METRO Magazine Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Toronto's '25 Budget Freezes Fares, Increases Frequencies, Safety

The $2.8-billion combined operating budgets for both the TTC conventional system and Wheel-Trans represent a 6.5% increase over the approved 2024 budgets and ensures safe, reliable, and affordable service for TTC customers.

January 13, 2025
Toronto's '25 Budget Freezes Fares, Increases Frequencies, Safety

The TTC's recommended 2025-2034 Capital Budget and Plan of $16.395 billion is $5.1 billion higher than last year's Capital Budget and, represents the largest funding increase since 2019. 

Photo: TTC

3 min to read


The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) board approved its 2025 operating and capital budgets that freezes fares for the second straight year, adds the most service in a decade, improves system safety and cleanliness, and invests more than $16 billion in long-term capital projects.

The $2.8-billion combined operating budgets for both the TTC conventional system and Wheel-Trans represent a 6.5% increase over the approved 2024 budgets and ensures safe, reliable, and affordable service for TTC customers.

Ad Loading...

2025 TTC Budget Highlights

Highlights of the 2025 budget:

  • Freezes TTC fares at 2023 prices.

  • Allocates $33 million to preserve and build on service increases made in 2024 and address rising demand on weekends and evenings, as well as challenges posed by road congestion. The overall increased service hours will match pre-pandemic levels.

  • Increases Wheel-Trans funding by $14.2 million to meet the rising demand.

  • Establishes a pilot project on 11 routes across the city to reduce bunching and gapping of vehicles in real-time through enhanced on-street route management.

  • Funds operating and maintenance costs for the opening of Lines 5 and 6 in 2025 as well as full-year operations on the Line 3 SRT bus replacement service.

  • Creates a new subway stations management pilot program to add more staff and improve cleanliness at six priority locations (Scarborough Town Centre bus terminal, and Kennedy, Dundas, Finch, Spadina, and Lansdowne stations).

"I want to thank our Board and Mayor Chow for supporting considerable investments in our operations and long-term projects," said TTC CEO Greg Percy. "Bringing more customers to the TTC requires a system that is safe, reliable, and affordable, and these budgets accomplish that."

The additional investments reduce the TTC's SOGR funding backlog by almost 50% from $8.2 billion by 2033 to a projected $4.3 billion over the next 10 years.

Photo: TTC

Budget Increase 

The recommended 2025-2034 Capital Budget and Plan of $16.395 billion is $5.1 billion higher than last year's Capital Budget and, represents the largest funding increase since 2019. 

Ad Loading...

Almost $4.9 billion of the increase is dedicated to crucial unfunded state-of-good-repair (SOGR) work, such as track safety and reduced speed zones and projects to make all stations accessible.

The additional investments reduce the TTC's SOGR funding backlog by almost 50% from $8.2 billion by 2033 to a projected $4.3 billion over the next 10 years.

Highlights include:

  • 55 replacement subway trains on Line 2 with the recently announced $1.5 billion matching Federal and Provincial funding ($2.3 billion total project cost).

  • Investments in approximately 700 eBuses and 950 charging systems totaling $1.2 billion over the next five years, with a total project cost of approximately $2.4 billion.

  • Bus, Streetcar, and Subway fleet overhaul programs directly resulting from the $500 million funding provided through the city’s reallocation of the Gardiner/DVP funding.

  • Targeted station/transit priority investments of $15 million over 2025 and 2026 to improve station conditions and aesthetics; to pilot a public address system upgrade and station lighting LED retrofit at six key stations and install red paint treatment on existing city roads, intersections and TTC stations to improve transit priority and safety and support fare compliance at station entrances.

     

More Management

Cover photo for Guiding Star mentorship program
Managementby StaffMarch 24, 2026

STAR Transit, ITLC Team Up on Workforce Mentorship Initiative

The Guiding Star Mentor Program connects experienced operators with new employees to support onboarding, retention, and long-term career growth.

Read More →
A TTC subway station.
Managementby News/Media ReleaseMarch 24, 2026

TTC Launches Five Research Projects to Drive Transit Innovation

In collaboration with Toronto Metropolitan University, five new projects aim to improve TTC operations, infrastructure, and rider experience.

Read More →
Denver RTD non-English speaking pins.
Managementby StaffMarch 23, 2026

RTD Launches Multilingual 'I Speak' Buttons, QR Decals to Expand Rider Language Access

RTD is distributing 1,500 buttons in Spanish, Amharic, French, Arabic, Oromo, Swahili, Italian, Nepali, German, Hindi, Farsi, and American Sign Language. Employees can volunteer to wear them on their shirts, hats, lanyards, or other visible items, in accordance with uniform standards. 

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Managementby StaffMarch 19, 2026

People Movement: The Latest from TARTA, STV, and More

METRO’s People Movement highlights the latest leadership changes, promotions, and personnel news across the public transit, motorcoach, and people mobility sectors.

Read More →
A BART railcar
Managementby StaffMarch 19, 2026

BART Monetizes Empty Parking With New Online Leasing Tool

BART began offering select parking lots to non-BART riders to generate new revenue to help address its FY27 $376M operating budget deficit brought on by remote work.

Read More →
MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber sits with a customer service employee and takes calls.
Managementby Elora HaynesMarch 19, 2026

Transit Agencies Nationwide Celebrate 2026 National Transit Employee Appreciation Day

Agencies across the U.S. honored transit workers on March 18, recognizing the essential roles they play in keeping communities moving daily.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Cover for METROspectives with Inez Evans Benson
ManagementMarch 18, 2026

Inez Evans-Benson on Leadership and the Future of Transportation

Drawing on decades of industry experience, Evans-Benson offered insights into the differences between the two, along with tips for better customer engagement and more.

Read More →
An RTC of Washoe County bus driving down Virginia Street.
Managementby StaffMarch 18, 2026

Keolis Lands 3 Contract Renewals

The renewals include continued operations at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida; the PRTC in Virginia; and RTC Washoe in Nevada.  

Read More →
A MARTA employee using the new Better Breeze fare ticket machines.
Managementby StaffMarch 17, 2026

MARTA’s New 'Better Breeze' Fare System Nears Launch

The new system introduces tap-to-pay, touchscreen kiosks, and updated Breeze cards, with both old and new systems running through May.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A wide angle view of two MTA buses with three people walking between them.
Managementby StaffMarch 16, 2026

Proposed Auto Insurance Reform Would Save New York’s MTA Millions Annually

The governor’s proposed auto insurance reforms could save the agency $48 million annually by limiting payouts in crashes where buses are not primarily at fault.

Read More →