Take a pass

The Toronto Transit Commission should listen to the chair of its board, Josh Colle, and put aside any plan to raise the cost of a monthly Metropass in the new year.

Colle argues that the regular adult monthly transit pass, which now costs a whopping $141.50, is already too high. It’s eating into the budgets of many of the TTC’s poorest and most loyal riders.

TTC fares have been rising every year and are up fully 36 per cent in the past six years. That’s well above the rate of inflation. The price of a Metropass jumped up from $133.75 to $141.50 this year alone. It’s time to take a pause.

Colle recommends freezing the price of a pass for next year and he has good arguments on his side. TTC surveys show that lower-income people rely heavily on monthly passes and Colle says they are telling the commission that “the Metropass cost is squeezing me out.” They shouldn’t be hit yet again in 2016.

There are lots of other reasons to freeze some fares. In a city of traffic snarls and gridlocks, it seems counterproductive — yes, even crazy — to keep piling on transit-fare increases.

After all, the region loses about $6 billion in lost productivity because of traffic congestion every year, according to a 2013 study by the Toronto Region Board of Trade. The board expects that figure to rise to $15 billion a year by 2031 if nothing is done to ease congestion.

TTC studies suggest that an increase of even five cents on tickets, tokens and the cost of a ride on a Metropass would result in the loss of two million riders a year (out of about 462 million). An increase of 10 cents would cut ridership by three million.

Of course, the money has to come from somewhere. The TTC is debating fare hikes once more because of a projected shortfall of $99 million on its operating budget of $1.8 billion.

The real issue hasn’t changed for years. The TTC is forced to rely far too heavily on its riders to cover its regular operating costs because governments simply don’t give it enough money.

In fact, the TTC gets a subsidy of just 89 cents per rider, putting it at the bottom of the list of comparable transit systems. In Calgary, for example, the transit system gets $1.61per rider, while Edmonton gets $1.92 and York Region gets $4.34. The Toronto system is clearly being left behind.

That has to change if we want a well-run, efficient system. And the arrival of a new Liberal government in Ottawa promising billions more for infrastructure and a more positive attitude toward cities at least holds out the possibility of change.

In the meantime, though, the TTC should follow Colle’s lead and refrain from dinging its core riders for at least the coming year.

The TTC should put aside any plan to raise the cost of a monthly Metropass in the new year