TTC riders with metropasses may be able to board streetcars from the back as early as January 2015, instead of 2019 as initially planned.
Andy Byford, the Toronto Transit Commission’s CEO, said Friday that he is pushing to institute the honour system on all of the city’s streetcars ahead of schedule to speed up boarding times.
“Why wait, why make the customers wait?” Byford told CP24. “Let’s get on with getting these streetcars through the streets more quickly, getting boarding and alighting happening more effectively. That’s good for transit users, and it’s good for cars and motorists because they don’t have to sit behind streetcars that have to stop for so long.”
On Wednesday, the city released a preliminary report saying that traffic delays on King Street can be primarily attributed to riders who take four to 15 minutes to get on and off the 504 King streetcar. About 250,000 passengers ride the streetcars daily.
The honour system where riders don’t have to show their passes to the driver is already in place on the 501 Queen streetcar route and it will be introduced on the 510 Spadina route when the new four-door streetcar rolls out on Aug. 31. Riders paying with cash, tokens or tickets will still have to board in the front, but they will receive a transfer that they can show as proof of payment to fare inspectors.
Byford is taking his proposal to expand the honour system on all 11 streetcar routes to the TTC’s board for approval on Aug. 19. He defended the system saying it works in other cities when customers understand the benefit is a more efficient transit system, but that more fare inspectors would have to be hired.
“What we will need to do is work out how many additional fare inspectors we will need to cover the whole network to provide that effective deterrent. Obviously that comes at a cost, but we are convinced that that cost can be more than offset by the deterrent effect that gets people to buy their tickets to make sure that everyone pays their way,” he said.
Fare evasion, including counterfeit payments, turnstile-hopping and short-changing, costs the TTC approximately $20 million each year. Although final numbers have not yet been determined, Byford is hoping to hire about 100 new fare inspectors at a cost of $8 million annually.
Riders who get caught for not paying a fare could be fined anywhere from $200 to $400.
Byford recently hired Richard Leary to fill the role of the TTC’s chief service officer. Leary helped implement the honour system in Boston on their Green Line.
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