The board of provincial mass transit agency Metrolinx has voted in favour of hiking GO Transit fares by five per cent for longer trips.
Under the proposal, fares for the shortest trips in GO’s system will be frozen, but fares for longer distance trips will increase by 40 to 60 cents.
In a report that was considered by the board Thursday morning, GO Transit President Greg Percy said the increase will be “used to fund new service improvements as well as offset increasing costs from annual escalation of operating contracts.”
The operation and maintenance of GO trains is contracted out to a private operator.
The fare increase will take effect Feb. 1, 2016 and is expected to raise $24.1 million in new revenue for the service in 2016. The organization last increased fares in Feb. 2015.
This year, GO added train trips on the Kitchener, Lakeshore West and Milton corridors, and opened a new train station in Hamilton: West Harbour GO.
“Without the proposed fare increase, GO Transit will not be able to move forward with the planned service improvements,” Percy said in the report.
In addition to the fare hiking, the board also voted in favour of increasing the discount PRESTO electronic fare card users receive on the GO Transit system by 1.15 per cent.
For adult users, the discount will increase from 10 per cent to 11.15 per cent. Larger discounts are offered to students and seniors.
Later this morning, the board will also consider adjustments to the fares for its Union-Pearson Express train. Staff wants children up to the age of 12 to ride free, and the price of a round trip to fall to drop from $55 to $44 for adults.
