Ottawa’s public OC Transpo service will be going free next month as a goodwill gesture designed to make up for recent disruptions.
During the month, fare Boxes and Presto card readers on OC Transpo buses will be shut down and covered, while fare gates at O-Train stations will be opened. The program also extends to Para Transpo. The transit agency will not be selling monthly passes for December or charging those with monthly Presto card subscriptions.
Public transit services often offer free nights during the holidays, especially on New Year’s Eve, to accommodate the increased need, with these offers often promoted through brochure printing and local news, but the Ottawa program has a specific impetus and is intended as a one-time measure.
Mayor Jim Watson proposed the free-fare program this September as a response to recent difficulties with the O-Train service, with the City Council later giving the plan its approval. The effort will cost $7.2 million in lost fare, which will be covered by light rail transit builder Rideau Transit Group, and it is expected to save each monthly fare holder $122. The effort is also intended to encourage Ottawa citizens to visit local businesses and attractions that are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
OC Transpo’s free fare program will go into effect on December 1 and end on December 31. It will apply to all bus and train routes.
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