TTC board approves 10 cent fare hike for 2017
Posted November 21, 2016 1:18 pm.
Last Updated November 22, 2016 5:07 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
For the sixth straight year “The Better Way” will be the more expensive way after the TTC board approved a 10 cent fare hike for 2017.
The hike will apply to tokens, adult tickets, and cash fares for students and seniors. The cost of a Metropass will also go up.
Only adult cash fares will remain the same, at $3.25.
The board also voted to freeze fares in 2018.
Earlier, TTC CEO Andy Byford said he understands the public’s frustration with the string of yearly hikes, but stressed that the cash-strapped transit commission has few other options when it comes to filling a significant budget gap.
Byford made the remarks at Monday’s special budget meeting that saw several angry riders show up with “stop the race to the bottom” signs.
“I understand their pain I really do,” Byford told 680 NEWS. “And a fare rise is not something we recommend lightly. We looked at every possible option before even contemplating a fare rise.”
The TTC has now hiked fares every year over the past six years, and TTC board member Coun.Joe Mihevc argued futilely that it was time to halt the increases.
“We’ve increased the fares 10 cents every year for the past several years,” he noted. “And I’ve supported virtually all of them. So I’m not against fare increases. What I’m against are fare increases that are out of whack with the inflation rate and right now it’s way out of whack with the inflation rate.”
The TTC is facing a projected $231-million budget shortfall. Like all city departments, it has been asked to reduce its budget by 2.6 per cent.
The proposed fare hike is expected to generate $28.7 million, but it comes with a cost as the TTC estimates ridership will drop by 1.2 million.
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