Ontario’s One Fare programme marks five million transfers milestone

Credit: Metrolinx

Metrolinx has announced that Ontario’s recently introduced One Fare programme, designed to simplify transit and reduce costs for commuters in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), has achieved a significant milestone within a short period since its launch.

Since its debut on 26 February 2024, transit users have utilised the programme to complete over five million transfers between the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and other participating transit systems. 

Through the One Fare initiative, riders benefit from a unified fare system when travelling between TTC and partner services such as GO Transit, Brampton Transit, Durham Region Transit, MiWay and York Region Transit. This allows commuters to pay a single fare for their entire journey, regardless of which combination of transit systems they use.

Adults who commute regularly across these networks can save significantly, potentially up to $1,600 annually, thanks to the streamlined fare structure introduced by Ontario’s One Fare programme.

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The cornerstone of this programme is the PRESTO fare payment system, serving as the universal ticketing solution across the GTHA transit network. Commuters simply tap onto a participating transit agency using a PRESTO card, credit or debit card, or PRESTO in Google Wallet, and the system automatically applies a 100% discount when transferring between eligible services.

Transfers remain valid for two hours on local transit or up to three hours when starting a journey on GO Transit. Notably, for TTC-GO trips, the TTC portion of the journey is entirely free in any direction. Similarly, for trips between TTC and other regional transit (e.g., 905 services), the second leg of the journey is complimentary.

To ensure accurate fare calculations, commuters must remember to tap off when arriving at their final destination, particularly when transitioning from local transit to GO Transit.

The recent milestone of five million transfers signifies the programme’s rapid integration into the daily lives of GTHA commuters, offering a promising outlook for the future of transit accessibility and affordability in Ontario’s urban landscape.