by Isaac Wurmanntransitpass-4

Ottawa is one step closer to a more equitable transit system with the announcement of a low-income bus pass in the 2017 draft budget. The “EquiPass” will cost $57 per month, and comes after years of work by anti-poverty activists.  

Just ahead of the Nov. 9 budget announcement, about 50 people rallied outside city hall in support of the reduced-fare pass. “No more than 41,” cheered the crowd, referencing their demand that the pass not cost low-income riders more than $41.25/month.  

“Ultimately, we would have preferred to have seen it come in a little bit less expensive,” said Trevor Haché, a board member of the Healthy Transportation Coalition and one of the rally organizers, after the budget announcement.

The budget announcement comes just ahead of next year’s increase in OC Transpo fares. As of Jan. 1, 2017, Ottawa transit users will be paying $112.25 for a monthly pass. Student passes will increase from $84.25 per month to $84.75 per month, while the senior pass is estimated to remain stationary at $42.75 per month. The EquiPass will be introduced in April 2017.  

Linda Lalonde, co-chair of the Ottawa Poverty Reduction Network, pointed out at the rally that for people working minimum wage jobs, about 14 hours per month will go towards the increased cost of the monthly pass. “That’s two days out of twenty that are working just to pay your transit,” she said. “I guess you’re not supposed to eat.”

Tina Ford of the Ottawa Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) drove home the importance of affordable transit for low-income people in Ottawa. “I do not have a transit pass because I cannot afford one,” said Ford, who is a single mother and is on Employment Insurance. “I have to walk to where I want to go, which includes groceries, hospital appointments, going to church.”

Another demand by speakers at the rally was that there be a single fare option for low-income riders who do not use transit frequently enough to justify buying a monthly pass. Although it was not included in the draft budget, Haché said he is working with the mayor’s office to see if a low-income single fare option can be implemented in this budget cycle.

Also at the rally were city councilors Catherine McKenney, Tobi Nussbaum and Mathieu Fleury. McKenney spoke to the crowd, saying it is “morally incumbent upon us to provide affordable transit for everyone.”

Moving forward, Haché said the groups that have paved the way to a low-income pass will be focusing their efforts on securing money from the province to lower the cost of the pass. “We see this definitely as a very positive first step in the right direction,” he said.

This article was first published in the Leveller Vol. 9, No. 3