Bulk Public Transit

By: Noah

Many Torontonians seeking quick, easy and environmentally friendly access to the various corners of our city turn to the TTC for public transportation.  It's snaking maze of subway, bus and streetcar routes truly makes the city feel smaller and more like a community.  Unfortnately for many of us, the $3 price tag on the service makes it a little less of an attractive ride.  Now we all knew that it wasn't going to be cheap going green, so in the eyes of Positive Pete let's just say: at least it's lower than the $10-$35 you could spend on a taxi ride!  And ceratinly it's faster than walking - and safer (most of the time) than riding your bike.  In the end, it is an undeniably responsible form of alternative (albeit expensive) trasportation when you're trying to be eco-conscious.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen countless TTC strikes - which seem to primarily render me late for work or exams, and do little in the ways of increasing efficiency or customer service - inevitably wind-up in another dreaded fair-hike.  I still remember the days when $1.65 got you onto the streetcar (these were in my days of high school hangouts at Much Music mind you, but I remember them fondly).  Unfortunately this past Fall, after yet another strike, we all faced the stark reality of a $3 subway ride.

Well Shit.

Now I might not be the brightest penny in the fountain, but I certainly felt that way when I stumbled upon what I figured was the TTC’s best kept secret: 

Tokens people.  Tokens.

Unbeknownst to many TTC riders and metropass purchasers, Tokens can actually be bought considerably cheaper than the $3 one would have you believe.  Toss a $20 into the token dispenser machines found at most of your major subway stops, and it will spit out 8 tokens.  And $25 to the booth operator will grant you 10 tokens.  That sounds like a $2.50 ride to me

Now granted, you’re saving less than a buck a ride, which doesn’t amount to much; but if you think about it over the long-run, say with 10 rides in a month, maybe 25 rides over the summer, or even 50 rides over the entire year, suddenly you’re saving $25.  Which means that just buy purchasing in bulk, you’re getting 10 free rides!

Why not start a stash of tokens in your wallet, purse or back-back?  This way, instead of scrounging for quarters late night on the way home from the bar, or when it’s pouring rain outside and you can’t ride to work, you can just dip into your pile of tokens, saving you money, and time and keeping you enviro-friendly.  Biking and walking might be better according to momma earth, but TTC rides are certainly the lesser of two evils if you compare it with Taxi rides or driving your own car, so we might as well make it more affordable.

I know this isn’t the most revolutionary discovery since quantum mechanics, but it does help justify taking public transit, and it also makes it considerably easier.  Buying things in bulk always ends up saving you money, whether it’s food, clothes, electronics, whatever: there always is a price break.  In the case of public transit, it works just the same.  Cheap tokens on an anything-but TTC ride saves you green in all shapes and forms, and if I really sat down and thought about for a few minutes, I’d estimate that riding the subway in  this fashion has probably saved me upwards of $100 over the past 2 years.

Jealous anyone?