TTC begins eliminating ‘no-tap’ Presto gates at subway stations to reduce fare evasion

In a bid to crack down on fare evasion, TTC staff say they have begun a multi-year process that will see ‘no-tap’ Presto fare gates removed at subway stations.

As of Tuesday, the ‘no-tap’ gates at the Line 4 Sheppard-Yonge, Bayview, Bessarion, Leslie and Don Mills stations were turned off.

When entering fare-paid zones at TTC subway stations, riders are required to tap a Presto fare card or a debit or credit card to get a gate to open. However, at least one of those gates (often close to the operator’s booth) allows people to walk through.

The ‘no-tap’ fare gates are usually used by people entering with paper transfers, children 12 and under, transferring from other transit and transportation systems, or support persons accompanying riders.

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said the ‘no-tap’ gates will be removed across the entire subway network within the next couple of years.

“What we find is that people are abusing these gates and are just walking through without paying, so we’ve started to close them,” he told CityNews.

“For us it’s more steps to close the gaps in fare evasion. We know fare evasion is costing us upwards of $140 million a year when you factor in no payment and partial payment, and that’s money that would be better going toward service.”

Green said TTC staff estimate around $20 million of the $140 million in fare losses come from people not paying by using ‘no-tap’ gates.

“It’s still a significant number. We know a 10-cent fare hike is around $10 million, so that’s how we save money and put out better service,” he said.

Looking at the five-stop Line 4 specifically, Green said around 30,000 to 35,000 people each week go through station entrance fare gates and roughly 1,300 of those people use the ‘no-tap’ gates.

As for why it will take a couple of years to fully enact the change, Green said that’s because TTC staff are working on a new method of providing transfers to those who are not using fare or bank cards. He said that could involve issuing single-use transfers that could have the technology needed to open the gates.

When asked what else the TTC is doing to combat fare evasion, Green said the agency is in the process of hiring more fare inspectors to patrol streetcars and having staff do more education at schools.

As for bus bays where fare evaders have been seen walking into stations like Eglinton without paying, Green said it continues to be a “problematic area” for the agency.

“When we have somebody there, people will just sort of stop in their tracks, turn around and go back and tap and pay to get into the station. We know these are people who are deliberately evading fare and have the ability to pay because they do pay,” he said.

Amid media reports and complaints to the TTC about people doing the practice regularly, Green said staff have held enforcement blitzes at Eglinton station.

“People just seem not to care, so we need to change habits, we need to change behaviours, we need to get people back into the mindset of paying for the service they are using and if they don’t there are consequences,” he said.