Why should we pay more for transit when we get less?
Henry Paikin asks why we should pay more than other cities and get less.
For too long, transit users in Ottawa have felt the pinch: on one side, underwhelming service and reliability; and on the other, an ever-heavier burden on the wallet. Despite the long-awaited — and thrice-delayed — launch of Ottawa’s light-rail Confederation line, the city’s transit still doesn’t meet what citizens from the capital city of a G7 country should expect.
Nevertheless, the city once again bumped up fares in October with one standard ride now costing $3.60. Another fare hike is set for January.
In Toronto, the price is $3.25. In Montreal, it’s $3.50.
Why should we pay more than other Canadians while receiving less? Enough is enough. It’s time for a fair fare.
Considering that transit in Ottawa doesn’t nearly meet expectations, the road to a fair fare starts with a fare freeze. The City of Ottawa should ensure transit service meets the standards that its riders expect before asking for more from its users.
As all Ottawa residents will know, the need to increase reliability is essential.
Furthermore, if the LRT is to meet the needs of users and indeed make transit faster, more efficient and more functional, bus connections need to be more predictable.
In short, that means more buses and more drivers, as well as better digital communication of cancellations and delays. If Uber can do it for its riders, why can’t a transit system do the same?
On the other hand, drivers and buses made unnecessary by the LRT should be reallocated to make improvements to areas underserved by current routes, such as Para Transpo, communities with more than one transfer to an LRT station, bus routes that only run every 30 minutes or more at peak times or bus routes that are most frequently cancelled.
Moreover, a fair fare for some might not be fair for others.
OC Transpo is right to offer discounts to people with lower incomes. But if the EquiPass was made to broaden access to affordable transit, it’s clearly falling short: the number of pass holders is dramatically less than the number of people eligible.
The city and OC Transpo estimate that about 8,800 people in Ottawa are eligible for the pass, but they sell an average of just 2,600 passes each month. This is because the EquiPass remains too expensive for those struggling to pay their bills. Moreover, the process of applying for an EquiPass is a bureaucratic nightmare: a process that takes more than a month and requires applicants to submit lengthy forms, tax returns and pay stubs. This red tape is a barrier for the vulnerable people whom this program is designed to help.
To start, OC Transpo should commit to reducing the cost of the EquiPass to make it more affordable. It should also set stronger targets for boosting the number of passholders. The application process should also be simplified, rewriting the form with clearer language, as well as providing more options to prove low income, such as a letter from a shelter or community service provider.
Finally, any real plan for affordable transit will rely on increased ridership: an essential component to any urban climate plan. City councillors voted to declare a climate emergency in April. But nowhere have we seen how the city intends its transit system to meet this challenge.
We know that an integral part of any climate plan is an expanded, cheaper and more accessible public transit system. The city needs to make its short-term and long-term plans — with strict timelines — known for how its transit policy will meet the challenge of confronting this crisis.
Such a strategy should consider how much to cut fares to reach peak ridership; how much to increase the price of parking for (non-electric) cars; where more pedestrian-only spaces might be created; how to move toward a zero-emissions, electrified fleet; as well as how to expand transit in high-density, mixed-use areas of the city.
Making public transit meet the needs of citizens is no easy task. But no longer can it continue to rely on ever steeper fares. Unlike the price of parking, transit fares have increased over the last decade at a rate greater than inflation. As is often the case, this is more a question of priorities than whether or not the city has the money.
OC Transpo knows there’s a problem. Its recent decision to put more buses back on the road since routes were cut is a positive sign. But this is still a temporary fix. OC Transpo management needs to sit down with communities and figure out how to make bus routes work for everyone.
In the meantime, transit users shouldn’t be paying a penny more. We deserve better, starting with a fair fare. Henry Paikin is a board member of Ottawa Transit Riders, the city’s leading non-partisan, membership-based advocacy group, working to make Ottawa’s transit system more affordable, reliable, accessible and safe for users. Learn about its work at www.ottawatransitriders.ca.