TTC cited in article on the concept of fare-free transit
- Posted by Lily Dustbin
- Filed in City
- July 26, 2007

With a TTC fare hike likely and possible route cuts on the way, I was intrigued to discover an article on the viability of a fare-free public transit system.
The article discusses the relationship between fare hikes and ridership (fare up = ridership down) and cites Toronto as an example:
Just one example is Toronto's transit system, which went into a 12-year downward spiral throughout the 1990s after a series of fare increases and resultant service cutbacks. The authoritative Transit Cooperative Research Program in Washington, D.C., has clearly documented how fare increases always result in lower ridership.
It's fairly safe to say that free transit is an eternity away for Torontonians but feel free to dream of a better way and read the full AlterNet article here: Fare-Free Public Transit Could Be Headed to a City Near You







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Ah yes, the SEPTA death spiral has finally been renamed in honour of the TTC. How nice.
I've been a fan of fare-free zones ever since I rode around downtown Seattle a couple years ago on their bizarro bus-tunnel thingys (since replaced with light rail). It really is something to think about when you are familiar with transit systems like Toronto and New York and comare the pros and cons of fixed-fare rate structures with, say, DC or London. What brings the greater good for a city, subsidizing long distance rush-hour commuters or making short transit trips cheap for those who actually live downtown where transit is a real alternative? But in any case high fares do suck, and Toronto is already THE MOST EXPENSIVE TRANSIT SYSTEM IN NORTH AMERICA. Voters really need to deal with this and get some senior government help.