Metropass holders will now have to budget for an added cost - free parking at the TTC's 30 lots is over.
Starting Wednesday morning, riders who drive to the subway station before hopping on will have to pay between $2 and $12 dollars a day to park depending on the location.
Pass holders will now have to decide whether it's worth it to pay the fee, or if they should take a bus to the station or forego transit altogether and drive their cars all the way to work.
Frustrated users have set up a petition against the new charge at
thepetitionsite.com, and so far the appeal has attracted nearly 5,000 supporters.
Composer Angelo Oddi is one of several who are now opting to drive to work.
"It's just common sense," he argues. "I mean the cost of the Metropass is $110 a months, parking at Yorkdale is $120 a month, that's $230 to take the TTC? I'm paying $180 to park downtown."
The transit commission voted last fall to remove the perk for Metropass users. Their plan is to set parking rates at "market levels" to ensure the lots get used.
TTC Chair Adam Giambrone knows some customers won't like the idea of being slapped with a new fee, but says the change will benefit the majority of riders.
"A lot of people who make minimum wage subsidize this parking because it comes out of [their] ticket fare. [More than 99] per cent of TTC riders never use the parking, and it's a cost of $7 million a year," Giambrone explained Tuesday. "We're still subsidizing it by 50 per cent - even with the new parking charges."
To find out the fee for the lot you use, follow the links below:
Click here for more.