What Will Fare Integration Deliver to Transit Riders? | The Agenda

that essentially means that commuters who are coming into Toronto using the TTC can transfer from another municipal system without paying that double fare, as well as commuters who are using a GO Train as well as the TTC can then deduct the price of the TTC from their GO Train fare. Alright, so let's do some examples so we can understand how it works. We'll do one that's pretty easy. Let's say we are getting on the TTC and we're transferring to the GO Train at Union and say perhaps we're going to Hamilton. Do you still have to pay for a GO Ride or what would that look like? Yes, you still have to pay for your GO Ride but that ticket will be then minus the amount that you already paid for the TTC. So you're not then paying for the TTC on top of the GO Transit fare, which is obviously more expensive. Alright, so for example at TTC it's $3.35, you deduct that off of your Hamilton GO Ride. Exactly. Alright, how does it work let's say if you are in Brampton starting your trip and you are heading to Toronto. I believe in Brampton it's $4.50 and heading into Toronto. And then does that look different on your commute back? So as far as I understand it, I think it's quite similar to if you were to ride the subway on the TTC and then get off and get on a street car right away where you maybe tap your Presto or you give that transfer but you're not paying again. So this is how it would work with other municipal systems. Assuming that you are paying with I believe a credit or a debit card or with that Presto card. Alright, let's talk a little bit about a little more money actually. So the province is saying that riders could save $1,600 a year on average. Now is this real savings as in it's reducing the actual cost or is this a subsidy for the province? So it's reducing the cost for commuters but obviously someone has to pay for it. So the province is paying that money then back to the transit systems which as we know desperately need that revenue. So I believe it's going to cost about $117 million annually is what the province is estimating for this program. Alright, is this just really good retail politics or is this in your eyes a good way to subsidize transit? Obviously this is something that particularly here in this city a lot of people have been waiting for but is this perhaps the answer to subsidizing transit? I mean I think it's a really smart idea. It's something that business organizations, the Toronto Board of Trade has been advocating for this for a long time. I know that TTC riders and other advocacy organizations have been advocating for this. I mean it's going to save quite a lot of money $1,600 a year for the average commuter coming into Toronto from the GTA or other regional systems and we need to really be incentivizing people to use transit. Obviously our transit agencies have been struggling to recoup that ridership since the pandemic and as we look towards the future we desperately need to get people off the roads in their cars. We have a really big problem with congestion in this city as well as looking towards meeting our climate goals. A big part of that will be incentivizing people to use transit and other forms of active transportation.