This article originally cited the Ontario Ministry of Finance Public Sector Salary Disclosure in stating that the salary for TTC Operators and Station Collectors ranges from $100,065 to $128,500, and that a station collector earns roughly the same amount. The disclosure, however, only makes public the salaries of employees paid over $100,000 per year. In 2008, the starting hourly wage for ticket collectors, as well as bus, streetcar, and subway operators was $26.58. The Varsity regrets the error.
On January 3, 2010, the Toronto Transit Commission will increase adult fares by 25 cents, student and senior fares by 15 cents, and children’s fares by five cents. Tokens will cost $2.50, cash fares, $3, and Metropasses will increase from $109 to $121. According to the Toronto Star, the extra revenue will bring in $45.5 million. The change will affect 4.5 million riders in the Greater Toronto Area.
Considering the mediocre service commuters endure—long wait times, rude drivers, over-loaded buses, subway delays, a lack of fire alarms on subways, open tracks, and technical failures—an increase in fares does not seem justified, especially during a recession.
The TTC is currently suffering a $100 million deficit, reports the Toronto Star, yet instead of cutting their own costs, the commissioners are inflating TTC ticket prices.
The Ontario Ministry of Finance Public Sector Salary Disclosure for 2008 lists over 80 TTC Operator and Station Collectors who earned over $100,000 in 2008. According to the National Post, the starting wage in 2008 for ticket collectors, as well as bus, streetcar, and subway operators was $26.58. Do we really need full-time station collectors considering that there are automated turn-stiles at every station that do the same thing?
Higher up on the chain of command, TTC chief general manager Gary Webster earns $278,576 a year with $13,731 in taxable benefits. If business corporations are cutting employees and finding ways to save on operating costs, the TTC should learn to do the same.
What’s more, commuters will not reap the benefits from the fare changes. The official TTC website states that “service levels for 2010 will be preserved and maintained at 2009 levels.”
Despite the deficit, the TTC is planning to expand its service in 2020 with the Transit City initiative, which will provide faster, cleaner and quieter service. But with all the fare increases, by 2020, the TTC may not have any customers left.
“Over time we know that when you have a fare increase you lose a certain percentage of your riders. For every 10-cent fare increase you get a three per cent loss of ridership,” admits Webster.
According to its website, the TTC is the third-largest public transit system in North America, yet “at $3.00 a ride, Toronto will tie Ottawa for the most expensive transit in North America,” says Fair Student Fares, a site launched by the Canadian Federation for Students to lobby for lower TTC ticket prices.
The CFS’s efforts have not gone unrewarded. The TTC board decided that in September 2010, college and university students will pay the same fare as high school students. Until then, from Jan. 3 until September, post-secondary students will have to pay the same rates as adult commuters.
Given that the TTC is an essential service, bullying citizens for their money is unacceptable.
