Plainclothes fare inspectors now patrolling TTC to curb fare evasion

Plainclothes fare inspectors have been deployed across the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)'s network to crack down on fare evasion.

The TTC announced that, as of Wednesday, some of its teams will patrol the system without their uniforms to issue tickets to those riding transit illegally. That said, all plainclothes inspectors will carry identification and wear body cameras to record customer interactions.

"Inspectors will continue to use discretion, whether in uniform or plainclothes, to ensure tickets are predominantly issued in cases of willful evasion," the TTC said in a news release.

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Stuart Green, senior communications specialist for the TTC, confirmed to CTV News Toronto via email that plainclothes fare inspectors will be piloted until mid-January. Green pointed out introducing these fare inspectors was one of the recommendations put forward by the auditor general in 2019. As per the report, "it enables a more accurate assessment of fare evasion rates and a more effective inspection program."

The transit network said it first tested this method in 2018 before reintroducing it three weeks ago, with plainclothes inspectors educating those who hop on-board without paying for their fare. Doing this, the TTC says, is just one more step in shrinking the estimated $140 million the service loses annually to fare evasion.

"While the TTC receives considerable operating funds from the City, we rely heavily on the fare box to support our operations. When people don't pay, that impacts our ability to increase service and keep fare prices low," interim TTC CEO Greg Percy said in Wednesday's release.

"We prefer all customers pay for their rides rather than issue tickets. At the same time, we have to let people know we're serious."

The TTC noted tickets for fare evasion range between $235 and $425 depending on the nature of the evasion, with the fine money going to the courts, not to the transit network.

"Really it's about getting the people who are willfully evading the fare, robbing the system of the $140 million," Green told CP24 on Wednesday afternoon.

"Through a number of inspection techniques we can determine who's paying, who's not, if they're able to pay, and then sort of do a different kind of enforcement, whether it will be a ticket, or an education, or a warning. There are a number of different options available to us, but we've really revamped our whole system to make sure that it is fair and equitable to everybody." 

This is the second new fare evasion initiative the TTC implemented this fall, with the first being the elimination of "no-tap" fare gates – entrances typically next to collector booths – at subway stations in September. 

Plainclothes fare inspectors 'a mistake'

Transit advocacy group, TTCriders, slammed the transit network's move to deploy plainclothes fare inspectors, calling it a "mistake."

"The TTC should be a welcoming public service for everyone. Plainclothes fare inspection is a mistake that will fuel conflict and an environment of mistrust that could be abused," Shelagh Pizey-Allen, TTCriders' executive director, said in a release on Wednesday afternoon.

"The TTC has an open payment system. Does the TTC really expect transit riders to hand over their credit and debit cards to strangers claiming to be fare inspectors?"

Instead of plainclothes fare inspectors, Pizey-Allen suggests using streetcar 'greeters' to make commuters feel safer and encouraged to tap on without stoking fear and mistrust. She said the move also raises concerns around racial profiling, saying enforcement staff "have a track record" of doing so.