With TTC fares
set to rise March 6, tokens are becoming harder to find. I recently
passed through College station where the collector had run out of
both tokens and tickets. Several patrons surrounded one of the token
vending machines, discovering that they were limited to the purchase
of just one token. As some riders try to save money by stocking up
on tokens, the result is greater line ups -- and shortages.
Shanika de
Alwis of Willowdale wrote me last Thursday, describing her
experience that day. “I am a regular TTC patron and have been for
over 25 years. This morning I needed to buy tokens to get on my
daily morning train at Sheppard station. The Harlandale entrance to
Sheppard Station, the closest and most easily accessible one to me,
only accepts tokens -- no tickets, no cash.
“The token
machines were not operating. I was forced to take an additional 10
minutes to get to the (staffed) TTC entrance, along with another
rider. The attendant told me, as he had the previous two customers
and the one behind me, that he had no tokens but could sell us
tickets. He told us if we wanted tokens, we could come back in an
hour.
“I reluctantly
paid cash fare thinking I would buy tokens at my destination. At St.
Andrew's station there were no attendants manning the booths and the
token machines were not operating. My time is very precious. I am a
huge fan of public transit and often encourage friends and family to
use it whenever possible. When the TTC inconveniences and wastes the
time of its diehard riders, it's no wonder ridership is low.”
Sheppard
station has been a problem for a while. After it was reconfigured to
accommodate the new subway line, TTC patrons without tokens or
passes could no longer enter the station from the west side of Yonge.
Those riders who use tickets, especially seniors, are now regularly
inconvenienced by having to walk to the staffed entrance.
The TTC’s
general secretary, Vince Rodo, reports that TTC repair crews did
visit the Harlandale entrance the day after Ms. de Alwis contacted
me, and they found the machines working. Rodo could only surmise
that because the devices are limited to a one token maximum, and
only accept coins, they might appear not to be operating correctly.
Unfortunately,
the machines have not accepted five dollar notes for some time --
well-used fives apparently jam the bill acceptors. What’s more, the
token machines are showing their age. Some will be used for parts,
or moved to busier stations.
As for the
College station fare shortage, Rodo says, “That’s unfortunate...
that’s not we want to have happen. We want to make sure when
(customers) go to collector booths they can either get tickets or
tokens.” Currently, TTC riders are limited to buying ten tokens at a
time. He says, “If people want tokens we sell them to the limit that
we have them, but we always want to make sure we have tickets.”
Are booths
running out of tokens on a daily basis? Rodo replies, “I don’t have
a precise answer, but certainly at the busier stations they seem to
be running out fairly quickly. The demand is exceeding our ability
to supply them.” In the past, token hoarding before some fare hikes
has led to the maximum being reduced to five.
If you ask me,
stocking up is risky -- misplace just one of those little discs, and
you’ve wiped out the savings on 20 tokens. Here’s a tip: Since the
price of the Metropass is not going up, get one and avoid the line
ups. To save even more, sign up before March 5 for the Metropass by
mail, at www.ttc.ca.
Send e-mail to
transit@eddrass.com.
Include address and phone number.