How is the TTC performing?

It seems that we only here two basic messages from the TTC:

1. How great and efficient the system is.
2. How badly they need $$$$$$$$$$$.

Well - we did a little digging into some basic measures. Since 1998 as least, it appears that a big part of the TTC's money problem is it has become 'fat and lazy'. At least one other transit system is doing much better. Let's look at the measure of cost/rider:

TORONTO - TTC

Operating cost/rider
1998 = $1.81
2004 = $2.23

A gain of 23.2%

MONTREAL - STM

Operating cost/rider
1998 = $1.61
2004 = $1.82

A gain of only 13.0%

Now the CPI from 1998 to 2004 rose 14.7%. So Montreal found efficiencies in their system - and costs rose slower than inflation. On the other hand, the TTC costs rose faster than inflation - and a good deal so. You could say that the TTC was finding inefficies and exploiting them.

How much could have been saved?

Well, if the TTC even kept costs in line with inflation - i.e. had operating cost/rider only grown at the rate of inflation, the operating cost would have been 15.3 Cents per rider lower.

At 420 million riders, this would have saved the system $64.4 million in 2004 alone.

Now, if the TTC had been looking for and finding efficiencies (as had their colleagues up in Montreal), the savings would have been $77.2 million in 2004 alone.

You can buy a great deal of transit equipment for that type of money. $77.2 million a year for a decade is $772 million. This is not chump change.