TTC votes to stop selling discounted passes to part-time students

The Toronto Transit Commission has voted to stop selling discounted passes to part-time students.

The TTC made the decision at a meeting on Tuesday, saying the move would save them $1.4 million.

“It’s absolutely unfair because the TTC, first of all, has not taken enough time to do research to analyze the socio-economic realities of part-time students,” Krisna Saravanamuttu, president of the York Federation of Students, told CityNews.

Saravanamuttu also serves on the TTC advisory panel.

“Tuition fees have sky-rocketed and a lot of students are forced to take on part-time studies to circumvent that financial burden,” he added.

A regular pass costs $121, while students pay $99.

“The TTC now conforms to every other transit body on the continent. Toronto was the odd one out by providing this benefit to part-time students,” said councillor John Parker, who sits on the TTC commission.

“It’s nothing to be happy about but the expenses of the TTC are real. This was a subsidy that we couldn’t carry on any further,” Parker said.

Full-time post-secondary students will still receive the discounted rate. The decision will go into effect in September.

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