hooray

No more sugar rationing! The war is over.

Breadlines are a thing of the past! Food is plentiful.

TTC tokens become available again!

Now that the Toronto Transit Commission price increase has taken effect, commuters can actually buy tokens again. The price has increased to $2.25, but this is a bargain compared to the $2.75 cash fare many riders were forced to pay because of the recent token rationing policy. Those fancy tokens must be made of gold and platinum for the TTC to be so anal about them!
"Tokens are expensive to produce … we simply don't have enough if everyone stored 100 at home." - TTC chair Adam Giambrone
I am sure that some riders stockpile tokens at the old price. But Giambrone is delusional if he thinks that we all have a few hundred extra dollars lying around to invest in subway tokens. People buy tokens for two main reasons: they can save a bit of money compared to regular cash fare, and they can enter a station via turnstile. (That second feature is really handy when there's a lineup of 50 people trying to buy a Metropass at the beginning of the month -- or when one of the fare booth workers is on break.)

What an interesting approach to running a business: assume your customers are always trying to fuck you over.

I understand that the TTC and the city are in a financial bind. I don't understand why the TTC adopts a backward, indifferent, and hostile plan of business in an era when society would be best served by trying to entice -- not discourage -- people to use public transit.

In Berlin, you can pay your fare at an automated machine that couldn't be simpler to use -- in one of several languages. In Toronto, it's rare to find a token vending machine that's in service. Need a receipt? Visit the fare booth, where you're likely to wait in a long line, while people with transfers and exact change push past you. The fare collector will write you a receipt by hand. Isn't that nifty? Just like 1950!

Confession: I had three leftover tokens, purchased last week. I can assure you it was an inadvertent hoard -- I walked to/from work more than usual, because of the nice weather. I owe the TTC 45¢ -- please don't call the Stasi on me.

Comments

Snooze said…
I like the New York and Boston subway cards. I'm glad though that you clarified the TTC new fares. I was confused as to what had changed.
Dead Robot said…
Brilliant observation about the TTC's business model. Yes, they hate us because we make their trains all dirty and late and there's too many of us. Mwaa!

When that dicktard gets fired for some huge clerical/social error he's made (and he will), I will dance nude at Davisville.
SharkBoy said…
approach to running a business... LOL. Well done.

Stories like this make me glad I walk to and back from work. I'd rather walk in freezing rain than be sardined in and pushed and breathed on and touched...

Hey, now you know another one of my Top 10 Most Hated... hehe
tornwordo said…
This is a good argument for doing some kind of public/private partnership. Unionized government workers = inefficiency.
Butchie said…
Why are you trying to fuck over Toronto, you bastard?
This is why AG borrows UC's daddy's overpriced "Honda" when she's in Ttown.
Miss Thistle said…
I'm one of those customers that gets the Metropass mailed to their house every month. I'm bitter as hell that we're the first to get hit with an increase.
Salem said…
I keep finding the old tokens around the house. You know? the ones they won't take anymore.
Jason said…
Adam Giambrone needs to go back to his paper route.
Mitzzee said…
i wanted to strangle the ticket taker for only allowing me 5 tokens. i was SO MAD
Miss Thistle said…
http://www.criticsrant.com/bb/reading_level.aspx

We got "elementary." LOLZ!
sirbarrett said…
Jason gave me a TTC token the last time I visited and I recklessly spent it on transportation. If I knew how rare they were I would have locked it up in a safe.
Jason said…
If people are hoarding them, then the TTC has already collected money on these 2 cent tokens and presumably that money is sitting in an account earning interest. It's all BS.

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