Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says the Toronto Transit Commission, which is requesting an increase to its operating budget in 2025, will freeze fares again this year.
At a news conference Tuesday, Chow said the freeze is intended to help Torontonians deal with a continuing affordability crisis. She said the TTC still plans to improve service and increase maintenance work in the coming year.
“I know how important reliable service is for Torontonians,” Chow said at Wilson Station, joined by TTC board chair Jamaal Myers and interim TTC CEO Greg Percy.
“We will freeze fares [and] increase service with a cleaner, brighter and safer TTC,” she said.
This is the second year in a row the transit agency will keep fares at 2023 prices.
Chow said the city is also investing to cut the TTC’s repair backlog nearly in half in 2025.
“Today’s budget is a historic investment in the state-of-good-repair, the likes of which we have not seen in over a decade,” she said.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow told reporters at Wilson Station Tuesday that items contained in the proposed 2025 TTC budget would help bring ridership back to pre-pandemic levels. (CBC)
In budget documents released Tuesday, the TTC is recommending its board approve a net operating budget of $1.387 billion for 2025. That’s a net increase of $85.1 million, or 6.5 per cent, from 2024.
The proposed operating budget would allow the agency to increase service hours by 5.8 per cent from current levels and increase Wheel-Trans service following a 12 per cent increase in demand in 2024, according to the documents.
As part of the planned improvements included in the proposed 2025 budget, the TTC will launch a pilot program to reduce buses clustering together on 10 routes. It will also pilot a station manager program, adding the position to several busy subway stations to “improve safety, security and cleanliness,” Chow said.
Advocates say city moving in right direction
The moves drew praise from the transit advocacy group TTC Riders.
“We applaud Mayor Olivia Chow and TTC Chair Jamaal Myers for freezing fares and investing in subway maintenance and more frequent streetcar, subway, and bus service,” TTC Riders executive director Shelagh Pizey-Allen.
Pizey-Allen said the group is also pleased to see the TTC will work to restore service to pre-pandemic levels and invest in improved maintenance. Still, she said the city needs to continue to look for ways to increase transit funding.
“Now is the time for a serious plan to bring back TTC ridership and an honest conversation about how much it will cost, including what it will take to get subway slow zones to zero,” she said.
Last year was a challenging one for the TTC in many ways, with several service interruptions, maintenance issues and instances of leaks on subway tracks.
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According to the latest TTC CEO report, weekday ridership in September was 82 per cent compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
Current fares for TTC service are $3.30 for adults, $2.25 for seniors (65 and up) and $2.35 for youth (13-19).
The TTC board will debate the proposed budget at Toronto City Hall on Friday.