It appears that a reduction in the price of Union Pearson Express fares is having its intended effect with more than half of Torontonians now saying they are likely to use the service.

A Forum Research poll conducted over the weekend found that 51 per cent of respondents say they are either “very likely” (22 per cent) or “somewhat likely” (29 per cent) to use the train when travelling to the airport compared to 45 per cent who say they are “not very likely” (29 per cent) or “not at all likely” (16 per cent) to use the service.

The percentage of respondents who said they were likely to use the service was up 17 points from a similar poll that was conducted immediately before the fare reductions were first announced on Feb. 23.

The fare reductions will see the one-way adult fare for the UP Express drop from $27.50 to $12 for riders paying with cash and from $19 to $9 for riders using a Presto Card.

“It is apparent the price reductions devised by Metrolinx have had the desired outcome, the majority now see the fare as fair and they are now likely to use the service, unlike three days ago," Forum Research President Dr. Lorne Bozinoff said in a press release accompanying the poll.

In addition to gauging the likelihood of respondents using the UP Express, the poll also asked respondents to weigh in on the new pricing for the service.

In response to that question, a total of 51 per cent of respondents said they believe the UP Express is now priced fairly while 32 per cent said it is still too expensive and seven per cent said it is now too cheap.

In the last poll conducted on Feb. 23, 79 per cent of respondents said the service was too expensive while just 14 per cent said it was priced appropriately.

The poll is considered accurate to within four percentage points, 19 times out of 20.