Mitzie Hunter championing public transit, ending TTC “death spiral”, boosting ridership to get Toronto moving again

Seniors ride free, fares reduced, service restored, more transit built, safety increased 

Toronto – Mitzie Hunter is championing public transit as the only mayoral candidate with a comprehensive, fully-costed and funded plan to end the TTC “death spiral”, boost ridership and get Toronto moving again.

The key elements of Hunter’s plan are:

• Seniors and Wheel-Trans users ride free on the TTC
• Lower TTC fares by reversing recent fare hike
• Restoring service and reversing the cuts
• Increased safety with transit police paired with social workers
• Priorities for new projects such as the Waterfront East LRT
• Open subways at 5:30 am Monday to Saturday

“I am public transit’s champion,” says Hunter. “Safe, reliable, frequent and affordable transit is the best tool we have to get Toronto moving again as well as help us achieve our climate goals.” 

TTC ridership last year was less than 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and road traffic is crawling. The TTC is optimistically forecasting that ridership could only reach 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year. For a system that relies so heavily on fares for operating revenue, it means a death spiral of more cuts, more fare increases, more people migrating away from using transit, and more traffic congestion.

“Enough is enough,” says Hunter. “Raising fares and cutting service is creating a death spiral of fewer people using the TTC with traffic becoming more and more congested.

“I will reverse the damage and fix the TTC by restoring service, reducing fares and making the TTC free for seniors and Wheel-Trans users.”

Hunter’s plan to get Toronto moving again includes: 

• Eliminating all TTC fares for seniors and all users of Wheel-Trans to help our most vulnerable and those living on fixed incomes with the rising cost of living and boost ridership, starting this September ($57 million estimate in 2024).
• Reversing the TTC fare hikes that took effect in April 2023 to save transit riders more than $20 million a year.
• Reversing the almost $53 million in TTC service cuts that reduced service frequency by about 10 per cent and increasing Wheel-Trans service to accommodate increased demand.
• Fully-funding TTC’s operational costs, while advocating for greater support from the Provincial and Federal governments.
• Negotiating with the Province to reach a fair deal for Toronto to eliminate the dual fares paid by transit users when they switch between the TTC, GO and transit systems in neighbouring cities.
• Implementing Hunter’s five-point safety plan, which includes increased police patrols around stations as well as pairing TTC officers with social workers to assist vulnerable people, a community ambassador program to do safety audits, implementing sliding safety doors, consulting with TTC workers about their safety, and data collection to track success.
• Opening subways at 5:30 am Monday to Saturday to make it easier for those working early shifts to get to work.
• Set construction priorities for new transit projects, including building the Eglinton East LRT and the Waterfront East LRT, advance the planning for the North York Scarborough Subway extension along Sheppard, and support a busway for Scarborough as an interim measure.

“Other candidates either won’t say how they are paying for their proposals or rely on new taxes that won’t get approved by this council or pretend other governments will pay for their promises,” says Hunter.

“My plan ends the death spiral, restores service cuts, gets more people riding the TTC now, makes the TTC safer but also sets out how we can make the TTC better than ever before in the future.”

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Contact: 

Charmain Emerson

charmain@culturedcommunications.ca

Remarks by Mitzie Hunter on her TTC plan to ger Toronto moving again, June 21, 2023:

• Since the beginning of this campaign I have systematically laid out my priorities.

• Building more affordable housing… for buyers and renters alike.

• Decreasing homelessness… so everyone has a safe and secure place to live.

• My Safety and Affordability Action Plan for Seniors…

• My practical and pragmatic game plan… to help Toronto close the $4.3-billion hole in its operating budget. 

• Improving basic city services… like filling snow clearance and filling potholes.

• Today I am talking about my plan to end the TTC death spiral and get Toronto moving again. 

• Seniors and Wheel-Trans users ride free on the TTC.

• Lowering TTC fares by reversing the recent fare hike.

• Restoring service and reversing the service cuts.

• We need to get Toronto moving again.

• Making the TTC safer… by pairing transit officers with social workers to help vulnerable people experiencing mental health and addiction issues.

• A community ambassador program to do safety audits.

• Opening subways at 5:30 am Monday to Saturday to make it easier for those working early shifts to get to work.

• Setting construction priorities for new transit projects, including building the Eglinton East LRT and the Waterfront East LRT…

• And advancing the planning for the North York Scarborough Subway extension…

• And building a busway for Scarborough as an interim measure while the subway is built.

• TTC ridership last year was less than 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

• The TTC is optimistically forecasting that ridership could only reach 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year.

• For a system that relies so heavily on fares for operating revenue, it means a death spiral…

• More cuts… more fare increases…

• And more people migrating away from using transit.

• Traffic crawling…

• The city becoming more congested.

• Enough is enough.

• This is the worst time to be hiking fares. 

• This is the worst time to be cutting service.

• I will end the death spiral.

• By restoring service… reducing fares… making the TTC free for seniors and Wheel-Trans users… and increasing TTC safety.

• Toronto has to be a city that works for everyone, everywhere.

• That’s why I am running for Mayor.

• Join me. I ask for your support.

• Let’s fix the TTC, Let’s Fix the Six… Together.

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