Transit Platform for Ward 5: Reliable, Accessible, Public Transit for All

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Protect public ownership and public accountability

The TTC is Canada's largest transit system, moving 1.3 million linked trips per weekday and 2.5 million total daily boardings across buses, streetcars, and subways. Public ownership ensures that decisions about fares, service levels, and safety remain accountable to residents, not private shareholders.

Privatization risks:

• higher fares
• reduced service quality
• fragmented operations
• weaker accessibility for low-income riders
• diminished public oversight

Transit must serve people, not profit.

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Address immediate transit challenges in Ward 5

Ward 5's transit issues are visible and urgent. These challenges disproportionately affect seniors, people with disabilities, and residents on fixed incomes.

Abandoned and damaged bus shelters

Despite the TTC operating 195,000 weekly service hours, many Ward 5 shelters remain broken or removed, leaving riders exposed.

New stops without shelters

Newly relocated stops lack seating, lighting, and weather protection: a serious accessibility barrier.

Snow removal and winter accessibility

Inconsistent snow clearing around bus stops and sidewalks prevents seniors, wheelchair users, and parents with strollers from safely reaching transit. This is not simply an inconvenience. It is a mobility barrier.

My commitments

• A Ward 5 audit of all bus stops and shelters
• Immediate repair or replacement of abandoned shelters
• Mandatory shelters for new stops where feasible
• Coordinated snow removal between City divisions and TTC
• Priority clearing for stops serving seniors' buildings, schools, and community hubs

Transit access must be safe year-round.

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Restore reliability, safety, and rider confidence

Safety: a core TTC metric

The TTC tracks safety through monthly indicators including:

• customer injury incidents
• lost-time injuries
• reported offences against customers
• reported offences against employees

My platform strengthens these areas through:

• increased staffing presence
• improved lighting at stops and shelters
• modernized emergency communication systems
• crisis-response partnerships
• operator safety measures
• infrastructure upgrades to reduce platform-level risks

Reliability: essential for ridership recovery

Ridership in mid-2024 reached 79 to 80% of pre-COVID levels, with weekend ridership at 91%. Reliability is central to restoring weekday commuter confidence.

My commitments:

• increased service on high-demand bus routes
• predictable schedules
• reduced crowding
• State of Good Repair investments

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Strengthen equity-focused transit planning

Transit is not only a transportation issue. It is a social-equity issue.

My platform evaluates all proposals through an equity lens:

• Does this improve access for low-income riders?
• Does this support seniors and people with disabilities?
• Does this reduce barriers for single parents and shift workers?
• Does this improve mobility for people with mental-health challenges?

This aligns with TTC data showing 1.2 million daily bus boardings, demonstrating how bus-dependent neighbourhoods like Ward 5 rely heavily on accessible, reliable service.

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Build strong intergovernmental partnerships without losing municipal autonomy

Toronto needs sustained provincial and federal support for both operating and capital needs.

My platform supports:

• multi-year funding agreements
• federal and provincial contributions to major capital projects
• collaborative planning that respects municipal priorities
• protection against conditional funding that limits Toronto's autonomy

Partnerships must empower the City, not constrain it.

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Expand transit access and affordability

Affordability is central to equitable mobility.

My platform supports:

• fare programs for low-income residents
• expanded discounts for seniors, youth, and people with disabilities
• integrated regional fare systems
• targeted affordability measures for riders facing financial hardship

Transit must be accessible to everyone, regardless of income.

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Feasibility of lowering fares for seniors

Lowering fares for seniors is practical and administratively feasible.

• Operational feasibility: high. The TTC already administers discounted senior fares.
• Administrative feasibility: high. PRESTO can implement fare changes quickly.
• Policy feasibility: moderate. The TTC's dependence on fare revenue means reductions must be offset by external funding.
• Financial impact. Lowering senior fares reduces revenue, but seniors represent a smaller share of total ridership. Ridership increases among seniors could partially offset losses.
• Governance position. Lowering fares for seniors is feasible but requires provincial and federal operating support to avoid service cuts.

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Funding needs for a stronger transit system

Operating funding needs

• Increased provincial operating support
• Federal transit stabilization funding
• Dedicated funding for bus service improvements
• Resources for safety staffing and crisis-response partnerships

Capital funding needs

The TTC's capital needs include:

• shelter replacement and installation
• accessibility upgrades (ramps, tactile surfaces, elevators)
• emergency communication modernization
• fleet renewal (including 138 battery-electric buses, the largest fleet in North America)

Fiscal governance principles

• transparent reporting
• prioritizing repairs and accessibility
• aligning investments with ridership recovery
• protecting municipal autonomy

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Align transit with housing, climate, and community planning

Transit planning must support:

• housing stability and anti-displacement measures
• climate goals and emissions reduction
• walkable, accessible neighbourhood design
• community safety and public-realm improvements

Transit must support complete, connected communities.

Accessibility

Accessibility across the system

• The TTC has 156 elevators across 70 stations, with new elevators added in 2025 at Christie, High Park, Lawrence, Rosedale, Summerhill, and Warden.
• 315 escalators support station accessibility.
• 171 accessible bus and streetcar routes connect to subway and LRT services at 311 transfer points.

Implication: Ward 5's missing shelters, snow-blocked sidewalks, and damaged infrastructure undermine accessibility despite citywide progress.

Operating funding

Operating funding, according to sources from the City and TTC

• TTC revenue passengers (fares collected) average 1.29 million per business day.
• Total daily revenue passengers including transfers: 2.5 million.

Because the TTC relies heavily on fare revenue, fare reductions (including senior discounts) require offsetting operating support from the Province and Federal Government.

Summary

Summary platform statement

Transit is a public good that must remain publicly owned, publicly operated, and publicly accountable. In Ward 5, abandoned shelters, missing infrastructure, safety concerns, and winter accessibility barriers demand immediate action. Toronto needs sustained investment, equity-focused service improvements, and respectful partnerships with provincial and federal governments, without sacrificing municipal autonomy. Safety, affordability, reliability, and fiscal responsibility are essential to rebuilding ridership and supporting the residents who rely on transit every day.