to railway stations across Canada. Upon launch, one-way fares on the UP Express between were $27.50, or $19 with a Presto card. By 19 June 2015, the Union Pearson Express was averaging about 3,250 riders a day, or 12 percent capacity. Metrolinx has projected that a year after opening, the service will attract 5,000 riders a day — about 1million customers. By 2020, Metrolinx expects about 2.46million rides per year will bring it up to full operating cost recovery. The UP Express uses an honour-based proof-of-purchase system, in which customers must carry a pre-purchased UPX ticket or an already tapped Presto card, contactless credit card, or mobile wallet while on board the train(s) and must be presented for inspection upon request. Failure to do so can result in a fine. However, ridership declined in the service's opening months. Ridership in August 2015 was 17 percent lower than in June 2015 and a further 4 percent lower in the first two weeks of September. Ridership ended up averaging 2,300 per day during a four-week period in September 2015, a drop of 29 percent since June. The service needed about 7,000 riders per day to break even on operating costs. A report in February 2016 showed a drop in monthly ridership from the summer to 65,593 rides (just over 2,100 per day) in November 2015. This led Metrolinx to start considering price adjustments to boost ridership numbers. By January 2016, average ridership slumped further to 1,967 passengers per day. Fares were reduced on 9 March 2016 to $12 for a one-way trip between Union and Pearson, or $9 with a Presto card. On the first day of reduced fares, staff counted 5,300 boardings with 40 per cent of the riders being first-time UPX users, 83 per cent being air travelers and 17 per cent being commuters. By June 2016, the daily average ridership had risen to 7,657, and a new record was set on 29 July, when the service carried more than 11,000 passengers. However, the fare reduction has lowered the total revenue collected by the UP Express, which is expected to be below what is required for its operating costs. It was revealed that since opening day to March 2016, the UP Express' provincial operating subsidy totaled $39.3million or about $52.26 per ride. In July 2017, the most recent month for which patronage data is available, the UP Express carried an