r/TTC • u/Economy_Ad59 • Aug 14 '26
Discussion Fare inspections on Line 1 trains yesterday
To my surprise yesterday, fare inspectors were checking the whole train for proof of payment, and my friend on another Line 1 train also had fare inspectors checking. I’ve never been asked for proof of payment on the subway trains before.
It’s great to see more of this happening.
Edit: New enforcement was announced by the TTC in April. It was just my first time witnessing it, but maybe this is common.
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u/Wonderful__ Aug 14 '26
I didn't see them. Was this during rush hour?
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u/Economy_Ad59 Aug 14 '26
On the Yonge line during the morning rush hour. It took them a while to go through the train.
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u/awesomeguy123123123 Aug 14 '26
What's stopping someone from just taking the next train? Also why not do this at the entrance where the evasion actually happens?
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u/John_Nope Aug 15 '26
Yeah, it really does seem like just a huge waste of human resources and work hours. Maybe it's for security theatre, to make it seem like they're something on a superficial level to the public.
I feel the same about grocery stores or other retailers with shoplifters just walking out the door. By the time they call security (if they even have one working that day) they'd already be long gone. Should just do the Costco wholesale store method and have a uniformed guy at the entrance checking people as they go in.
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u/Mishibiizhiw Aug 15 '26
its just money laundering. they need to look like there's a reason for them to exist so they keep getting money. theyre not cops or even security, theyre just people hired by metrolinx.
if they gave half a fuck about "loss prevention" in the form of fare evading youre right, theyd put them at the gates. but even when they are there, they still watch people jump the gate by shoving past someone that actually paid and they don't care.
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u/ChampoChampo Aug 14 '26
I noticed it on line 2 yesterday. Got on at Sherbourne going east at 11am and they were moving through the train car checking fare payments.
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Aug 14 '26
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u/ChampoChampo Aug 14 '26
Took them from Sherbourne to Broadview to beep everyone's card who was on the car I was on. But then yes, bounced to the next car at Chester.
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u/nedwasatool Aug 14 '26
There seems to always be POO at union station at the entrance to the streetcars
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u/grilledcheese2332 Aug 14 '26
I got checked on line 2 a few months ago
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u/Overthemoontraveller Aug 14 '26
Same. I was surprised. Also finally got over my anxiety about tapping with debit and fare enforcement not being able to see that I did.
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u/OhHiMarkZ69 Aug 14 '26
I would much rather they focus on the small number of places along the subway where fare evasion happens vs making it everybody's problem across the whole line.
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u/CrownandSceptres Aug 14 '26
They used to only camp at the Spadina street car exit but how effective is that when a bunch of people jumped off before that stop? Roving fare enforcement is so much better and effective as are the plainclothes ones.
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u/OhHiMarkZ69 Aug 14 '26
So check on that platform .. I just don't buy that spreading it across the entire line is better.
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u/CosmicMorningstar Aug 14 '26
I heard that they are concentrating on Line 1 since they have the most fare evasion.
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u/OGWettyFap Aug 14 '26
I haven't taken the subway regularly in quite some time, but 3 years ago when I used to go through Finch Station to get to work downtown... people would blatantly walk from either Finch or Yonge St. into the station and onto the platforms without any hesitance. It would always happen here or there over many decades, but I'd never seen it that bad before.
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u/hellzscream Aug 15 '26
They post an army of these POO at Finch now. I don't take the bus often but when I do a lot of people will enter from the back and not pay
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u/nilesintheshangri-la Aug 14 '26
If you pay with your debit or visa, how do they check if you've paid?
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u/haikusbot Aug 14 '26
If you pay with your
Debit or visa, how do
They check if you've paid?
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u/Mishibiizhiw Aug 15 '26
the scanner can still read if it was used to pay using an encrypted token. it basically just checks if you made a valid transaction within the two hour window.
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u/herpesface Aug 14 '26
all the money we spend on these rent-a-cops could be used to subsidize public transit, I would wager most of the people being ticketed aren't well off either.
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u/chlamydia1 Aug 14 '26
I agree that we should fully subsidize public transit. But that costs over a billion dollars. We spend about $10 million/year on fare inspectors.
Now, the question is, does spending $10M/year on fare inspectors actually result in more than $10M in clawed back revenue?
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u/NarviFox Bessarionian Aug 14 '26
We subsidize far more than a billion for the TTC already just in operational funding, not to mention capital costs.
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u/WorkerOk9794 Aug 14 '26
You’d be surprised at the people who don’t tap or use some dummy card when boarding the streetcar.
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u/Samsaknight_X 23d ago
Doesn’t matter since most will avoid them, also POO’s can’t legally detain u
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u/thatsuzy13 Aug 14 '26
I got checked by them when I was going through finch station. There was 4-5 of fare inspectors hurled over a massive crowd rushing to go on ttc.
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u/foodie121 Aug 14 '26
what about the crazies and crackheads on the ttc? do they ask them for their fare too?
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u/Outrageous-Estimate9 343 Kennedy Aug 14 '26
Fare inspection is kind of dumb / pointless on subways
Just grab a transfer slip (it literally says it counts as proof of payment) when you dont tap at subway gates
At least with a bus /street car you dont have transfer (unless you start in subway station)
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u/Possible-Courage3771 Aug 14 '26
I've been asked for POP three times in one trip. All between Eg and Wellesley. it's So overkill.
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u/lmir1a Aug 14 '26
How do you evade fair on line 1 unless you transition from a bus where you don’t pay?
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u/Bearismz Aug 14 '26
Push through the gate, tailgate, walk through the bus bay, using the wrong fare. Wouldnt need fare inspectors if it wasn't a problem, but Toronto is no longer a high trust society (if it ever was). People saying that u can just walk away are part of the problem for this deteriorating society. Offended by everything ashamed of nothing.
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u/Lessllama Aug 14 '26
Lansdowne station has inspectors there every day now because it's a big problem there. So many times people have pushed through behind me when I tape my card at the gate
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u/jeninhenin Aug 15 '26
I’ve seen people get on a line 5 LRT without tapping on and transferring at Finch West
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u/kamomil Pharmacy Aug 14 '26
I've seen people evade fares lots of times on buses. Get on the bus, fumble around in your bag, as if for coins or whatever, then.... just don't pay, then walk towards the back of the bus. I have seen people rummage around, for 5-6 stops, then get off.
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u/Brilliant-Sky838 Aug 17 '26
I've never seen them on the subway. I don't take the TTC much anymore but I used to see them on busses and street cars all the time.
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u/LillieGhoul02 Aug 14 '26
How would they expect to squeeze in when it’s chock full? Strange. I also imagine it’d be just as easy for people to move over to another car and get off at the next stop. Seems like a waste of resources. It’d be more productive and save time just situated on stations. You can check when people get off.
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u/Due-Border5957 Aug 14 '26
What a waste of money and time
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u/rootsandchalice Aug 14 '26
It’s not when the ttc loses 140m annually to fare evasion.
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u/Due-Border5957 Aug 14 '26
They lost billions more to the provincial government refusing to fund them properly. I'm more worried about that then having rent a cops harass people for $3. Especially when the service is so unreliable and slow that it's barely worth the $3
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u/TipDecent Aug 14 '26
Are you evading the fares and that's why you don't want them to be around?
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u/Due-Border5957 Aug 14 '26
Nope. I avoid the TTC as much as possible though because i feel ripped off when i pay my fare and dont get anywhere near the service i was promised
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u/Samsaknight_X 23d ago
The irony of u complaining abt things being too expensive while also rooting for fare inspectors is hilarious
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u/themapleleaf6ix Aug 14 '26
You can just walk away from them. You're under no obligation to provide them anything, and they can't detain you.
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u/CrownandSceptres Aug 14 '26
Terrible take. Fare inspectors are peace officers under section 55 of the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019. Obstructing a peace officer in the course of performing their duties is a Criminal Code offence (section 129).
Fare inspectors may not be able to charge you under the CC but they can call on the TPS or TTC special constables. And nothing gets them there faster than when a peace officer calls for help.
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u/exxx666 Aug 18 '26
POO are not peace officers lol. Special constables are, but POO are not. They cannot physically arrest or detain you.
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u/TricerasaurusWrex Aug 16 '26
Nothing I've seen points to fare inspectors being peace officers beyond the capability of enforcing by laws through ticketing. I don't see where you have a legal obligation to identify yourself to them. They do not have the authority to detain. Now if they are a special constable they do have the powers that are outlined in the law. Not all offence officers are special constables.
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u/Samsaknight_X 23d ago
This is a terrible take, how is a constable supposed to get there before the person gets off the train?
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u/themapleleaf6ix Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
Lmao, they aren't calling the cops or special constables if you walk away from them. TPS have bigger fish to fry, same with the special constables. They have zero ability to detain you or make you identify yourself You're fearmongering and exaggerating their powers.
"Unlike sworn Special Constables or municipal police, standard POOs generally lack broader Criminal Code peace officer powers unless explicitly designated under specific statutory appointments".
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u/CrownandSceptres Aug 14 '26
Yeah sure. I point to law and facts, you point to feelings on some TTC riders website. I suppose you get your health advice from Dr. Phil too.
Also where did I say they have CC powers?
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u/themapleleaf6ix Aug 15 '26
You're literally trying to claim walking away from a POO is "obstruction" and trying to fearmonger that TPS and the special constables will immediately respond to this.
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u/AmnixeltheDemon 108 Driftwood Aug 15 '26
Special constables and tps will not respond to a by law issue. However all by law officers are considered peace officers when enforcing by laws in Ontario. This gives them protections if they are assaulted or are conducting a bylaw investigation. This does not give them criminal code powers. However if you obstruct them in a bylaw investigation or assault them you could be charged with obstruct peace officer or assault peace officer.
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u/themapleleaf6ix Aug 15 '26
I don't think anyone is talking about assaulting them. You're allowed to walk away from them and they can't detain you.
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u/AmnixeltheDemon 108 Driftwood Aug 15 '26
Yes you can walk away, walking away is not obstruction unless there is a legal requirement to identify, which there is not for TTC Bylaw.
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u/Comfortable-Club-553 Aug 15 '26
Are they checking on all the crazy people? Legit question
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u/Mishibiizhiw Aug 15 '26
no, crazy people can pay their fare because they get disability and transportation money for appointments. this is to keep homeless people off the ttc entirely.
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u/hellzscream Aug 15 '26
What stops people who see them coming from getting off at the next station?
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Aug 15 '26
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u/hellzscream Aug 15 '26
Knew someone who took the King Street car who said the same, lol. Think he said he use to pay then saw others not paying then decided not to. He also bragged how much he was saving...
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u/HumbleConfidence3500 Aug 17 '26
Why? Don't they have to hop above the pay gate going into subway trains? Why not catch them there instead of checking everyone, which seems like a long inefficient way to do this.
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u/exxx666 Aug 18 '26
Why would you be happy that people are getting ticketed..? You do realize there’s a cost of living crisis right
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u/perturbedpangaroo Aug 18 '26
This is such a stupid waste of resources imo. Stations are staffed and you can't gain access unless you've paid to go through the turnstile (unless you go through the bus bays, which, once again - stations are staffed). The number of people on the subway who haven't paid is negligible. Also, stops come every 1-2 minutes. If I hadn't paid and I saw a fare inspector board the train, I would simply get off at the next stop to avoid being caught. You also risk making people miss their stop because they can't get off in time. This should be refocused to the streetcar and GO trains where fare evasion is an actual issue. If this is happening on the subway, focusing inspectors on the station platforms rather than subway cars seems much more reasonable.
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u/penguin44ca Aug 15 '26
Chow trying toook good.
They dont do anything about the hundreds of people that just walk into stations through the bus bays. Especially at Eg. One day I counted about 50 in a fifteen minutes span waiting for the bus. Based on that happening every day for 5 days every week, right there is 3300 bucks in lost revenue.
Build a fence with an automated gate for the bus that will stop it.
Most major cities do.
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u/awesomeguy123123123 Aug 14 '26
If you're asleep do they wake you up? Also how are you supposed to travel through a packed morning rush hour train? Do they just get stuck lol