David Beattie
of Scarborough writes, “An extremely big deal has been made in media
about the pending TTC fare increase. This has played a part in
allowing GO Transit's latest cash-grab to slip under the radar.
Unlike the TTC, GO employs a zone-based fare system. A few years
ago, GO discreetly changed its fare increase model to a per-ride
basis, with the average being 15 cents per ride. A rider travelling
from Scarborough to downtown Toronto pays the same fare increase as
one travelling from Oshawa, Hamilton or Barrie.
“In my own
case, I have been paying $130.00 for a monthly GO rail pass from
Rouge Hill station to Union Station. I have learned that GO will be
raising that price to $141.00 per month on March 19. That is more
than an 8% fare increase in just one year. In the last 9 years, the
cost of this pass has increased by over 53%.”
When it comes
to fares, GO has chosen to implement one-size-fits-all increases on
both long and short-distance trips. In October 1995, the minimum
one-way GO fare was $2.30 -- on March 19 it will be $3.30. That’s a
hike of 43% in just under a decade. According to my math, a single
fare between Scarborough’s Rouge Hill station to Union has gone up
36% in that same period. Prices from some stations along the
Lakeshore East line are set to increase even more over the next few
years, to correct past “anomalies” compared to similar trips west of
Toronto.
Long distance
GO train riders have faced a smaller relative increase than those
closer to Union. For example, a ticket from Hamilton to Toronto was
$7.60 in late 1995 to will be $8.60 in a few weeks. That’s up only
13% in 9 years. It seems GO has chosen to suppress the rate of
increase for long-distance fares in order to keep pace with the
competition -- that is, cars.
While driving
costs also go up yearly, GO calculates that there is not such a wide
difference between the expense of a short auto commute and a long
one. Those arriving by car in downtown Toronto pay the same parking
fee, regardless of where they started their trip. Motorists must
consider a mixture of fixed expenses and costs that vary by
distance, and the thinking goes that if long-haul transit trips
increase too much, then GO riders will perceive driving as a better
alternative.
But there are
drawbacks. As the price gap widens between a short GO trip and a TTC
ride, so does the dream of allowing the same fare to apply to both
services. Montreal riders can use a subway or bus fare on the inner
zone of the regional commuter rail service, and transit users in
central Paris can transfer easily between the subway and the GO
equivalent, without paying more. Chicago and New York have also
looked at this possibility. Is this the way to go, or do you think
an across-the-board fare hike is the fairest option?
Send e-mail to
transit@eddrass.com.
Include address and phone number.