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And, Surprise Surprise!

YRT/Viva Cash Fares heading UP again in 2014 (if council approves it, but we all know YR council approves everything!)!!
THIS time this should be spread everywhere and tweet and email and call your town/region/councillors.
Problem many times is very few people knowing about these increases until its too late!
Now these increases are just getting out of hand! By the time they get their 50/50 split people will be paying $5 cash fare and $200/month for monthly passes! I may be exaggerating a bit on those numbers but I'm sure they are not far off!

Source: http://www.york.ca/Regional+Government/Agendas+Minutes+and+Reports/_2013/pdf+TSC+sep+12-2.htm

2. 2014 York Region Transit (YRT/VIVA) Fare Rate Proposal



August 19, 2013 from the Acting Commissioner of Transportation and Community Planning recommending that:


1. York Region Transit (YRT/Viva) fares be increased beginning January 1, 2014, with the following fare category pricing:

a) All Cash Fares except Express $ 4.00
b) Express Cash Fare $ 4.50
c) Adult Ticket $ 3.30
d) Student Ticket $ 2.50
e) Senior/Child Ticket $ 2.00
f) Express Ticket $ 3.80
g) Adult Monthly Pass $ 132.00
h) Student Monthly Pass $ 99.00
i) Senior/Child Monthly Pass $ 60.50
j) Express Monthly Pass $ 152.00
 
2.50$ a ride in NYC. As good as we do with getting people to use the tranist system in Toronto it would be significantly better if we had cheaper fares. In NYC its cheap to take transit and a fortune to drive. In comparison in Toronto its cheap to drive and when you compare what you are getting dollar for dollar with places like NYC, then it equates to a fortune to take transit. $4 is insane, especially since you most likely have to buy a TTC ticket at some point in your ride.
 
My god! The monthly pass is more than the TTC! It's still much cheaper than driving, but when you consider the service you get in York Region, I'd probably just drive. York Region is really sticking it to transit users.
 
It's this chart that is the most interesting

jIlvrSe.png


YRT really seems adamant about reaching this 50/50 revenue-cost ratio... Does anyone know what the ratios are for other GTHA agencies?
 
sixrings said:
2.50$ a ride in NYC. As good as we do with getting people to use the tranist system in Toronto it would be significantly better if we had cheaper fares. In NYC its cheap to take transit and a fortune to drive. In comparison in Toronto its cheap to drive and when you compare what you are getting dollar for dollar with places like NYC, then it equates to a fortune to take transit. $4 is insane, especially since you most likely have to buy a TTC ticket at some point in your ride.
Click to expand...

I'm not defending a $4 fare, because it's A LOT but comparing it to NYC is ridiculous. The funding situation, the type of community...I mean, I can't really think of anything have in common at all. I don't know how YRT can slow this down; they can't keep raising fares every year. It's a tricky push-and-pull they're dealing with, trying to improve service and make a viable public transit system in an urbanizing suburb that still has a ways to go.

As for the larger region, I still think/hope Metrolinx's revenue tools are going to happen sooner or later and maybe there will be road tolls and other things in and around Toronto too. But driving in the city WILL get more expensive and York Region is trying to have the transit infrastructure/culture in place when that happens. I don't envy them the task.

The 50/50 thing has been a longstanding council directive and as they expanded service they started backsliding from the low 40s to the high 30s. Now they've got their rapidway open and want to get it back moving the other way. It's understandable but, again, it's not a win-win.
 
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Mississauga has a 50% fare recovery target as well. But the actual ratio is 45%.

Difference with Mississauga is that they are reluctant to increase fares too much because any decrease in ridership resulting from fare increase will lower the cost-recovery ratio anyways. And of course there's the fact that constantly raising transit fares is really douchey.

So for Mississauga, 50% is just an ideal, not a strict rule. The cost recovery ratio of MT has actually decreased in the past 10 years, from 62% in 2003 to 45% in 2013. Because sometimes reducing the tax burden upon wealthy taxpayers not as important as, you know, reducing the financial burden upon the poor, improving the urban environment, improving the mobility of the populace, etc.
 
TJ O'Pootertoot said:
I'm not defending a $4 fare, because it's A LOT but comparing it to NYC is ridiculous. The funding situation, the type of community...I mean, I can't really think of anything have in common at all. I don't know how YRT can slow this down; they can't keep raising fares every year. It's a tricky push-and-pull they're dealing with, trying to improve service and make a viable public transit system in an urbanizing suburb that still has a ways to go.

As for the larger region, I still think/hope Metrolinx's revenue tools are going to happen sooner or later and maybe there will be road tolls and other things in and around Toronto too. But driving in the city WILL get more expensive and York Region is trying to have the transit infrastructure/culture in place when that happens. I don't envy them the task.

The 50/50 thing has been a longstanding council directive and as they expanded service they started backsliding from the low 40s to the high 30s. Now they've got their rapidway open and want to get it back moving the other way. It's understandable but, again, it's not a win-win.
Click to expand...

All i'm saying is that with the fare increases you are not giving people an incentive to take transit and you are encouraging people to take their cars. I live literally a 2 minute walk to Eglinton West station. For myself I choose to take the subway based on distance, time and fare. The love of my life is in my drive way, my two door Italian sports Fiat. But depending on the situation I will take the TTC. Now most people dont have the luxury to be 2 minutes from any station. Now you are asking them to take 4$ from their pocket and then add a possible TTC fare on top. Transit needs to encourage people who can afford to drive to park the car at home. All this does is make me want to drive my Italian sports car more often. Instead what's happening in the GTA is that more and more its less and less choice riders but more and more people who simply cant afford a car. Students, and poor people on transit. Great system.
 
sixrings said:
All i'm saying is that with the fare increases you are not giving people an incentive to take transit and you are encouraging people to take their cars. I live literally a 2 minute walk to Eglinton West station. For myself I choose to take the subway based on distance, time and fare. The love of my life is in my drive way, my two door Italian sports Fiat. But depending on the situation I will take the TTC. Now most people dont have the luxury to be 2 minutes from any station. Now you are asking them to take 4$ from their pocket and then add a possible TTC fare on top. Transit needs to encourage people who can afford to drive to park the car at home. All this does is make me want to drive my Italian sports car more often. Instead what's happening in the GTA is that more and more its less and less choice riders but more and more people who simply cant afford a car. Students, and poor people on transit. Great system.
Click to expand...

It's like the policies and planning done in this region are done to make things difficult for people who take transit.
 
TJ O'Pootertoot said:
I'm not defending a $4 fare, because it's A LOT but comparing it to NYC is ridiculous. The funding situation, the type of community...I mean, I can't really think of anything have in common at all. I don't know how YRT can slow this down; they can't keep raising fares every year. It's a tricky push-and-pull they're dealing with, trying to improve service and make a viable public transit system in an urbanizing suburb that still has a ways to go.
Click to expand...

Improve service? YRT? Ha!
 
That means its $5 for a two zone (Newmarket/ Aurora to Finch). thats B.S - I think we need to set up an encampment somewhere in Toronto for all the people who have been trying to walk places and take transit in York Region. their government is trying to exterminate them and we need to give them amnesty.
 
As someone who lives and takes the bus in Markham, I feel pretty motivated (and have the time) to do something about this. I've already suggested it as a story for the local free newspaper (Markham Economist) and plan to e-mail some councillors. Can anyone recommend other courses of action?
 
I'd like to see this be the straw to break the camel's back, and I am trying to be optimistic, but I've seen fares increase annually for the last decade with little noise. Still this is the largest increase and paired with recent service cuts, who knows.

At this point I would like to see some fare subsidies for post-secondary students and low income earners though.
 
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