TTC resuming ticketing for fare evasion
Starting March 27, 2023, TTC will resume ticketing customers for fare evasion. Fare Inspectors will focus ticketing on busy streetcar routes in the downtown core. Ticketing will also resume in subway stations downtown, many of which have multiple entry points.
Ticketing is focused on those customers who can pay their fares and choose not to pay, rather than those who are unable to pay. If they do not have Proof-of-Payment, Fare Inspectors will educate the customer and show them how to pay their fare. Written caution notices or Provincial Offence Notices will be issued if the customer does not comply with fare payment. The penalty for not paying a fare may result in a fine of up to $425.
Customers are expected to pay their fare when using the TTC. However, ticketing was suspended in March 2020 in recognition of the hardships that many customers faced at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspections to verify Proof-of-Payment restarted in September 2020 and continued throughout all of 2021 and 2022. In instances where customers did not pay, TTC Fare Inspectors continued to educate people on proper fare payment but did not issue tickets. More than1.6 million inspections were conducted from 2020-2022, with over 47,000 customer interactions.
Fare inspections and ticketing will be carried out using processes and procedures that have been developed and refined over several years. The inspection and ticketing process is designed to be effective at encouraging customers to pay their fares, while being delivered in a fair and unbiased way that inspects all customers equally in a geographic area.
Ways to pay your fare on the TTC:
- Customers paying by PRESTO must tap their PRESTO card or PRESTO Ticket every time they enter a station or board a vehicle on the street, even if they have a monthly pass on their PRESTO card. Their tapped PRESTO card or PRESTO Ticket is their Proof-of-Payment.
- Customers paying by cash, TTC ticket or token must deposit their fare in a fare box at a station or on a bus, or pay at the Fares and Transfers Machine on a streetcar. Customers should take a paper transfer from the transfer machine in the station, from the Fares and Transfers machine on a streetcar or from a bus Operator if they will be transferring at any point in their journey. The paper transfer is a customer’s Proof-of-Payment.
More information on TTC fares and how to pay them.
Demographic Data Collection:
During the fare inspection process, Fare Inspectors will be collecting personal information including demographic data such as racial background, gender identity and age of the person. This collection is being done under the authority and in accordance with the Anti-Racism Act and the City of Toronto Act to help the TTC identify racial disparities that may exist in order to eliminate systemic racism, racial bias and their impacts in transit enforcement practices, processes and decision-making.
The collection of this data is strictly voluntary. If the person does not wish to participate in the process, they may inform the Fare Inspector of their decision and their response will be documented accordingly. Declining to participate in the data collection process will result in Fare Inspectors recording perception-based demographic data in accordance with the Anti-Racism Act and the City of Toronto Act. Access to this data is limited to employees within the TTC’s Special Constable Service and Revenue Protection to support data entry, data analysis or reporting of statistics, and data validation exercises. This data will not be shared or used by the TTC to stigmatize any community.
The TTC is committed to providing equitable transit service, including a fare inspection process that is transparent and accountable. Individuals can request access to this data (de-identified) through the TTC’s Freedom of Information Office. Please visit Access to Information/Freedom of Information (ttc.ca) for additional information.