TTC Fares Just Went Up Again Despite Recent Violence & Complaints Of No Cell Service

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has been under the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons over the last several months, after several incidents of violence that have led to growing fears of safety on public transit in Toronto.

Despite these ongoing concerns, and some newer ones, such as the need for cell phone service on the subway, TTC fares have just gone up again.

Effective April 3, 2023, single cash fares on the TTC increased by 10 cents.

This planned TTC fare hike was announced at the beginning of the year by former Toronto Mayor John Tory, who argued the increase is "well-below" inflation and also referenced the fact that TTC fares didn't change for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still, it's hard to ignore the poor timing of the increase, which comes days after the shocking murder of a 16-year-old boy who was randomly attacked at Keele Subway station.

With this latest incident of violence still fresh in many peoples' minds, others are also calling on big telecom companies to come together to give TTC users cell phone service while they're underground.

It's hard to ignore these concerns of safety or a lack of cell service nowadays, with nearly every social media post by the TTC filled with comments about these ongoing issues and nearly every TTC service alert on Twitter regarding a "security incident" getting much more attention than usual.

The TTC fare hike for 2023 was included in part of the city's $53 million investment in Toronto transit, which was focused on expanding service and improving safety for riders and TTC employees.