City
TTC Phasing Out Adult Tickets
After months of discussion, and in part due to some unfortunate incidents, the TTC has officially decided to phase out adult tickets in favour of the all-mighty token. This news came in a whisper in mid-June, as some people (myself included) didn't even realize the change had taken place. TTC Authorized Ticket Agents, such as local corner stores and Shoppers Drug Marts, quietly stopped selling adult tickets on June 29th.
While it's still possible to purchase tickets from TTC stations until September 6th, and the last day to officially use tickets isn't until September 29th, it is unknown if/when the TTC plans to distribute tokens to Authorized Ticket Agents. According to TTC Spokesperson Brad Ross, this will probably be the plan, but in the meantime, passengers who rely on non-station purchases will be out of luck.
While most people will be unaffected by the shift, (only an estimated 15% of fares are from ticket sales) it will definitely be an inconvenience to those who predominantly use the TTC away from the subway lines on bus routes (i.e. those in the suburbs).
My next concern would be whether or not phasing out the tickets in the fall will only play into a plan for an easier TTC adult fare increase in late 2008 or early 2009. Without tickets to exchange, a fare hike would go much more smoothly, and with concern about rising fuel prices, a fare hike may play all the more nicely for next year's budget demands.
Image: Token Service by blogTO flickr-pooler PDPhotography
Discussion
28 Comments
Sort By Oldest First / Newest First
Subscribe
Oh. No ticket machines in the plan? Hmm.
By adding this technology I can see the TTC saving money from counterfeiters. Come one people, who hasn't cut the outside of a penny and used it as a TTC token.
The subway system in Toronto is a complete joke.
Tokens are shiny and eye-catching, survive a lot longer due to their materials, and are heavier, so when they fall, they stay put. That makes it more likely someone will walk by and see it.
In Montreal you just grab a trasfer yourself when you get on the bus. The transfer has a code punched out on it, and when you feed it at the turnstiles at the stations, if the ticket is expired the turn stile doesnt open...They also have the time period that it is good until on the transfer aswell..
The TTC transfers are demented
To those who are suggesting an automated system, good luck convincing the TTC to invest in a technology that could make some of its employees obsolete.
Automated fare card systems are only, what, 30-40 years old now.
montreal has the opus card.
london has the oyster card
paris has the Navigo card.
MOscow has the transport card.
when is this "world-class city" gonna show some class?
The TTC purchased an additional 20 million tokens to ensure agents and collectors had adequate supplies to meet the obvious demand as tickets are phased out.
A fare card system is in development, together with the province. We're five to eight years away. But it is coming.
Brad Ross
TTC
Yes, we are YEARS behind comparatively to places like Asia and London, but 75% of those populations rely on public transit. Those places also utilize "congestion taxes" - charging those who drive in the main city area with extra fees, which go directly into the transit system. We could never have that here in Toronto, as people love their cars too much, and the car lobbyists would go absolutely bat-shit and start rioting in the streets.
(And JT, have you BEEN to the Paris system? Yeah, they have cards, but the subway cars and stations themselves are about 50 years behind. You have to crank-open the doors manually, and there are no escalators or elevators in most stations. Also no central air system, so the subway car windows are left wide open, forcing you to breathe filthy tunnel air and debris. Absolutely the worst part of my trip there.)
I think the problem is not that there is not a big enough consumer base like the B.S. excuse we normally get. I think it is just that there is actually more than enough of a market (enough suckers) to pay the price or those who have no alternative.
Where I've been in Europe, in much smaller cities than Toronto, the buses were all modern, all the drivers friendly, drivers/assistant would make change, strong sense of passenger etiquette...just have never seen 2nd world Toronto the same again.
!!!