Proposal

The city of Toronto has had several conflicts with its transportation system. The TTC as of recent has increased its fares despite the economic downturn. We plan on analyzing whether this increase in fares is an ethical decision made by the commission or an exploitation of its helpless riders. In just under 5 years, the TTC fare has increased its fares from $2.50 to $3.00, with plans for further increases in the near future. Today’s economic downturn has caused millions of layoffs, thousands of bankruptcies which directly affects the hundreds of thousands that ride the TTC daily. The TTC has been known for its unreliable services and frequent service outages, these constant issues are concerns for its daily riders as it has a tremendous impact on their daily living.

A fare hike on top of underlying issues with the TTC would only further enrage its already unsatisfied customers. TTC riders responded to the fare hike with 31,000 complaints between January 1 and November 30, 2009, a 15% increase from the previous year. One major concern for TTC riders is the unsatisfactory management of the transportation company as it continues to increase fares. The team will look at potential ways TTC could have avoided this increase in fares, how this increase in fares has affected daily users. 