The TTC has announced that fare inspectors will now officially be called Provincial Offences Officers in an effort to increase fare compliance, but locals have taken to social media to ridicule the name.
The rebrand officially kicked in on Sunday, and as usual the officers will be responsible for fare compliance and issue tickets to customers who have not paid the proper fare.
Tickets for fare evasion range from $235 to $425 and are issued under the Provincial Offences Act.
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In addition, the officers will now patrol in brand new uniforms consisting of a grey shirt and vest identifying them as Provincial Offences Officers.
According to the TTC, the change is part of a 2019 Auditor General’s report which found that fare compliance can increase if inspector presence is enhanced.
Fare evasion continues to plague the TTC, as a 2023 report found that the agency lost nearly $140 million a year due to fare evasion.
“The TTC receives a significant City of Toronto operating subsidy but also relies heavily on fares to support its operations. This transition to Provincial Offences Officers is one of several initiatives that we have rolled out recently to encourage fare compliance,” TTC CEO Mandeep Lali said in a media statement.
However, some locals have taken to social media to share their dislike with the name and its acronym ‘POO.’
“Ur gonna hear me in the halls yelling ‘POO, POO’ every time I spot them,” a Reddit user said.
“POO… really? They couldn’t pick any other arrangement of words to avoid the acronym,” another user said.
“Someone definitely didn’t think this one through,” another user said.
Ward 12 Toronto—St. Paul’s city Councillor Josh Matlow also took to social media to bring attention to the acronym.
“We’re going to have to do some work on the acronym,” Matlow said in a tweet.
The rebrand is the latest in several steps the TTC has taken to prevent fare evasions and recoup lost revenue.
Most recently, the agency introduced plainclothed fare inspectors which were deployed across the entire system, and inspectors also began wearing body cameras.
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In addition, the TTC began removing ‘no-tap’ fare gates at subway stations in 2024.
“We remind customers that when they choose not to pay their fare, it impacts our ability to increase service and keep fare prices low,” Lali said.
