Fare evasion costs TTC $61M, FEb. 22

There is a simple solution to all the Toronto Transit Commision’s worries about fare evasion and the expense of hiring enforcement officers. Provide free TTC service to all.

The savings of fare collection and enforcement would be substantial. Ridership on the TTC would increase. This would reduce carbon emissions from private vehicles, as more people would use public transit.

It would also reduce people’s expenses, as they would not have to pay for parking and related auto expenses. It would also encourage employment and the happiness of people, who would be able to afford to work at underpaid jobs.

Of course, the TTC would have to greatly improve service because of the increased ridership but that has to happen regardless.

I realize there would be backlash from those who never use public transit. But there are many examples of taxpayers paying for services they do not use, like public education and medicare.

And many of those drivers will turn to the TTC when they realize they will not have to pay the exorbitant parking fees, gasoline and insurance rates of driving to work — not to mention avoiding the stress of rush-hour traffic.

John Sakal, Etobicoke

Many ways to reduce fare evasion on the TTC, Keenan, Feb. 23

Edward Keenan believes trying to eliminate fare evasion on the TTC could be counterproductive. He theorizes that taxpayers lose if we pay $70 million on fare enforcement to eliminate a $60-million problem.

Think positively. To me, a $10-million loss is still better than a $60-million loss. Besides, a strenuous enforcement incorporating strenuous fines may substantially reduce the problem with even lower costs.

Walter Krystia, Toronto

Stop the big fare rip-off, Editorial, Feb. 24

Of course, nobody likes freeloaders. But your ‘carism’ is showing: the real freeloaders are the single-occupant vehicles throughout the city.

They are very well subsidized by taxpayers — one estimate from Vancouver put it at $2,700 per vehicle per year. If we had full user pay, or even user pay at the same level as our transit system, that would generate about $2 billion each year in extra taxes.

One clear example is having freeways like the Gardiner sucking up massive sums of tax money, but with no user pay, unlike both the GO and TTC. Or the Don Valley Parkway, which is so inefficient as a people mover that we should be looking at it as a site for the relief subway line.

Also, sometimes the system, including Presto, is broken — who should pay for that?

The city is also keen on stifling competition from the bicycle, by refusing to provide the safe paths for people to travel longer distances — and this must also include the hazards of the streetcar tracks, still uncounted in the city’s bike-crash stats.

It’s good to pay a fair share, and user pay does help with appreciation and respect for a service, but the Star has taken a limited view of what the real problems are and who’s taking from whom.

Hamish Wilson, Toronto

TTC wants to charge for congestion, Feb. 25

Yes, the TTC should charge developers for additional transit necessitated by lane closures. But a city our size needs a variety of revenue tools.

Another excellent choice is a modest levy on commercial parking lots. This would be a fee, paid by lot owners, on non-residential parking spaces. Experts say it could generate $175 million annually. That would mean more bus and streetcar service — giving us cleaner air and less congestion.