Are TTC fare jumpers getting a raw deal? Councillor wants 'fine equity' with drivers who park illegally

A Toronto city councillor is calling on city staff to look into correcting what she sees as a serious imbalance in fines levied against those who abuse city services.

City Coun. Paula Fletcher's motion, which comes to council today, calls on the city manager to investigate the discrepancy, amounting to hundreds of dollars, between the fines drivers pay for illegal parking and the much higher fines TTC fare jumpers pay.

"These are staggeringly different amounts," she told CBC Toronto. "We're going to see what the city manager has to say about balancing fines."

People caught riding the TTC without paying the proper fare can face a fine of up to $400, she said, while drivers who park illegally typically only face a $30 fine.

Make fare jumpers pay less, illegal parkers more?

Should her motion pass, Fletcher said it would be up to city staff determine whether fare jumpers should face lower fines, illegal parkers should pay more or some combination of the two.

Several transit advocates have praised the idea of lowering fines for fare jumpers on the TTC, however not everyone is on board.

Coun. Stephen Holyday, a TTC board member, is dead set against the move.

"You can't tell me that parking a car in a no-parking zone is the same as hopping a turnstile, or using a child Presto card that doesn't ring up costs," he said.

"Much of our society is built on trust...It's kind of like when someone steals a poppy box from a coffee shop counter: You know there may not be a lot of money in it and it's a theft, but it's even more egregious because it's out there in trust that people are going to do the right thing."

He also wondered whether easing penalties for people who flout the TTC 's rules is a good idea right now, given the number of violent incidents on the TTC in recent months.

"It starts with fare evasion, but it can lead to other things. and I think we're hearing that from the public, loud and clear," he said. "I ride transit myself, and there's definitely concerns over security. So the easiest and most straightforward first step is to support the enforcement of fare evasion. 

"It shows that the rules matter."

Reducing fines 'long overdue': advocate

But TTC Riders, a group that advocates for enhanced TTC services for riders and staff, said that need not be a major concern.

Shelagh Pizey-Allen, the group's executive director, said the idea of reducing fines to bring them more in line with what wayward drivers pay is "long overdue."

"There's people in Toronto who cannot afford the TTC," she said.

On top of that she says, "Sometimes a Presto machine is broken. Sometimes if you're trying to reload your Presto card, there's nowhere for you to do it within walking distance; the TTC just stopped selling tokens. Especially in Scarborough, northwest Toronto, there's nowhere you can reload.

"That huge fine is not fair. Plus it has really serious impacts on credit rating and employment."