Record Increase in Public Transit Ridership

  • Posted by Staff
  • Filed in City
  • June 28, 2007

20070607--4077.jpg
For many of us, we know the pains of morning rush hour on our two and a quarter subway lines. By 2020, there will be over a million more people living in the GTA. A big chunk of them will be using our already saturated highways, and public transit. Traffic congestion in the city affects us all, economically, socially and environmentally. To try to curb the rise of these problems, our governments have recently announced the expansion of Toronto's public transit system. But will these plans survive for instance a change in government?

The Canadian Urban Transit Association released some good news this week. Preliminary figures for 2006 showed a 3.21 per cent increase in ridership across Canada. Doing the math, ridership grew by 52.7 million trips year over year, equaling approximately the total trips made in a city the size of Edmonton. With all the buzz about climate change and energy conservation, there is no sign of this trend letting go anytime soon. This is all the more reason for the Federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon to stick to his commitment to develop a national transit strategy. Last year the association recommended $20.7 billion worth of upgrades for public transit infrastructure for 2006-2010. As long as there is an increase in demand, the full expansion of the transit system has a chance of becoming reality.

transitcity.jpg

Reader Reviews and Comments

Submit a Review or Comment

Makes sense given the price of gas in Canada, but still somewhat surprising given the insane cost of public transit in many Canadian cities. The TTC is what, $2.75 per ride cash fare and $100 a month for a Metropass?

Read and weep (all prices in US $)

New York: $2/$76
Philly: $2/$70
Chicago: $1.75/$75
Boston: $1.70/$59
Atlanta: $1.75/$53
SF: $1.50/$45
LA: $1.25/$52

Most US cities also allow you to put a transit pass on your payroll with pre-tax dollars, so the real cost is even less.

You are getting screwed Toronto, and you're just taking it.

Posted by: uSkyscraper at June 28, 2007 11:32 AM

This new TTC map makes me weep with joy.

Alas, I try not to be a pessimist, but I am 97% confident it will not see the light of day.

As for the pricing... if the TTC looked like the above map, I wouldn't mind paying our current prices. But I suppose to get the TTC to look like that we have to pay the current prices... so... yeah, we're probably being screwed.

Posted by: SH at June 28, 2007 12:15 PM

Our public transit is also less publically funded than those American cities, which has been the TTC's complaint for a long time. The 3 levels of government need to step up and invest in the TTC. The TTC has a much larger percentage of their revenue from fares than any of those American cities.

Posted by: Ryan at June 28, 2007 12:17 PM

Yes, of course the TTC itself is not the culprit, it is the senior governments for underfunding it. I am well aware of the over-80% farebox revenue stream of the TTC, and they probably run the single most cost-efficient system on the continent. That doesn't change the fact that Toronto voters seem not to care about this come election time. Quit dozing and do something about it, or continue to get raked over the coals for your fares.

Posted by: uSkyscraper at June 28, 2007 12:52 PM

uSkyscraper - MTA fares are forecasted to reach $3US by 2010.

Posted by: Mark Dowling at June 28, 2007 1:56 PM

The only transit users who get screwed in Toronto are the small minority who actually pay the $2.75 cash fare.

Posted by: Jonathan at June 28, 2007 2:19 PM

uSkyscraper: Were those prices set back when the Canadian dollar was worth nothing? That might explain the huge difference.

Notably, Montreal has a much cheaper monthly pass ... only $65. Plus, if you're a student under 25, with proof, you pay a measly, measly $35. The TTC forces universities here to wrangle special deals for their students, and we STILL have to pay $87.75 for our passes, which isn't much of a discount.

Posted by: Gloria at June 28, 2007 5:07 PM

Mark, don't believe a word that the MTA or any transit agency says about fares until it actually happens. They all cry foul as much as possible to increase subsidies. We can only make judgements based on the facts on the table, and those facts indicate Toronto transit riders are being punished compared to their American (and some Canadian) counterparts.

Gloria, yes, of course the C$ makes a difference, but it has been above 80 cents for a while and that alone does not make up for the huge difference.

Some more figures:

Portland: $2/$74
DC: $1.35-$2.30/$88 (rail, noncommuter distances)
Seattle: $1.50/$54
Minneapolis: $1.50-$2/$76
Miami: $1.50/$75


Not much cheaper, but still:

Vancouver: $2.50-$4.50/$69-$130
Montreal: $2.75/$65
Ottawa: $2.25 / $73 (O-Train)

Posted by: uSkyscraper at June 28, 2007 6:13 PM

Mike Harris saw to the death of transit funding 12 years ago. Now we're paying for it in spades. Just when ridership is rising, funding isn't increasing to meet the increased demand.
Dalton McGuinty has to do something quickly to undo the "revenue neutral" trickery of Harris & Co. particularly during an election year.

Posted by: David E [TypeKey Profile Page] at June 28, 2007 6:54 PM

Jonathan -- few riders pay a cash fare in any city (the true cost in New York is around $1.35 a ride after Metrocard discounts) but I was trying to keep it apples-to-apples.

Posted by: uSkyscraper at June 28, 2007 6:59 PM

Some of those new lines should be subways. We're talking about the future of transit after all.

Posted by: rek at June 29, 2007 7:06 AM

Post a comment

Remember Me?

Email This Entry

Email 'Record Increase in Public Transit Ridership' to: Message (optional):
Your email address:

Please type the verification code displayed in the image:

By forwarding this entry to a friend, we do not opt you or your friend into
receiving any additional mailings from blogTO. We hate spam too.
Disclaimer: Comments and blog entries represent the viewpoints of the individual and no one else.