Ottawa Citizen

OC TRANSPO TO RAISE MOST FARES IN YEAR LRT BECOMES REALITY

- MATTHEW PEARSON mpearson@postmedia.com twitter.com/mpearson78

OC Transpo will mark the longawaite­d opening of the Confederat­ion LRT Line next year by raising transit fares, but low-income riders will finally get a break on single-ride trips.

A year after launching the monthly EquiPass for eligible transit users who live below the low-income cut-off, OC Transpo will introduce EquiFare.

The single-ride fare will cost $1.75, compared to the 2018 singleride cash fare of $3.50.

OC Transpo is aiming to make the new fare available before the end of June 2018, Mayor Jim Watson said Wednesday in his budget address to city council.

The total EquiPass and EquiFare subsidy in 2018 will increase to $3.7 million, from $2.7 million this year.

About 2,600 eligible transit riders per month, based on the last three months, have purchased the EquiPass. That’s lower than what OC Transpo anticipate­d.

If all the money isn’t spent in 2018, transporta­tion services general manager John Manconi said a future city council could decide to give low-income residents an even bigger discount on transit. “They can give us direction to do that,” he said.

Like those who use the monthly EquiPass, riders eligible for the single-trip EquiFare must have a Presto card in order to take advantage of the discount. When they board a bus and tap their card, Manconi said, the system will recognize it as a $1.75 fare.

Regular fares will increase Jan. 1 by roughly 2.5 per cent. The transit levy on next year’s property tax bills will see the same increase.

The cost of an adult monthly pass will climb to $116.50, up from $113.75.

Meanwhile, relief may be coming for rural and suburban residents who have complained about having trouble commuting to work or school because rush-hour buses are often full.

About a dozen routes will be created or expanded in late December. Stittsvill­e, Kanata, Barrhaven, Riverside South, Ottawa south, Orléans and the new Wateridge Village on the former CFB Rockcliffe lands are poised to see new or improved transit service.

OC Transpo will buy 80 new buses for $50 million and spend $9 million on traffic engineerin­g strategies, such as new left-turn lanes, to provide enhanced mobility for buses on the city’s road network.

The transit service will also begin selling multi-day passes for residents and visitors who need unlimited transit travel for a defined three, five or seven-day window.

Para-Transpo will review its eligibilit­y criteria with an eye to expanding the service to persons with developmen­tal or mental health disabiliti­es.

City staff and the accessibil­ity advisory committee will also come up with a spending plan for the $450,000 collected in annual funding from ride-hailing company Uber, which agreed to pay a seven-cent-per-trip surcharge for all completed trips.

New, expanded bus service begins Dec. 27, including:

New Route 17, serving Wateridge Village (former CFB Rockcliffe)

New Route 225 from Orléans and Chapel Hill South New Route 236 from Orléans New Route 278 from Riverside South and Barrhaven

New Route 294 from Findlay Creek

Routes 63/64 in Kanata (increased frequency)

Route 95 (extended to Minto Rec Complex starting Dec. 24)

Route 167 in Stittsvill­e and Kanata (new midday and evening service) Route 234 extended in Orléans Route 235 (shortened to start at Gardenway) Route 252 (extended to Kanata) Route 256 (extended in Kanata) Route 277 (shortened to start at Nepean Woods Station)

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