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22 Comments

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Polling Booth: The TTC Fare Increase

By Marc Lostracco

There is little to be pleased about following the announcement that TTC fares are going up (for most riders) to meet what seems to be a continuous shortfall for the notoriously underfunded Commission. To add fuel to the fire, token rationing is causing irritation at the ticket booth, with some stations running out of tokens by the evening rush. According to the TTC, for every 10¢ increase in fares, three percent of its ridership is lost, and making public transit less affordable is often punishing those who need it most.

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  • http://undefined Peter K

    I actually don’t blame the union. It’s their job to negotiate the best deal possible for their members. It’s not their fault the TTC/City’s bargaining team is weak willed.

  • http://undefined TokyoTuds

    I put almost all the blame on the provincial and federal government for the funding problems of the TTC. Most of the operational problems with management and the unions flow from the budget problem caused by government.

  • http://undefined canuck1975

    The latest union agreement was decided on through binding arbitration. Therefore, it’s not that the TTC was weak or the union was strong, but that they both presented their case to an arbitrator and the decision was made for them.
    That’s the immediate result of back-to-work legislation.
    So, the reasons the TTC is woefully underfunded include:
    1) Ontario withdrawing operational support in the 90s
    2) A union using first a wild-cat strike and then walking out without notice (even though they said they would), probably knowing arbitration would get them a better deal
    3) The TTC’s decision to expand service on almost all routes to 1:00 am, pushing up OpEx at a time when there was no room for it to move upward
    4) Not having steady increases at the rate of inflation & having fare increases happen arbitrarily
    I’m sure no one would actually suggest a service cutback from what Giambrone has delivered, even though it is part of what’s caused the financial mess.
    It will also help if we get a mayor who’s going to be more forceful with his council & unions to better manage budgeting & spending. We’ll see if that happens.

  • http://undefined Peter K

    That’s naive. It absolutely is because of the TTC’s weakness.
    The arbitrator looks at both offers, the TTC’s and that of the union, in determining a starting point for the settlement. If the TTC’s offer is overly generous, the arbitrator’s forced settlement will be as well.
    I strongly recommend a service cutback. What Giambrone entered into last year was unsustainable. So he either willfully made a decision to expand services that he did knew he could not fund over the long term, or he didn’t know any better. That makes him either an intentionally poor manager or incompetent.
    Can’t argue the mayor/council point.

  • http://undefined Green Sulfur

    You’ve obviously never been involved in labour relations. Let the grownups handle this.

  • http://undefined falldowngoboom

    @Peter K: It’s sad, but you’re right. Organized labour in Ontario is an adversarial system, so the union only cares about extracting money out of the TTC. They don’t care if wages are sustainable or realistic. TTC management and the people of Toronto have to care about the financial reality, and that might just mean reducing labour costs by cutting service, cutting jobs and building more automation into the system.

  • http://undefined Peter K

    It would be great if riders and taxpayers had grownups on their side too.

  • http://undefined Peter K

    A pimple-faced city councillor with no real life experience is not someone I would consider a “grownup”. Giambrone probably still gets IDed at the liquor store.

  • rek

    Almost all of the blame falls on the province and feds. If we’re ever going to get them back on our side, we need to make it clear that it’s a voting issue in Toronto. Which means we need to make it a voting issue in Toronto.
    Some on the TTC. The TTC does what it can with what it has and has to make up the difference somehow. That said, there are a lot of jobs that should be contracted out to non-union workers. Hiring two or three cleaners for the price of one union cleaner would make a huge difference in the rundown appearance of the system. It won’t save them enough to build a DRL, but it frees up that money to be spent elsewhere. They could also be charging a whole lot more for all the terrible advertising riders are subjected to.
    Some on the Union.

  • http://undefined torontothegreat

    I would suggest you look at his resume. You have no idea what you’re talking about. One thing you can’t say about Adam Giambrone is that he has no life/professional experience. He probably chalked up more life experience by the time he was 22 then you will have in your entire lifetime.

  • http://undefined mark.

    Nice! In case you haven’t, maybe put this on http://settingtheagenda2010.com/
    I feel that it would better if the TTC focused on creating good public transit within a smaller area rather than trying to (over)extend itself into the suburbs. This might also help to curb sprawl. So, I wonder if a way to start ‘negotiating’ with the province would be by suggesting they take some of the money they use to subsidize the capital budget (that pays for the extensions) and use it for consistent subsidies towards the operating budget (as they did pre-Harris).

  • http://paul.kishimoto.name Paul Kishimoto

    Even making Toronto a voting issue in Toronto is a tall order, given generally mild reactions to naked contempt from the federal Conservatives.

  • http://undefined Peter K

    Never holding a job outside the greater public sector is NOT real life experience.

  • http://undefined torontothegreat

    “An archeologist by training, Giambrone has participated in excavations in Tunisia, Libya, Sudan and Yemen.[2] He speaks English, French, and Arabic.”
    and being the president of the NDP party is not public sector. These are privately held elections and positions.
    Ignorance is bliss eh Peter K?

  • http://undefined Peter K

    LOL. You have got to be kidding me.
    Working for a political party is far from private sector. It’s tax deductible donations and public funding (thanks to Jean Chretien) that fund those positions.
    Also worked as an archeologist for a university, which is also part of the greater public sector.
    You seem like the type who looks down on anyone with a private sector job with contempt. Without them there would be no one to pay for your cushy government jobs.

  • http://undefined torontothegreat

    You make crazy assumptions about things you know nothing about.
    I stand by my comment that his life experience by 22 is more than you’ll ever achieve in your entire lifetime.
    Don’t be angry that your life has amounted to talking smack about successful people within comment sections of the internet.

  • http://undefined Peter K

    Thanks pot.

  • http://undefined torontothegreat

    At least it’s a fair assumption. As clearly your successes and life experiences have brought you here to troll the interwebs :P

  • http://undefined Peter K

    I just like stirring the pot. I find it entertaining. I get the sense that you are much the same way.

  • rek

    If the Cons were smart they would make Toronto a priority in their campaign pandering. They have nothing to lose here and a lot to gain. The Liberals and NDP keep skating by, secure in the safe assumption we won’t vote Conservative. All that could change with a solid plan to reinstate transit funding.

  • http://undefined canuck1975

    Here’s a refresher of the last round of bargaining & the last TTC strike:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IXpibN7Hug&feature=player_embedded
    Interestingly enough, pretty much what I said!

  • http://undefined canuck1975

    Sure, it’s true that Giambrone would be a disaster mayor, probably on the scale of June Rowlands, but that doesn’t mean you have to resort to name calling and hair-pulling. Sure, TtG is deluded in thinking that Giambrone is a good choice for mayor, but he’s a good guy and in the midst of his blather he does make valid points.
    Just sayin’, leave the flame attacks where they belong: in the comments section on The Star’s website.