presentation.[/caption]

Speed up transit priority

Toronto has a plan to speed up transit and prioritize buses on 20 routes, but the plan is too slow. Only one bus lane is planned (on Jane Street) before 2023.
The Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild (TORR) recommends speeding up bus lanes.
Good news: Capital funding for the Surface Transit Network Plan is allocated in the 2021 budget.

Invest in masks and safety, not fare inspection

TTC resumed fare inspection January 2021. TTCriders is calling for investment in life-giving policies like distributing masks on transit, not fines for people who can’t afford to pay. Read more.

Billions unfunded in TTC Capital Budget

The TTC’s 15-Year Capital Plan has a $23 billion unfunded gap.

Wheel Trans call work contracted out

The TTC budget boasts $1.7 million to reduce Wheel-Trans call wait times, but Board voted in September 2020 to contract out the work to Telus, and in-house reservationist positions will be lost to attrition.
Wheel-Trans users have raised questions about privacy and call quality due to this change.

Transit funding and pandemic effects

The provincial and federal governments provided emergency operating funding (Safe Restart Agreement) but the TTC still faces a $185 million budget shortfall in 2021.
TTC anticipates revenue shortfalls of $153 million in 2022, and $59 million in 2023. Riders could pay the price of pandemic with higher fares in 2022 without more funding from provincial and federal governments.

[caption id="attachment_10549" align="alignleft" width="600"]

Image illustrating 2021 TTC operating budget funding sources from TTC Operating Budget report.[/caption]

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Transit Riders Celebrate Progress on Bathurst and Dufferin Dedicated Transit Lanes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 16, 2025

Toronto, ON — TTCriders, a membership-based transit advocacy organization, is celebrating a victory today as, after hearing a marathon six hours of speakers, with most voicing support on the issue, the Executive Committee approved RapidTO dedicated transit lanes on Bathurst and Dufferin Streets. This would not have been possible without transit riders standing up and speaking in favour of this common-sense solution.

TTCriders letter to Executive Committee in support of RapidTO dedicated transit lanes

RE: EX25.4 - RapidTO: Transit Priority on Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street

Riders Call for Dedicated Transit Priority Lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst