If you’re paying with cash or tokens, it will soon cost you more to travel on public transit in Toronto.

The Toronto Transit Commission has voted in favour of raising the price of tokens by 10 cents, as well increasing the cash fare 25 cents to $3.25.

There will be no increase to the cost of the monthly Metropass.

The price increases will take effect beginning in January.

The decision was made at a board meeting early Monday evening as the agency works to address a $58.4-million shortfall in its proposed budget for 2016.

City staff previously outlined a number of ways to hike fares but the TTC budget committee decided not to endorse any of the options and instead leave the decision with the TTC board.

The debate today included proposed 5, 10 and 25-cent hikes to the cash fare, which has not been increased since 2010.

“I think we’ve taken a pretty balanced approach by freezing Metropasses,” TTC Chair Josh Colle said following Monday’s vote.

“I think that considering that the cash fare has been unchanged for the better part of a decade – and we are trying to transition people away from cash – that that was a fair balance.”

TTC will still be seeking increase in subsidy

Even with the decision to implement the increase to the cash fare and price of tokens, the TTC will still have a substantial shortfall in its deficit that would have to be addressed through an increase in the subsidy it gets from the city.

The approved cash fare and token increases will still leave a deficit of $35 million.

In 2015, the TTC received a subsidy of $483 million from the city which equated to about 89 cents per rider.

“We need money from elsewhere and we kind of keep harping on that,” Colle told CP24. “The reality is that transit costs money to provide and we need three levels of government to help us do that.”

Protest held against potential fare hike

As the TTC board met to consider various ways to hike fares Monday, dozens of members of the transit advocacy group TTC Riders held a protest outside city hall.

One member of that group told CP24 that the city should increase the TTC’s per rider subsidy to $1.26 so fares can be frozen and service can be maintained.

The TTC's current subsidy of 89 cents per rider is one of the lowest in North America. In Chicago, the per rider subsidy is $1.86 while in New York it is $1.49. In Montreal, it is $1.11.

“We definitely need more money from the province and the federal government but I think the city can also contribute their fair share towards transit funding,” the protester said. “Right now the subsidy is only 89 cents per rider, it used to be 93 cents back in 2010 and for $1.26 per ride the city can have all of those service improvements and the TTC will not have to raise fares.”

The TTC’s budget initially had a shortfall of $95 million; however the number was reduced to $53 million through a number of cost-cutting measures. The deficit then jumped to its current total of $58.4 million when the budget committee approved a plan to open the subway one hour earlier on Sundays and increase the frequency of express bus service.

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