You can read the GO staff report here. (.pdf) If you don’t want to read the whole report, here are the highlights:

• The GO staff report explains that, like most transit systems in North America, the decline in the national economy has impacted ridership and revenues of local transit systems and that GO’s operations have not been immune to this slowdown. With stabilized riderships and ongoing increases in costs, Metrolinx’s operating budget is under increasing pressure to maintain fiscal balance.
• To meet the goals and objectives that Metrolinx established in its business plan for 2010 / 2011, GO must generate more fare revenue of about $14.6 million. It proposes to do so by introducing a flat fare increase 25 cents for each trip. It will equalize the discount rate for 10-Ride tickets and the Monthly Pass. Across the system, fare discounts are at varying rates depending upon the point-to-point distance that each passenger travels.
• Staff recommend that GO set the price of a 10-ride ticket at 7.5 percent off the price of buying 10 tickets. The price for a monthly pass would be 17.5 percent off the price of 40 tickets (the usual number of travel times in a month). Student discounts would be set at double this amount.
• Staff also propose to top up by $3 the regular fare for the rail excursion weekend service to Niagara Falls to cover the higher than usual operating cost of that service. (Higher costs result from extra staff for promotion, customer service and arranging for equipment to accommodate bicycles.)
• Fare revenues cover a high proportion of the cost of operating GO services, with subsidies for the Province of Ontario providing the balance. GO traditionally has recovered 85 percent of its operating costs from revenues. Although the number of people riding GO Transit trains and buses has increased by 24 percent since 2003, in 2009, ridership remained stable, at the 2008 level. The lack of ridership growth and increases in operating expenses during the past year means that, even with this flat-fare increase of 25 cents for each trip, fares and sundry revenues will provide just over 81 percent of the cost of operating the service. A provincial subsidy will support the balance of $72 million.
• Equalizing multi-ride discounts will standardize the price of an adult 10-ride ticket at a discount rate of 7.5 percent. (Rates now range from 7 to 9 percent). The price of monthly passes will be set at a discount rate of 17.5 percent from 40 adult single rides. (Rates now range from 15 to 20 percent). This change will provide equitable discounts for all trips, regardless of length.
• With the the 2010 / 2011 business plan, GO intends to improve service in several ways, including more rail trips and bus services, maintaining new passenger and operating facilities and a significantly investing in improving customer service.
• Students will receive double the discount of multi-ride adult tickets. GO will set the cost of 10-ride tickets, which now vary from 15 to 19 percent, at 15 percent to or from any zone. It will set monthly passes, which now vary from 33 to 42 percent, at 35 percent to or from any zone. Seniors and children will continue to receive 50 percent off the price of an adult fare ticket, whether it is a single ride, 10-ride or monthly pass.