Monthly fare capping took effect on the TTC on September 1, and it changes the basic arithmetic of riding transit in Toronto. Once you have paid for 47 trips in a calendar month using the same card or device, every trip after that is free until the month rolls over.
There is nothing to sign up for. The system counts your taps automatically, and the cap applies whether you ride the subway, a streetcar or a bus.
How the cap works
The count runs on a single payment method, so all 47 trips have to be tapped with the same card or device. The TTC says the cap applies to PRESTO cards, PRESTO in a mobile wallet, Interac debit cards, and credit cards including their mobile wallet versions.
Keep tapping after you hit the cap. The free trips still have to be validated, and a tap is what proves you paid your fare if a fare inspector asks.
At the current adult PRESTO fare of $3.30, reaching the cap costs $155.10. That is roughly two trips a day for 24 days — a typical commuting month for someone who takes transit to work and back five days a week, with some room to spare.
What is gone, and what is still worth buying
Monthly passes for Youth, Adult and Senior riders have been discontinued, along with the Youth and Senior 12-Month Passes. Fare capping replaces them.
Two products survive, and the TTC says riders who use them should keep doing so because they still work out cheaper: the Adult 12-Month Pass and the TTC Post-Secondary Monthly Pass.
One thing to watch if you pay with a bank card. Tapping an Interac debit or credit card charges the adult fare of $3.30 regardless of who you are — youth, senior and Fair Pass discounts are only available through PRESTO. Riders entitled to a discounted fare are better off keeping a PRESTO card, where the youth fare is $2.35 and the senior fare is $2.25.
What the TTC says
“This is another way the TTC is committed to making the system more affordable, convenient and reliable,” TTC chief executive Mandeep S. Lali said in the agency’s announcement.
The change lands alongside the TTC’s back-to-school service increases, which took effect the same week as students returned to class.
Sources: Toronto Transit Commission news release, September 1, 2026; TTC fares and passes.
