A group of disgruntled commuters wants fellow transit riders to band together and help fix what they say is a broken system.
The push is on after a week in which the transit commission approved a
25-cent fare hike and passengers endured a
six-hour subway delay - although not the TTC’s fault.
TTC Riders aims to give passengers a say in fares, service delivery, and transit priorities and highlights the lack of funding from the City and Queen’s Park.
“Almost every year, there is a TTC funding crisis. It usually results in a fare increase and last minute bailouts by the City and the Province,” the group’s website reads.
“For years, the TTC won awards as the best transit system in North America. It did that because there was guaranteed revenue from the Ontario government and the City that reflected a serious commitment to public transit. The support was slashed during the Mike Harris years, and is still not back to the levels needed.”
Organizers are modeling their group on the Los Angeles
Bus Riders Union which has about 3,000 paying members. It saved the monthly bus pass from oblivion and got the price reduced from $49 to $42.
Transit riders' groups exist in cities across the continent, including New York and Edmonton.