Ontario Liberals will slash all transit fares across the province to $1

Tackling affordability, gridlock and climate change by taking 400,000 cars off the road

May 2, 2022

TORONTO – Steven Del Duca has announced that an Ontario Liberal government would slash transit fares to $1 per ride on every transit line in Ontario, reducing gridlock and greenhouse gas emissions while making life more affordable for Ontario families.

“Ontario is gripped by an affordability crisis and families expect their government to act. Ontario Liberals have a better plan. Our plan will provide families with immediate relief within the first 100 days of being elected, by slashing the price of transit to a buck-a-ride,” said Del Duca. “Under our plan, someone hopping on the GO train from Oakville to head in for a Blue Jays game will save nearly $20 on their round trip. And a commuter taking the GO from Whitby to Toronto would save more than $300 dollars a month.”

“Ontario Liberals are offering a choice,” Del Duca continued. “With the Ford Conservatives, Ontario gets billions wasted on one highway that won’t be completed for a decade and will not make a difference on commute times. With our Ontario Liberal plan, people will get immediate relief for their commute and in their wallet.”

The fare reduction would apply to every transit system in Ontario, including municipal transit, all GO Transit services, and Ontario Northland service – with the provincial government fully replacing transit systems’ lost revenue, ensuring no municipal government is impacted by this decision.

Transit ridership in Ontario has yet to recover from the pandemic. Reducing fares to a “buck-a-ride” will attract both new and out-of-practice transit commuters, making their journeys to and from work quicker, less expensive, and less stressful.

“Unlike Doug Ford’s broken promise of ‘buck-a-beer,’ we will deliver ‘buck-a-ride’ for all transit riders,” Del Duca added.

Key facts:

Our plan cuts the cost of public transit fares on all networks across Ontario to $1 per ride and $40 for monthly passes until January 2024.
Buck-a-ride is estimated to take an average 400,000 cars off the road each day.
A Liberal provincial government will fully replace transit systems’ lost revenues under this plan, ensuring no municipal government is impacted by this decision.
This plan is estimated to cost about $710 million in 2022-23, and about $1.1 billion in 2023-24.
We’ll also invest an additional $375 million in annual transit operating funding – supporting more routes, extended hours of service, improved accessibility and more intercity connections.
We will make all public transit completely free for veterans.
The lowest priced beer on the LCBO website is $1.65.