Would free transit during extreme weather alerts convince Torontonians to start riding the TTC again? How about cheaper fares, more frequent service or more bus lanes?
Those are among the proposals released by a transit advocacy group that warns the TTC needs to make major changes to attract riders back to a transportation system still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a report released Tuesday, TTCriders put forward 18 recommendations it says would make the TTC a more equitable and attractive service. The organization argues affordable and reliable transit will make health, education and economic opportunities more accessible to all Toronto residents, and be key to the city’s recovery.
“Bold, equitable fare policies will win transit riders back and help rebuild a thriving public transit system and city economy,” the report states.
“There will be no economic recovery without a thriving transit system,” said TTCriders spokesperson Nawar Tarafdar.
Among the report’s recommendations are for the TTC to allow high school students and people on social assistance to ride for free, eliminate the cost of transferring between the TTC and other GTA transit systems, and add more frequent local and night bus service.
Some of the proposed measures, like ending fare enforcement, would likely face opposition or have already been rejected by city officials.
But others, like creating more bus lanes and doing more to educate riders about the need to use face masks, would build on existing TTC policies.
“Lack of mask use has been a consistent issue raised by riders throughout the pandemic,” the report states.
Still other proposals, like capping how much riders could be charged in a single day, week or month, have been successfully employed for years by operators like GO Transit.
Chief among the recommendations is for the city to fully fund the Fair Pass program, which provides low-income residents with TTC fare discounts of up to 33 per cent. Residents who receive a child care subsidy and clients of Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program are eligible for the current phase of the program.
The next phase would expand the discount to all adults below a certain low-income measure, but a recent city report estimated its cost at between $25 million and $30 million, and it is unfunded.
The TTCrider proposals come ahead of a report expected this fall in which the TTC will detail potential changes to its fare policies.
TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said the TTC has made affordability and equity the primary goal of its review, and the agency agrees “the price of public transit should reflect customers’ ability to pay.”
But he said the TTC’s research indicates lower fares likely wouldn’t generate the kind of ridership boost advocates are hoping for. Instead, the agency has cited factors like employment levels and commuting habits as the major drivers of TTC use.
However, Green said the agency is evaluating fare options and believes “there are small adjustments that can be made to improve overall customer experience.”
Like other transit agencies, TTC ridership has been devastated by COVID-19. At its lowest point, in April 2020, monthly use of the system fell to about 14 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, and as of mid-June it had only recovered to about 30 per cent.
TTCriders warns that without decisive action Toronto’s transit system is facing a prolonged ridership slump like the one it experienced during the recession of the 1990s, when customer volumes dropped by almost 20 per cent and didn’t recover for nearly two decades.
That would put major constraints on the agency’s ability to operate. Before COVID-19 the TTC relied on fare revenue for roughly two-thirds of its operating budget.
Loading...
Loading...Loading...Loading...Loading...Loading...
The TTC has only been able to operate close to normal service levels during the pandemic thanks to bailouts from the federal and provincial governments totalling more than $1.3 billion.
Just one of the TTCriders proposals — giving free rides during extreme cold or heat alerts — would cost more than $70 million. The group acknowledged its recommendations would require continued investments in transit operations from all levels of government.
Some measures recommended in the TTCriders report, like expanding the sale of Presto fare cards to convenience stores, would require policy changes from Metrolinx, the provincial agency that oversees Presto. The fare cards are currently sold through Shoppers Drug Mart locations, which critics say make them inaccessible in poorer, racialized neighbourhoods.
Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins said the agency regularly reviews its distribution network “to address any geographic gaps,” and the agency plans to announce an expanded Presto retail network this fall.
TTC should consider cheaper fares, more frequent service to boost ridership, says transit group - Toronto Star
Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment