On the heels of the success of lower fares for short distance trips, we’re testing the impact of extending that offer to more people. So, hello Kennedy station.

An 18-month pilot project will see the cost of taking a GO Transit trip from Scarborough’s Kennedy Station to Union Station reduced to the lowest fare available, $3.70, when customers use their PRESTO card.

Fares for trips between Kennedy GO and Exhibition will also be lowered as part of the pilot.

Kennedy station is the perfect place for this test as the TTC’s Line 2 stops at Kennedy, Line 3 starts at Kennedy and GO trains also have a stop at that station.

Transit in and around Canada’s largest city often complement and count on one another. The fare initiative is intended to ease congestion on the TTC at the Bloor-Yonge transfer during peak periods as commuters head into downtown Toronto.

The fare pilot kicks off tomorrow (Nov. 23).

“We’re a connected region and we understand that helping our customers make easier and timely transit connections can make all the difference in their experience,” said Mark Childs, chief marketing officer for Metrolinx. “This trial recognizes how our systems can work together.”

Childs added that while Metrolinx advances projects like the Ontario Line and GO Rail Expansion that will offer significant relief in the longer term, the transit agency wants to help make a difference now.

The price of the 16-kilometre trip would fall from $4.75 to $3.70. It’s the second fare drop for the Kennedy to Union Station run this year, after a reduction from $5.65 to the $4.75 last April.

It’s not the only news to come out of Kennedy station in November. Earlier this month, hourly train service was introduced on weekends at the stop in addition to hourly weekday midday and evening service and approximately 30-minute peak-period service.

Customers at Kennedy GO can use on-site devices to purchase tickets or add value to their PRESTO cards.

The changes are designed for customers using Kennedy station to make quick trips in and out of Toronto, during all times of the week. That means holiday shopping for a specific designer purse, catching the new Star Wars movie downtown, walking through Union Station as it’s dressed for the season or getting to a Leafs game – and back home again – is now more affordable for travellers.

That includes TTC riders who would like to now step aboard a GO train.