The TTC is planning to hire additional fare inspectors and deploy them more widely across the transit network, a move the agency says is necessary to crack down on riders who skip out on paying but which critics warn could lead to increased discrimination against users who are low-income or people of colour. In a proposed 2019 budget that will be discussed at a TTC board meeting Thursday, the transit agency outlined plans to hire 45 additional fare inspectors and 22 more transit enforcement officers. The new hires would bring the total number of TTC fare inspectors to 113, and the number of enforcement officers to 73. Inspectors are tasked with ensuring riders pay the proper fare, while enforcement officers, who are designated special constables and have limited police powers, patrol the system for security purposes, sometimes assisting in fare disputes.The extra bodies would not only increase the TTC’s complement of officers, but allow the agency to start deploying fare inspectors on subways and buses. To date, inspectors have mostly patrolled streetcars, in part because since 2015 riders have been allowed to bypass vehicle operators and board at rear doors.The goal of the additional hires is to “provide a more consistent and more visible deterrent to fare evasion,” according to the budget document. Read more:The TTC needs $33.5 billion to keep the system functional — roughly two-thirds of which are unfunded, report saysTTC plans to recommend a 10-cent fare increase in its 2019 budgetOpinion | Shawn Micallef: Politicians who decide on public transit need to know the system. That starts with riding it“The more inspectors we have, the more likely it is you’ll get caught and the more likely you are to pay a proper fare,” said agency spokesperson Stuart Green. The estimated cost of the additional inspectors and enforcement officers, plus three new administrative and supervisory staff, is $4.5 million, according to the TTC.G ...
|
