Idea Drunk

Because my ideas suck sober

3 Ideas For TTC Funding

Posted on October 31, 2007 - Filed Under ideaDRUNK's ideas

For those of you who don’t know, the TTC is the Toronto Transit Commission. It provides all of the public transportation for Toronto, including subway, streetcars and buses. It is also generally regarded as a typical publicly funded cluster fuck. Coming off of a budget shortfall in 2007, they raised fares for single-rides, but not for passes. The result? Everyone converted to buying passes, as their expected value increased. The TTC was confused that although fares increased, revenues remained the same. Curious.

I was reading an article on a blog that provided a detailed financial analysis of the 2007/2008 financials for the TTC. According to this source, the TTC needs $60 million from somewhere. Instead of begging the government for more money, here are three ideas how they could make some on their own:

  1. Advertising. Stop wasting ad space on self-promotion. Instead of advertising the benefits of riding the TTC to people who are already on it, why not sell this space to someone who will give you money for it?
  2. Vending machines. Why are there no vending machines on TTC property? They don’t cost a lot to maintain. They provide steady revenue. Put some up. You could probably even close a deal with Coca-Cola for exclusivity, like Intrawest did for their resorts.
  3. Events. Host events on TTC property. Instead of kicking people off for organizing free urban cultural events that involve the TTC (subway parties, urban scavenger hunts, flash mobs etc), support them! Organize them and get them sponsored as a means of generating additional revenue. Admittedly, this idea probably won’t generate the most immediate revenue, but the goodwill it builds over time will definitely grow ridership.

Oh, and Adam Giambrone (Chair of the TTC). No problem. I’m sure your cheque is in the mail. Alternatively, you could pay me in monthly passes. Or beer.

- Christian

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