TTC study finds fare evasion has doubled

Report highlights the many ways riders skip paying

The percentage of TTC riders skipping out on paying their fare has more than doubled since pre-pandemic days, a new study commissioned by the transit service shows.

And new measures, including modernized stations with updated fare gates, have not had the intended effect, the study found.

The last time the TTC reviewed fare evasion in 2018 and 2019, the overall evasion rate was 5.4 per cent and 5.7 per cent respectively. Today, it is 11.9 per cent, costing the city $123.8 million.

As the pandemic hit in March 2020, the TTC abandoned fare enforcement in favour of public safety.

Despite a return to ticketing in April 2023, the study conducted by the service’s audit, risk and compliance department using plain clothes inspectors between April and October 2023 found fare evasion was on the rise.

“Being one of the least government-funded public transit organizations in North America and heavily reliant on passenger service revenue to sustain its operations, losses due to fare evasion significantly impacts the TTC’s service capabilities,” according to the report considered by the TTC’s audit committee on March 19.

Here are five key takeaways from the study:

Bus riders led to most losses

The number of lost ticket sales estimated for bus routes totalled $67.1 million, the study found — or 54 per cent of all lost revenue. The report suggests one reason why this may be: “TTC Policy does not require customers to have proof-of-payment (POP) on buses and in stations,” because riders can still use non-Presto fares to board buses, including cash and aren’t required to obtain a transfer.

However, streetcars were the most frequent venue for fare evasion, with the rate being 29.6 per cent compared to 12.9 per cent for buses and 6.3 per cent for the subway.

Safety concerns, different fare types aid fare evasion

According to the report, some safety measures the TTC has undertaken have led to increased fare evasion, like operators and fare collectors being told since 2015 not to intervene when fares are not paid at a station or when boarding a bus or streetcar.

“Due to safety concerns, these front-line employees have been instructed to not dispute fares, and customers are accustomed to not being questioned or stopped by front-line employees if they do not pay,” the report said.

The report also outlined how the various types of vending machines and ways to pay have added to confusion and increased fare evasion.

“Particular attention is required to address the complexity of legacy transfers and the varying types of Vending and Payment machines across the system,” the report said.

Fare inspectors are only ticketing one person a week on average

When commissioners were able to question TTC staff last week about fare enforcement, they were told that with 100 officers deployed, only 100 tickets and 100 cautions had been handed out the previous week — one per inspector on average.

But staff said they planned to ramp up those efforts, including an ad campaign related to fare evasion.

Many ways to evade fares

Different fare gates and street boarding provide several opportunities for riders to avoid paying, videos presented to the TTC’s audio committee show.

In one video, an unidentified person simply jumps through part of the retractable gates at Dufferin subway station, the clear gate giving way as they slide through. In another video at Victoria Park station, a person is seen simply walking through a gate without paying by pushing through it. At the same station, someone is seen bypassing the gate altogether by squeezing past a barrier that doesn’t completely block off the entrance to the paid area.

In another video, several people can be seen bypassing the Presto readers at a middle entrance to a streetcar on the 510 Spadina route. In another, students boarding the front of the bus simply walk past the reader. In yet another, people boarding at the back of the bus also avoid tapping.

And in a third, one person is seen walking through what the TTC refers to as a “crash gate” — in this case a roped-off entrance for those using cash or tokens — without depositing any fare while a collector sits in the booth.

Being one of the least governmentfunded public transit organizations in North America and heavily reliant on passenger service revenue to sustain its operations, losses due to fare evasion significantly impacts the TTC’s service capabilities.

TTC AUDIT COMMITTEE

REPORT

TTC shortchanged by some riders when paying by cash

The study also looked at the number of people who still use cash, but aren’t paying the full amount. It found revenue losses that can be linked to that problem totalled $17.1 million — $9.1 million from onboard bus fare collection and $8 million from stations.

Part of the problem, the study found, was that the flaps inside the see-through fare boxes that caught each fare and allowed operators and collectors to see if the correct amount was paid were removed. The study doesn’t say why that decision was made.