A proposed TTC fare hike of about 10 cents per token will cost transit commuters about $60 a year — equivalent to the savings drivers realized when Toronto’s new council pushed through a repeal of the vehicle registration tax.

The increased fares, which could take effect Feb.1, and cuts to 48 bus routes during off-peak hours are part of what amounts to an interim budget for Mayor Rob Ford. He plans to use a feast of surplus cash inherited from the David Miller administration to avoid raising property taxes in 2011 and soften the blow of cuts to service.

The staff-crafted operating budget unveiled Monday includes about $23 million in unspecified new user fees, the loss of a library branch and other whittled-down programs.

Though not the bombshell some had expected, it sets the stage for a battle over deeper cuts next year. Ford also threatened Monday to fire managers who thwart efforts to find savings during a wide-scale review to begin soon.

Ford and TTC chair Karen Stintz are saying they’ll do everything they can to prevent a fare increase. But signs at City Hall Monday suggest that commuters should gird themselves to start paying more just three weeks from now.

If the hike is approved by the TTC board at a special meeting Wednesday, cash fares would remain unchanged, but token prices would rise 10 cents to $2.60 and a Metropass would cost $126 — $5 more per month. Senior and student fares would also increase as the TTC looks to raise a futher $24 million in revenue.

Then, in a move critics say contradicts Ford’s promises to maintain services, the TTC plans to reduce late-night, off-peak and weekend buses on 48 poorly performing routes on March 27.

“Public service isn’t just about having clean washrooms; it’s about having the bus showing up somewhere in your neighbourhood,” said Councillor Maria Augimeri, who sits on the TTC board.

Three routes in her ward are being trimmed, including the Downsview Park bus (cancelled between September and May), and late nights and weekends on the 120 Calvington.

“Calvington’s been on its last legs for 20 years. The people who use it are seniors and students. They’re going to be the ones hurt,” she said.

Retiree Kathy Edmonds was already fuming at the prospect of paying $5 a month more for her seniors pass as she waited for the Bay St. bus Monday. But her anger abated slightly when she heard the plans to reduce some late-night service on other routes.

“The Bay St. bus here runs seven days a week until 1a.m. There’s nobody on that bus after 8 p.m. Why are they running those every night until 1 a.m.? That’s a way to save money. It’s just not necessary; you’ve got the subway on Yonge St.,” she said.

Other riders took the news with quiet resignation.

Ryerson student Janice Li said another fare increase means she’ll have to cut back further on small treats such as dinners and movies.

City councillors on the transit commission are expected to discuss the budget proposal and service changes at Wednesday’s meeting.

But that much money will be tough to find elsewhere, said city manager Joe Pennachetti.

“We’ve been working with the mayor’s staff on this since before Christmas. There were options being kicked around, but at the end of the day, we said, ‘We can’t get to zero taxes, for property taxes, without the fare increase,’” he told reporters.

The TTC is projecting a record 483 million rides this year, up from 477 million last year. But the TTC averages only $2 per ride from the fare box, with only 9 per cent of riders paying the full $3 cash fare.

“As we have increased ridership, we have increased costs,” said Stintz.

She downplayed the off-hours bus service cuts, which are projected to save $7 million a year. When the TTC expanded bus hours in 2008 to match the subways, ridership didn’t grow to fill those vehicles, she said.

The cuts will come on buses where there are no more than 12 riders per hour in both directions. In exchange, overcrowded buses will get more service in September.

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The TTC has no plans to limit token sales in anticipation of a possible fare hike, even though it ran into trouble with hoarding before the 25-cent increase in January 2010.

Some hoarding is inevitable, said TTC spokesman Brad Ross. But the smaller fare increase and shorter lead-up time means there should be enough tokens to go around.

“That’s not to say some collectors won’t run out,” he said. But the supply will be monitored closely to avoid those situations.

The proposed city budget gives the TTC $1.4 billion in operating subsidies — $66 million more than last year.

Ford said he wants to see a cleaner, more customer-oriented transit service by Sept. 1.

About $1 million of the increase will go toward making the system cleaner, said TTC chief general manager Gary Webster.

Many of the customer-service initiatives recommended last year, such as more station managers and route supervisors, are already underway. But there’s no word on when the TTC will hire its new customer service executive.

Webster also warned of a looming $2.3 billion TTC capital shortfall in the next 10 years for needed equipment and station modifications.

Meantime, the fare increase will cost transit riders $60 a year, the same amount motorists will save on the vehicle registration tax that Ford eliminated last month.

“You don’t reduce congestion by penalizing transit users,” said Franz Hartmann of the Toronto Environmental Alliance.

Toronto-Danforth Councillor Paula Fletcher said she would not have voted to eliminate the car registration fee if she had known transit riders would be paying more.

“In my ward, 50 per cent of people use transit,” she said. “It looks like public transit is coming up short.”

With files from Daniel Dale and Paul Moloney

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