The TTC is considering getting rid of its monthly pass

Feb 4 2022, 3:02 pm

TTC riders may no longer have the option to buy a monthly fare as the transit agency considers scrapping the pass and introducing a “fare capping” system instead.

In a new report released ahead of the February 10 TTC board meeting, TTC staff recommend that the board endorse a fare capping system that would allow customers to travel for free after hitting a certain number of rides per month.

Although the switch to a fare capping system will likely lead to revenue loss for the TTC, according to the staff, “the incremental benefits of the TTC’s existing monthly passes have diminished and fare capping will better address customer needs.”

The TTC monthly PRESTO pass is currently priced at $156 for adults and $128.15 for youths and seniors. This would require 49 trips per month for adults and 57 trips for youths and seniors to make the monthly pass worth more than paying an individual PRESTO fare for each trip.

“We have heard that reducing monthly pass prices may make them a more attractive option,” the report reads. “However, the analysis has revealed that fares alone will not encourage increased ridership.”

The fare capping system, the report says, “is more equitable and affordable than the previous fare model because it removes the current burden of requiring customers to pay full price for a pass upfront.” It would also eliminate “the requirement of ‘opting in’ on the part of the customer,” the report notes, as the fare capping system would be made automatically available to all customers.

By introducing the fare capping system, staff estimate that the TTC would lose about $17 million per year in revenue based on pre-pandemic ridership levels. Current ridership levels, however, remain well below what they were pre-pandemic.

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