Ontario fare integration program used 35M times in 1st year [Video]

More than 35 million trips were made using Ontario’s fare integration program during its first year, according to data from the provincial government.

In February last year, the Ford government launched its OneFare plan and promised to eliminate the barriers for commuters switching between transit systems in and around Toronto.

Commuters changing from services like the TTC to MiWay or York Region transit used to pay a new fare for each municipal boundary they crossed — or when they switched to the GO train and bus network.

The new plan did away with the second fares, charging customers a single fare and reimbursing transit agencies for the funds they should have collected.

If a rider started on the TTC and then switched to a Brampton Transit bus, for example, they would only pay to ride the TTC and the government would reimburse the Brampton transit agency.

Figures from the Ministry of Transportation show the program quickly took off, with 35 million rides in …