Calgary’s unique $5.05 monthly bus pass for city’s poorest now on sale
When Calgary Transit customers began purchasing their April lowincome bus passes last week, some citizens shelled out just five dollars and five cents for a monthly pass — $38.95 less than what they previously paid and $95.95 off the price of a regular adult pass.
The City of Calgary’s one-of-akind sliding scale for low-income transit passes, approved by council in July, launches Saturday, with sales for the April passes already underway.
“The word is out there and it’s running very smoothly. People are very excited about access to this,” said Katie Black, director of Calgary neighbourhoods.
“Customers who are eligible for the deepest discount will have just under $40 more in their pocket every month.”
Currently, it costs $101 for an adult monthly transit pass and no matter how much a low-income Calgarian earns, they pay just $44 to ride the bus or train every month.
The new sliding scale, believed to be the first of its kind in Canada, offers much steeper discounts, depending on income.
A single Calgarian who makes half of the poverty line (about $12,500 a year), will now pay just $5.05 for a monthly pass.
Depending on how much money they make, other Calgarians purchasing a low-income pass will shell out $35.35 or $50.50, under the new fare structure.
Black said that in the past 12 months, approximately 45,000 Calgarians made use of the lowincome transit pass program and it’s expected many of them will be eligible for the heavily discounted monthly pass.
“We predict, based on last year’s uptake, that just under 50 per cent of those 45,000 are likely to be eligible for the deepest discount,” she said.
For an estimated more than 20,000 Calgarians, that means riding the bus and train all month long for just $5.05.
“It makes a huge difference because, of course, transportation is absolutely necessary for full participation in community,” Black said. “Being able to afford transportation is what allows people to get to work, to get to medical appointments, to connect with family and friends.”
To get a discounted transit pass, citizens can apply to the city’s Fair Entry program online, by mail or fax, or in person at City Hall or the Village Square library.
The sliding scale was made possible after the province kicked in $13.5 million over three years for low-income transit passes last May.
Black said staff are already working to determine how to keep the program running after the provincial funding runs out.