In recent weeks, some of the TTC’s fare inspectors have been working undercover as part of a crackdown on riders who don’t pay their fair share.
Since Dec. 4, the city’s transit agency says some inspectors have been patrolling the system and issuing tickets in plain clothes in an effort to reduce some of the $140 million lost to fare evasion yearly.
That work was captured on video and shared to social media on Sunday after a fare inspector questioned a rider on a Queen St. streetcar in Leslieville who was unable to provide proof of payment.
The woman was then kicked off the streetcar after explaining that she paid earlier during her trip, to no avail.
Fines for fare evasion can range from $235 to $425. However, that money goes to the courts and not directly to the transit agency, the TTC says.
According to the TTC, this is the second new fare evasion initiative implemented in the fall. It was previously tested in 2018 and re-introduced in mid-November with plain-clothes inspectors educating riders who haven’t paid their fare.
“While the TTC receives considerable operating funds from the city, we rely heavily on the fare box to support our operations,” TTC CEO Greg Percy said in a recent news release.
“When people don’t pay, that impacts our ability to increase service and keep fare prices low. We prefer all customers pay for their rides rather than issue tickets. At the same time, we have to let people know we’re serious.”
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During the undercover work, the fare inspectors will carry identification and have body-worn cameras to record their interactions with riders.
The TTC says inspectors will continue to use discretion and only hand out tickets to people who willfully evade paying their fare.
The agency added that it began eliminating the no-tap fare gates at subway stations in September and collectors were redeployed to assist riders who require help with gates.
Fare evasion includes entry into a subway station through a bus bay without paying; entering a fare gate without paying (including pushing a gate, hopping over a gate, walking behind someone, or holding a gate open; boarding a bus, streetcar, or Wheel-Trans vehicle, including contracted vehicles without paying; and using a fare type that you do not qualify for such as a child, youth, senior or post-secondary student fare.