From 3 cents to $3.25: a brief history of TTC fare hikes

On Monday, the TTC board voted to hike its cash fares for the second straight year, and the sixth time since 2010.

The 25-cent increase aims to help address a massive budget shortfall in 2016.

Mayor John Tory even suggested an annual fare increase, sure to be a unpopular proposition.

The 2016 cash fare rises to $3.25, while a token increases to $2.90. It’s a far cry from the early days of the Toronto Transportation Commission, when a ride cost all of three cents.

Budget shortfalls are a perpetual problem for the TTC; it’s been nearly 50 years since fares last covered operating costs, and provincial subsidies disappeared in 1996.

Here’s an abbreviated history of price hikes and other events in the TTC timeline.

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