What to know
- Chris Alexander unveiled his “Toronto Transit Turnaround” plan Friday, including changes to TTC fares and fare enforcement.
- His proposal would raise the standard adult fare to $3.40 on PRESTO and $3.45 through other payment methods, with an additional 20-cent rush-hour surcharge on some trips.
- The plan would lower fares for youth and seniors and reduce the cost of some passes, while introducing new weekend and family passes.
- Alexander is also proposing more fare inspectors and tighter controls on Children’s cards to reduce fare evasion.
- His campaign estimates the changes could bring in $43 million in additional TTC revenue and increase ridership by two to four million trips annually.
Mayoral candidate Chris Alexander said he will increase TTC fares and fare enforcement to generate new revenue and improve the public transit system if elected.
Alexander unveiled his “The Toronto Transit Turnaround” plan on Friday, while speaking with reporters at the TTC Yonge Street headquarters.
The mayoral candidate called out Olivia Chow’s public transit policies, suggesting the current administration has made transit less reliable and safe, driving people away from the system and decreasing revenue that could be used to improve the service.
“Chow has allowed fraud to grow in the system, she has neglected repairs, she has allowed a situation to arise where people are afraid to take the TTC. Those days are over. We have to get the TTC moving again. We have to make it a system that works for everyone,” he told reporters at the press conference.
Since elected, Chow has frozen TTC fares three times, and has introduced a 47-trip fare cap on Sept. 1, which allows riders to take transit for free after 47 trips. Chow has also promised to keep fares frozen through 2027 if re-elected, as well as introducing a 10-trip weekly cap.
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Adult TTC fares would go up
Meanwhile, Alexander’s campaign plan includes keeping the 47-ride cap for all categories, while also increasing and reducing certain individual fares and plans.
The mayoral candidate said he wants to increase adult fares by 20 cents during rush hour, making trips between 6:30–9:30 a.m. and 3:30–7 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays cost $3.55 by other methods of payment and $3.50 by PRESTO. He also plans on increasing overall adult fares from $3.30 to $3.40 for PRESTO and $3.45 for other methods of payment.
In contrast, the candidate wishes to reduce fares for youth and seniors by 15 cents, making them $2.20 and $2.05 for PRESTO users, respectively.
The plan also includes reducing post-secondary monthly passes from $128.15 to $120 and the Fair Pass Transit Discount from $2.10 to $2 per ride.
Alexander is also proposing new passes for occasional riders, including a one-day adult single pass for Saturday or Sunday for $9 and a full weekend pass for $15, as well as a family pass for two adults and up to three youths for $18 a day or $30 for the weekend.
The candidate’s campaign estimates the measures could increase TTC ridership by two to four million riders per year, increasing revenue by $43 million.
Alexander also vowed to crack down on fare evasion, pointing to a staff report published in 2024 that determined about 12 per cent of riders don’t pay, leading to $140 million a year in fare evasion losses to the TTC.
The candidate said he will conduct a full system audit of every fare gate to fix any needed repairs, expand the fare inspector team, and set tighter controls for those who use Children’s cards to prevent fraud. According to him, the measures would help achieve a target of only six per cent fare evasion by 2028 and two per cent by 2030.
“The system isn’t working. The mayor has neglected it. She has been running it down. Our goal is to fix it. To end fare evasion, to end the unreliability, to make people feel safe,” he said.
Olivia Chow responds
In a statement shared with Now Toronto by her campaign’s team, Chow reacted to Alexander’s proposal, saying it could hurt Torontonians who are struggling financially.
“At this time of economic uncertainty, hurting working people is the worst thing we can do,” she said in the statement.
“Chris Alexander’s proposal takes money directly from a family’s household budget. Instead of making the TTC more affordable, Mr. Alexander wants to make it harder for Toronto families to make ends meet each month.”
The mayor also emphasized that she plans to keep fares frozen and introduce the 10-rides cap if re-elected.
