Statement from NDP Transit critic on March 31 end date for fare discount for GTA commuters

QUEEN’S PARK — Official Opposition critic for Transit Jessica Bell released the following statement regarding the news that the Discounted Double Fare program between GO and the TTC will officially end on March 31, due to the Ford government's cuts.

“As of March 31, people who commute in to work in Toronto using a combination of GO and the TTC will have to pay $1.50 more for each trip. Fare hikes are not the way to encourage ridership. Forcing commuters to dig into their pockets for an extra $1.50 a 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 full fares for a single trip to work. But now, due to Doug Ford and the Conservatives’ funding priorities, the entire discount is scrapped. This is just another example of how Doug Ford is taking commutes from bad to worse. Ontarians deserve public transit that is streamlined, reliable and affordable — not delays, overcrowding, and endless fare increases.”