TTC facing $72.6M shortfall despite fare increases, higher parking rates
'Looking at service cuts' if city does not cover the difference, CEO Andy Byford says
You'll pay more to park at TTC stations and hop on your train or bus, but don't expect any more vehicles servicing Toronto's busiest routes in 2017.
CEO Andy Byford broke down the TTC's proposed $1.954 billion budget Monday at a committee meeting, where Toronto city councillors had their first chance to question its spending.
Byford told the budget committee that under his plan service will neither expand nor be cut, but the TTC still faces a shortfall of $72.6 million — though city officials say the shortfall is actually $51 million, a difference owing to the way the TTC classifies a recent purchase of bus batteries.
A previous operating budget overview placed the shortfall at $77.4 million.
The TTC has already announced it will raise fares next year — a move it expects will generate some $28 million, even though it may result in a slight decline in ridership — and the budget shows parking rates will also go up between $1 and $2, depending on the lot.
Coun. Gord Perks asked Byford what would happen if city council couldn't make up the rest of the funding the TTC needs.
"We would have to go back to where I didn't want to go, which is looking at service cuts," Byford responded.
Byford, pointing to last week's subway shutdown, said maintaining the TTC's aging facilities gets harder and costlier every year. Meanwhile, the agency is still working on five "mega projects," including the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension.
Etobicoke parking problems
Etobicoke Centre Coun. John Campbell said commuter parking is already a problem in his area. Unless the TTC does more to increase parking at stations like Kipling and Islington, he said, many "may just decide to forgo the TTC."
Campbell said he hopes council will find a solution to the budget shortfall that doesn't involve service cuts. However, he warned the gap is "not insignificant."
In addition, the TTC has seen a huge increase in demand for its WheelTrans service and Byford said there could be over one million more rides in 2017. That increase is being driven by a provincial directive that will allow people with cognitive issues to use the service as well as those with physical disabilities.
Improving the service, "requires a significant amount of capital," Byford said.
Cooler subway trains
Byford, responding to questions from Coun. Mike Layton, said this budget wouldn't be able to alleviate the crowding seen at some stations, but it would bring some relief, as all trains on the Bloor-Danforth line should have working air conditioning next summer.
The TTC believes there will have been 539 million rides on the system by the end of 2016.
City council will vote on the TTC's budget, with potential changes, in early 2017.