New Year's TTC fare hike likely (2009, buy, high school)

[kkgg7]

All signs point to a New Year's fare hike for TTC riders, now that the Toronto Transit Commission has moved up its monthly November meeting to talk about operating costs.

New Year's TTC fare hike likely - thestar.com

[kkgg7]

Obviously, fare hikes and ripping off passengers more is the only way the TTC board can ever come up with every time facing any fiscal difficulty. Here are some ideas

1) Invest in automatic machines and fire 80% of those ticket collectors. Machines should be able to sell tokens and passes. Adopt a fare charging card like most civilized cities do (including cities in developing countries) so that those high school dropouts don't get the chance to just sit there handing out tickets while collecting benefit they don't deserve - This is the ultimate source of TTC's problem and will save MUCH in the long run.

2) Be a bit innovative and charge different rates based on distance travelled. It is ridiculous to pay $2.25 just to go from Bloor to Dundas, but I am more than willing to pay for the ocassional $6 fare from say Scarborough to Pearson. It is Toronto, sometimes it is difficult to walk for even 10 minutes in the minus 30 something winter morning.

The TTC system is extremely outdated to such an extent that coming from a developed country, I was shocked at how backwards the "technology" is here. I haven't seen a single other major city who doesn't offer a rechargeable travelcard. Speaking of "world-class".

It never hurts to refresh our memory of fares in other cities again:

MetroPass ( $for senior/people with disabilities )

New York: $89 ($44.5)
Chicago: $86 ($35)
San Francisco: $55 ($15)
Philadelphia: $78 (Free, one zone + $0.5 extra for additional zone)
Los Angeles: $70 ($35)

In addition, most civilized cities would give at least 50% discount to passengers with disabilities. TTC gives a mere 17%.

[kkgg7]

This pretty much explains everything ...

One industrious Toronto Transit Commission ticket collector earned $125,000 and change last year working overtime, doubling his original salary. He was among 21 token collectors and 62 bus, streetcar and subway drivers who earned over $100,000 last year, according to a list of public sector salaries disclosed yesterday by the province.
Eager TTC ticket collectors earning over $100K - Posted Toronto

[kkgg7]

Proposed fare
Cash: $3
Toten: $2.5
Weekly: $36
Monthly: $126 (student/senior: $104)

I will buy a bike as soon as the change becomes official