TTC proposes eliminating double fares between GO Transit, other GTA transit agencies

Commuters who use the TTC and another transit agency to get in and out of the GTA could soon find themselves paying one single fare in the new year.

A report going before the TTC board at its meeting next week recommends the transit agency adopt Ontario’s One-Fare program that would eliminate double fares for those transferring between the TTC, GO Transit and other GTA transit groups.

Currently, customers on the same trip who use multiple transit agencies pay a double fare – one to use the TTC and another when they transfer onto GO Transit, York Region Transit, MiWay, Brampton Transit or Durham Region Transit. Under the One-Fare program, a customer would be able to transfer between the TTC and another transit agency for free within a two-hour window.

Metrolinx currently offers free transit connections between GO Transit and local transit partners in Durham, Oakville, Mississauga and York Region.

The TTC says approximately 13 per cent of its customers currently start or end their trip outside of Toronto with one-third using GO Transit and the TTC.

The move would save customers $3.30 on a single trip if transferring between TTC and GO Transit and $3.88 on a single adult trip between TTC and YRT. According to the Ministry of Transportation, an adult who commutes back and forth five days a week would save an average of $1,600 annually.

Anyone using the PRESTO system, debit or credit would be eligible for the savings while the One-Fare system would not apply if you use cash or a TTC ticket/token.

Under the proposal, Metrolinx would end up covering 100 per cent of the lost fare box revenue for the TTC through March 2026, after which the program will either be extended or revert to the current two-fare system.

According to the report, the total reimbursement to the TTC could be between $40 – $60 million a year based on up to 36 million customer trips.

The TTC did not put an exact date on when the One-Fare system would take effect, saying only it would start in early 2024 if adopted.

Earlier this year the Toronto Region Board of Trade called on transit agencies to collaborate to create fare integration across the GTA in order to maximize the region’s mobility network and positively impact the businesses within Toronto.