Updated: Tue Aug. 26 2008 1:26:51 PM

ctvtoronto.ca

The TTC is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to start charging Metropass holders for parking at its TTC lots.

TTC chair Adam Giambrone says the lots are simply too expensive and the money can be better spent on new services.

"What we're looking to do is use the money that we're currently spending on our parking lots to improve bus service," Giambrone told CTV News. "Because right now every TTC rider, regardless of whether they park or not, is paying part of their fare, so fares are higher because we're subsidizing parking for a very small number of people."

While thousands of commuters park their cars at the 16 TTC lots around the city, according to Giambrone it doesn't make financial sense.

"We have 13,500 parking spots and they contribute to around 1 million rides per year. So we get 465 million and only 1 million come from our commuter parking lot. Those lots cost us just over $6 million every year and that's a lot of money."

If the commission votes in favour of charging for commuter lots, the cost of parking is expected to vary from $2.00 to as high as $6.00 depending on the market rate and demand in the area.

While some argue that removing the free parking perk will push some commuters to drive downtown, increasing congestion in the city, Giambrone believes any increase will be balanced by other improvements.

"This year we're expected to get somewhere around 10 to 20 million new rides because of our new service increases. That's way more than the 1 million that we have parking in all the parking lots in all the workdays across the year."

If the commission does vote in favour of charging for parking, it is expected to take at least 6 months to implement the change.