Statement from NDP Transit critic on Ford cancelling a fare discount for GTA commuters

QUEEN’S PARK — Official Opposition critic for Transit Jessica Bell released the following statement regarding the Ford government’s cancellation of a transit fare discount. The province will no longer provide funding for the Discounted Double Fare program between GO or UP and the TTC, which means commuters will pay $1.50 more, per round-trip, unless the TTC takes on the cost of the subsidy:

“With this Doug Ford cut, people who commute in to work in Toronto using a combination of GO and the TTC could soon face a fare hike of $1.50 for every commute. Fare hikes are not the way to encourage ridership, and forcing commuters to dig into their pockets for an extra $1.50 per round-trip is going to hurt the monthly bottom-line for already-squeezed working people.

“In 2017, the province committed to the Discounted Double Fare program, which gives PRESTO users travelling between GO or UP and the TTC access to a discounted TTC fare. The province should have been planning to make those fares fully integrated, because no one should be charged two fares for a single trip to work. But now, due to Doug Ford and the Conservatives’ funding priorities, the entire discount could be scrapped. This is just another example of how Doug Ford is leaving transit riders behind. Ontarians deserve public transit that is streamlined, reliable and affordable — not delays, overcrowding, and endless fare increases.”