The Toronto Transit Commission board passed what TTC executive director Rick Leary called the toughest annual budget in decades.
Mayor John Tory first announced some changes to the TTC’s operating budget last week, touting about $53 million in new spending, largely focused on making the system safer after several violent incidents.
However, according to the budget report, the plan also includes a 10-cent fare increase and lower service levels at certain times of the day, even as the transit agency tries to lure back the passengers it lost after being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. 19.
While City Council has yet to approve the TTC’s 2023 operating budget, fare increases and service cuts are set to take effect this spring, City of Toronto and TTC officials have confirmed.
“Difficult decisions have had to be made both in terms of our core service delivery model and fares,” Leary told the TTC board.
“What you have in front of you today is a balanced approach in the face of lower customers and revenues and inflationary pressures.”
Here’s what the changes could mean for your wallet and commute:
How do service levels change?
The TTC measures service levels by the number of hours provided each week.
Last year, the commission had to provide a total of 180,200 hours of work. With this new plan, the total number of hours served will drop to 164,200, a total decrease of about nine percent.
But those cuts won’t be felt equally on TTC buses, streetcars and subway trains.
Figures from November show buses were running closest to maximum capacity at 97 percent service levels. The proposed cuts would reduce that by three percentage points by the end of the fiscal year.
Streetcars will take a bigger hit, dropping from 92 percent to 87 percent service levels.
But trains are set to bear the brunt of service cuts. In November, service on schedule was 90 percent. By December, they will reach 75 percent service levels.
Subway train service will take the biggest hit if the TTC’s proposed 2023 budget is approved, the budget report says.
Effectively, Metro trains will come at least every six minutes or less in most cases, the budget report said, but could take up to 10 minutes to arrive.
The changes are expected to take place this spring.
When will there be less service?
The TTC schedules busy commute times, known as peak periods, between 6:30am to 10:00am and 3:30pm to 7:00pm Monday through Friday
The board says it will return to pre-pandemic scheduling standards for peak periods but adjust off-peak service periods.
Route adjustments will be determined by the change in vehicle crowding standards, the report said.
Are crowding levels changing?
The new plan will see crowding standards return to what they were before the pandemic: 50 customers per bus, 130 customers per tram and up to 1,100 customers per train on average during peak hour.
They have been temporarily suspended for the past two years to provide more physical distancing, the report said.
For off-peak periods, vehicle crowding standards will increase to: 45 customers per bus, 90 customers per tram and 600 to 650 customers on average per train.
How much am I expected to pay?
The TTC is proposing to raise single fares for adults and youth by 10 cents, the first increase since 2020.
Adults currently pay $3.25 for a ride, while youth between 13 and 19 pay $2.30.
The increase is set to begin April 3, the report said, and is expected to generate $16.1 million this year. The funds will go towards mitigating diesel price hikes among other initiatives, the document said.
However, the proposed plan would allow an additional 50,000 low-income residents to opt into the Fair Transit Transit Rebate Program.
How many people ride the TTC?
The TTC found that trips by infrequent commuters — who use the system one to four times a week — have exceeded pre-pandemic levels. However, the number of frequent and monthly users has shrunk to 65 and 47 percent of what it was before the arrival of COVID-19
The board predicts that ridership will recover to 75 percent of pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year.
It is currently 68 percent weekday and 79 percent weekend ridership recovered.
The commission plans for passengers to recover to 81 percent of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022.
Is money going to expand services?
The mayor’s budget proposal would give the TTC $53 million more this year.
This will focus primarily on preparing for the operation of Line 5 — also known as the Eglinton Crosstown LRT — and Line 6, the Finch West LRT, the report said.
It will also target the replacement of the Scarborough Line 3 bus, as the Scarborough RT is due to stop running this year.
The new funding will also go toward hiring 10 additional street-to-home workers who will help connect homeless people who are increasingly turning to TTC stations and vehicles for shelter.
The plan includes hiring 50 more special police officers for the TTC, which has recently witnessed a series of violent attacks.
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