{"id":17153,"date":"2011-01-12T17:00:48","date_gmt":"2011-01-12T21:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingtoronto.ca\/?p=17153"},"modified":"2013-01-21T15:18:42","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T20:18:42","slug":"ttc-proposes-fare-increase-service-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2011\/01\/12\/ttc-proposes-fare-increase-service-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"TTC holds off on fare increase, service cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

UPDATE –\u00a0January 12, 5PM
\n<\/em>At the special meeting today, transit Commissioners deferred any decision on the proposed cuts to bus service until its next regular meeting on February 2nd, 2011. As a result, the service reductions listed below will not take effect on March 27. Anyone interested in commenting on these changes should contact the Commission ahead of time in order to make a verbal and\/or written deputation.\u00a0\u00a0Details on how to do so are here. <\/a><\/p>\n

UPDATE – January 11, 4PM
\n<\/em>The Toronto Star reports<\/a>\u00a0that TTC Chair Karen Stintz has confirmed that there will be no fare increase. However, the service cuts are still on the table.<\/p>\n

The original post is below the fold. <\/p>\n

In a news release dated January 10, the TTC\u00a0 announced that they expect another year of record-high ridership. Ridership for 2010 was recorded as a record 477 million rides; the TTC expects it to grow to 483 million this year.<\/p>\n

But to budget for this increase in ridership\u00a0in the Rob Ford era, the Commission, of whom all but one are Ford allies<\/a>, perversely plans\u00a0for another fare hike as well as cuts to service hours to 48 bus routes, effectively reversing most of the Ridership Growth Strategy’s plan to provide service on all routes at all regular operating times, adopted less than 2 years ago.<\/p>\n

The excuse for the cuts to bus service is to “meet the forecast increase in ridership” – but any service increases are scheduled for September, though the cuts are planned for March 27.<\/p>\n

In addition, fares will go up as of February 1. The cost of a token (sold in multiples of 5) wll go up by 10 cents to $2.60 each, and the cost of a Metropass will go up by $5 to $126, with corresponding increases for other fare categories. This is in contrast to the elimination of the vehicle registration fee and an unexpected proposed property tax freeze.<\/p>\n

The Commission claims that the cuts will save $9 million in the 2011 fiscal year, especially as the cancelled service will not be allocated to other routes until September at the earliest. The TTC has not released an estimate in additional revenue for the fare hike (the last such hike was a large 25-cent token\/$12 Metropass\u00a0fare increase effective January 3, 2010).\u00a0 That fare increase was expected to raise an additional $62 million for the 2010 fiscal year.<\/p>\n

A special meeting of the Commission <\/a>to consider these cuts and fare increases will take place Wednesday, January 12 at 9AM. You can ask to make a deputation at Wednesday’s meeting until noon tomorrow.See below for the full list of proposed cuts to service as listed in the press release.<\/p>\n