The Discounted Double Fare program between GO Transit and TTC customers will be coming to an end this spring, according to Metrolinx.
The program, which was funded by the provincial government, was a three-year agreement between GO Transit/UP Express and the TTC, offering PRESTO card users a $1.50 discount on their fare when transferring between GO/UP and the TTC.
That agreement will come to an end as scheduled, Metrolinx says, on March 31.
READ: Metrolinx To Lower Fares On Short-Distance GO Transit Trips
According to Metrolinx, the provincially funded program cost up to $18.4 million annually and ended up exceeding this allotted budget each year — by $2.6 million in 2018-2019 and by $6.7 million in 2019-2020.
Metrolinx says it has covered the $9.3 million shortfall since the program launched.
Moving forward, the travel agency says it will be bringing forward solutions to help customers "travel through the region using different methods of transit."
In response, NDP transit critic, Jessica Bell, said this is a move that will not "encourage ridership."
"Forcing commuters to dig into their pockets for an extra $.150 a trip is going to hurt the monthly bottom-line for already-squeezed working people."
“No one should be charged two full fares for a single trip to work. But now, due to Doug Ford and the Conservatives’ funding priorities, the entire discount is scrapped. This is just another example of how Doug Ford is taking commutes from bad to worse.”
For a commuter who rides the GO and TTC five days a week both to and from work, this will result in an extra $15 per week and more than $700 annually.
