Mayoral candidate Olivia Chow is promising to make the TTC free after 10 paid rides in a week, an initiative that she says could be paid for with money already set aside in Toronto’s budget. Chow made the announcement near a TTC bus garage in Scarborough on Friday morning. The proposed weekly fare cap marks Chow’s first major campaign announcement since formally launching her re-election campaign one day prior. Chow is also promising to freeze TTC fares for a fourth consecutive year in 2027. “If I am re-elected after you take 10 TTC trips in a week every ride for the rest of that week will be free,” Chow promised, noting that the change would take effect sometime in 2027. “If you take the TTC to work five days a week that means your evening and weekend trips are free. You can take your kids to the library, get your groceries, get to a medical appointment for free or go shopping, see your friends and go to a Jays game for free.” Earlier this month, a monthly fare cap of 47 paid trips on the TTC went into effect, meaning that any rider who pays with PRESTO, debit or credit card, and exceeds that number of paid trips will already travel for free for the remainder of the month. Chow, however, wants to expand the initiative further and has previously asked staff to report back with a plan to lower the monthly cap to 40 trips starting in 2027. The mayoral candidate said that the weekly fare cap would mean that riders who take just three additional trips a week would save approximately $1,000 a year. Chow said the cost of the initiative would likely be covered by the $12.2 million that has already been set aside in Toronto’s budget for fare capping, calling the plan “affordable and responsible.” Chow was asked whether it is realistic to continue to freeze fares and expand fare capping when the TTC continues to deal with lower ridership than it had prior to 2020 but said that she remains “confident” that it can be done. The TTC entered its budget process last year facing a $232-million deficit and needed to withdraw $35-million from a reserve fund, among other steps, to be able to keep fares frozen. “It is my commitment to keep fares affordable,” Chow said. Chow’s announcement on Friday comes one day after fellow mayoral candidate Brad Bradford promised to put a “a permanent, visible police presence inside Union Station” and “raise the standard for safety and cleanliness across our transit system.” Bradford has also campaigned on a promise to make the largely unfunded Eglinton East LRT his top transit priority, and to have “shovels in the ground” on the project by 2030. Fellow mayoral candidate Chris Alexander has so far primarily focused his campaign on the management of the TTC when it comes to public transit. He has promised “a transit safety and performance standard measured and published monthly” as well as “a public delay ledger for every transit project.” Toronto’s municipal election is set for Oct. 26.
