For reals, y'all.
The unfortunate demographic in the newly minted and approved 5% fare hike are those who don't get annual increases in pay and have to figure out how to cough up the extra $20 or more a month depending on how far they travel.
For some people, it adds up to an additional $250 a year. That's a lot of diapers for those currently parenting newborns.
I'll be straight. The increase stinks. I'll manage but what about families already dealing with tight, household budgets? I balk at the phrase "fair increase". Hell no it's not. There's nothing fair with being slapped with another increase a mere year after one was just implemented.
Boo.
I say we riot. Tonight. At Union. 6pm in the Concourse. Bring your pitchforks.
16 comments:
If I was in the city today I'd join you.
Picket the PRESTO machines! Have a national "will not pay/tap on to GO" day where everyone doesn't/refuses to pay their fare.
What's GO going to do, ticket every single person on a train? They can't even ticket one person without it taking 15-20 minutes.
With the TTC increase and now the GO increase, I am starting to wonder if I should find a job closer to home. I can only absorb so much. No pay increase in 3 years plus hours cut is making the choice more easy. Sorry GO, but you are about to loose another.
Just watch the number of fare beaters increase. Up to 10% of passengers cheat the system.
And to the previous Anonymous, yes we do need to protest by NOT tapping. Of course, GO can't ticket everyone, so by the time the train reaches the end of the line, they wont make it past half the train already
Fill your MPPs' Inboxes with e-mails demanding the MTO reverse the Metrolinx fare increase; copy Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Transportation. State you'll do everything in your power to campaign against the Liberals in the next election. Remember, silence is concurrence. MPP contact information can be found here: http://www.ontla.on.ca/lao/en/members/
And this at the same time the Feds are trying to break unions as well. But we've nothing to fear from business right? I mean, they won't cut to increase profits or tell people their bonus/pay increase is having a job right?
I already campaign against the Liberals. But as devil's advocate, since this is a public service any increase in costs at GO has to come from somewhere, if not fares then it'll come from Provincial taxes.
All part of living in the big city folks, just do what I do and randomly not tap a few days a week.
Ah... um. Mmm.
It's a shame I didn't see this until today. I would have been there, front and center with the torches.
Anyhoodles, I read an article that GO is presenting its case to Metrolinx tomorrow (Wed.) so there is a teenie, weenie, tiny, extremely slim chance that this will be turned down.
But I do know that once this goes through, I have no intentions of paying more. I will just arrange to work from home more often - take myself out of the equation.
I think someone mentioned in the previous post (or the comments from the article): They will end up losing money. Because once they price themselves out of the market their ridership will fall, and no matter how many increases they do, they will not gather enough money.
Plus, one would think that if they are doing this increase based on their new "service guarantee", then they should have learnt how to budget/save their money or guarantee that the trains work and they don't screw up.
GO manipulated the number of PRESTO users by depriving riders of choice. GO drove people to use PRESTO and now they are baffled that people are angry?
GO's sense of entitlement plus their shill games at why trains are late/cancelled, etc makes my head explode! IF Daddy Dalton didn't think it would get his party votes, he never would have insisted on the 15 minute rule. Now GO is saying to everyone "you'll be sorry, we're going to raise your fares".
GO, grow up, wise up and listen to your riders!
The cost of running a transit service (including GO) increase each year. That has to be paid for through higher fares from passengers, higher subsidy from taxpayers, lower service levels, or some combination thereof.
Which do you want GO to do?
What do we want GO to do?
First of all, why should fares be increasing so much faster than general inflation?
Secondly, given that ridership on trains keeps increasing, without the number of trains increasing to match, it's hard to understand why GO doesn't have more money than ever. You can't tell me there haven't been more riders per train when they're becoming increasingly crowded. You can't tell me that having extra people standing in the aisles on each train costs GO extra money to operate. But they certainly do collect extra fares.
No, the suspicion here (or at least my suspicion) is that the cost of implementing of Presto, unasked for and which has been forced up on us with all sorts of problems yet to be resolved, is now being passed along to the customers.
Thanks, GO. Thanks so much. I'm sure Accenture is wallowing all the way to the bank.
GO is experiencing a cash flow problem, as commuters don't have to cough up their $250+ at the first of every month for their monthly passes. I don't have more than $40 on my presto card at any given time. Yes, it's a pain to go to the ticket counter and top up funds every other day, but it's my little way of saying, "Screw you", to GO.
Personally, I prefer the monthly pass. We were able to take a guest with us for free on the weekends. Can we do that with Presto? I haven't looked into it. And what is up with having to wait 48 hours for funds to show on your card if you top up online? Oh yes, I forgot, Presto makes our commute easier.
Also, GO's email mentioned the rise in costs go towards grass cutting and snow removal. So now I'm paying more to have the idiot on the riding lawn mower pelt my car with stones, and the snow removal guy to throw even bigger chunks of salt onto the roof of my car? Please. Just finish me off and charge me for parking already.
Gotta pay for that service guarantee somehow (other than just denying claims).
Diesel prices go up constantly. GO trains run on Diesel fuel...
Each Locomotive holds over 2000 Gallons of diesel fuel... = higher costs = higher fares..
Also Go have recently bought new Coaches from Bombardier, EACH coach costs over a 1 million (compare that with 10 yrs ago, when they only cost $750k, so figure it out..)
more expensive coaches = higher costs = higher fares...
I live on $400 a month, I cant afford GO, so I take city buses all the way from Hamilton To Toronto (takes an average of 5 hours each way, but its FREE, as I'm legally blind) where as, GO is nearly $10 EACH WAY!
When I was working (before my health got really bad), I could have had a decent job in T.O but after transit costs were factored in, it was way cheaper to stay at my smaller job in Hamilton & commute to T.O only when needed..
Post a Comment