At its meeting, Thursday, December 3, 2015, the Metrolinx board of directors approved GO Transit’s proposal to raise its fares, starting Monday, February 1. By increasing fares, GO says, it can “continue to provide a high level of customer service while improving and expanding service to meet increasing ridership demand.”

The board also agreed to slightly reduce the fares from the current amount for passengers using PRESTO fare cards.

GO is freezing fares for short-distance trips. This means adult single fares will not increase between $5.30 (the minimum GO fare) and $5.69 for a passenger paying with a paper ticket. Short-distance fares for children, students and seniors also remain the same as currently.

Since GO fares vary, depending on how far each passengers travels, the cost for a single adult ride, when using a paper ticket would increase incrementally:

• no increase on the minimum fare of $5.30;
• a 40-cent increase on fares between $5.70 and $6.50, increasing the range to between $6.11 and $6.90;
• a 50-cent increase on fares between $6.51 and $8.25, increasing the range to between $6.91 and $8.75; and
• a 60-cent increase on fares greater than $8.25.

From Union Station, for example, the minimum fare only applies to a trip along the 01 Lakeshore West line to Exhibition GO Station.

Fares between $6.11 and $6.90 apply, for example, to train trips from Union Station:

• along the 01 Lakeshore West line to Mimico, Long Branch and Port Credit GO Stations;
• along the 09 Lakeshore East line as far east as Rouge Hill GO Station;
• along the 21 Milton line line as far west as Cooksville GO Station;
• along the 31 Kitchener line as far northwest as Etobicoke North GO Station;
• along the entire 61 Richmond Hill line to Richmond Hill GO Station;
• along the 65 Barrie line as far north as Maple GO Station; and
• along the 71 Stouffville line as far northeast as Agincourt GO Station.

Fares fares between $6.91 and $8.75 apply, for example, to train trips from Union Station:

• along the 01 Lakeshore West line to Clarkson and Oakville GO Stations;
• along the 09 Lakeshore East line to Pickering and Ajax GO Stations;
• along the 21 Milton line to Erindale, Streetsville and Meadowvale GO Stations;
• along the 31 Kitchener line to Malton, Bramalea and Brampton GO Stations;
• along the 65 Barrie line to King City and Aurora GO Stations; and
• along the 71 Stouffville line to Milliken, Unionville, Centennial, Markham and Mount Joy GO Stations.

Fares greater than $8.75 apply, for example, to train trips from Union Station:

• along the 01 Lakeshore West line to Bronte GO Station and beyond;
• along the 09 Lakeshore East line to Whitby and Oshawa GO Stations;
• along the 21 Milton line to Lisgar and Milton GO Stations;
• along the 31 Kitchener line to Mount Pleasant GO Station and beyond;
• along the 65 Barrie line to Newmarket GO Station and beyond; and
• along the 71 Stouffville line to Stouffville and Lincolnville GO Stations.

Bigger discount for PRESTO users

PRESTO fare-card users continue to pay less than paper-ticket users. GO is increasing the starting discount for using PRESTO. This means that PRESTO users actually pay less in February for short-distance trips than they do now because GO is not increasing those fares.

For adults, the discount increases to 11.15 percent off the single adult paper ticket fare for rides 1 to 35 — a bigger discount from the current 10 percent off. For rides 36 - 40 and for rides 41+, the discounts remain the same.

GO will update its fare calculator shortly so you can determine how much you’ll be paying to ride after February 1.

GO is also using a similar scale to increase fares for children, students and seniors.