The City of Toronto and TTC are considering implementing discounted transit fares during special events.
The move comes as part of a proposed strategic parking framework to help the city deal with growing challenges that public and private parking space continue to face.
The general manager has brought forth several policy recommendations which includes using pricing to help free-up parking spaces in highly congested areas, this includes using transit fares.
The report recommends introducing special event transit fares to encourage transit use and discourage driving, which will not only free parking spots, but also free space for transit vehicles.
The report says the move would need to be implemented as part of a partnership between the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) and the TTC.
In addition to special fares during events, the report also recommends increasing rates for on-street parking to encourage people to use off-street parking or long-term parking.
However, the report does not mention what type of events would be part of the framework and the discounted price.
If approved by council, rollout of the policy would come into effect within a two-to-three year timeframe.
As of right now, TTC fares are currently $3.35 for adults, $2.40 for youth, and $2.30 for seniors.
The last time the TTC changed fare prices was in 2023 when the transit agency hiked fares by 10 cents.
The proposal is being celebrated by transit advocacy group TTCriders, who says any proposal that makes transit more affordable should be welcomed.
“We hear from transit users every day that cost is one of the biggest barriers preventing them from taking the TTC more often,” the group said in a statement to Now Toronto.
However, the group says other options need to be explored to make transit more affordable, that includes fare capping.
“Instead of requiring riders to pay a large upfront cost for a monthly pass, fare capping automatically stops charging riders after they’ve tapped their card a certain number of times in a month,” the group said.
TTCriders says measures like this mixed with discounted fares for special events will boost ridership and make transit more accessible for everyone.
