TTC to resume ticketing fare evaders late next month to combat 'lawlessness,' chair warns

The TTC will once again ticket fare evaders starting late next month, three years after it stopped the practice at the beginning of the pandemic.

The policy change is spelled out in a report that will go before the TTC board meeting Tuesday. The report says the system is losing 13 per cent of its revenue per month to fare evasion and staff say it's particularly bad on streetcars. 

Board chair Jon Burnside said the shift is part of a return to regular operations as the transit system pushes to revert to pre-pandemic norms.

"It's really important that we get back to normal and that's enforcing rules," he said.

"There's a bit of a sense of lawlessness, I think, that's going on in this city. And even the simple things like paying the fare on the TTC is an important first step to addressing that."

The TTC has 110 fare inspectors and approximately half have been on special assignment to "support safety efforts," according to the report going to the board. Those inspectors will return to their regular duties by the end of March when ticketing resumes. A ticket for fare evasion on the TTC costs $235. The move follows a 10-cent fare hike the TTC board approved last month as well as service cuts on some routes.

'Culture change'

Prior to the pandemic, inspectors issued an average of 1,800 provincial offence notices a month. But those numbers are expected to change as the TTC implements a "culture change" to combat systemic racism and to address concerns about bias in fare evasion enforcement.

A 2018 incident where a young Black man was forcibly detained by three TTC fare inspectors on a streetcar platform led to investigations by the city's ombudsman and auditor general. Those watchdogs recommended a number of changes the TTC is implementing, including anti-racism and bias training for inspectors, establishing a new office to police the fare inspectors, and shifting the fare recovery strategy from focusing on ticketing to fare payment. 

"Due to the culture change that Revenue Protection is undergoing, with a goal to focus on preventing fare evasion through education and customer information, it is anticipated that the number of tickets issued will decrease significantly," the TTC report says

Burnside said the resumption of ticketing will be done with care.

"We can't target groups, whether it's by age, sex or race, it has to be very transparent, very fair." he said. "And everyone needs to know what the rules are."

TTC inspectors to wear body cameras, use new technology

The TTC will also be rolling out two pilot programs to make its fare enforcement system more transparent. Approximately 40 fare inspectors and special constables will be equipped with body-worn cameras to record their interactions with riders. Another 30 officers will pilot mobile ticketing equipment, which is aimed at speeding up enforcement.

Burnside said the work will need to be done long-term to shift the current rider culture and ensure everyone is paying their share.

"There's a lot of lost revenue which then translates into either higher fares or reduced service for everyone, which, of course, is a huge issue for many Torontonians," he said.

Cioun. Stephen Holyday, a member of the TTC board, said resuming ticketing should not be viewed as a way to increase revenue, even at a time when ridership hasn't rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Restoring a sense of fairness to the fare system is part of ensuring its integrity, he said.

"I think part of all of this meshes with people's perception and sense of safety on the transit system," he said. "That is strongly linked to a sense of order, a sense of respect for the rules, and enforcing the rules."

Shelagh Pizey-Allen, spokesperson for an advocacy group called TTCRiders, said the resumption of ticketing will have a negative impact on people who can least afford to pay. Instead, the city should be going after the upper levels of government to support the transit system and fill the funding gap created by low pandemic ridership.

"The real [fare] evaders of our transit system are the provincial and federal governments who still haven't contributed," she said. "They're going after the wrong people. It's inequitable and it really criminalizes poverty in our city."