Updated: Mon Jun. 29 2009 11:15:52
ctvottawa.ca
OC Transpo bus riders are going to have to dig a little deeper in their pockets to pay for a bus ride as the city hikes transit fares beginning Canada Day.
All fares with the exception of cash fares are going up on Wednesday. The price of bus tickets will increase from $1 to $1.15. O-Train fares are also set to jump 25 cents to $2.50.
Those who hold bus passes will also see the cost of a regular adult bus pass increasing by almost $4 per month. An adult express pass is rising by $5 per month. The cost for yearly bus passes and Park and Ride permits are also on the rise.
Bus riders who still have orange and green OC Transpo bus tickets are also being warned their tickets won't be accepted as of Wednesday. However, transit users can visit an OC Transpo sales centre to exchange their expired tickets for their face value towards the purchase of new yellow bus tickets or a new bus pass.
Ottawa's transit committee says the fare hike is necessary to cover the cost of fuel and labour, as well as expanding the city's transit service.
Comments are now closed for this story
Patrick, Ottawa and fustrated OC Rider.
They are making up for the strike money they lost and the payments they promised the workers.
What a load of crock.
BlahBlah
Yay,the government found another way to take more money from us... wohoo.. goo government take all our money and we will just sit back and watch you rob us blindly.
Steve in Vanier
"The fare hike is necessary to cover the cost of fuel and labour, as well as expanding the city's transit service."
The labour is the primary reason. As we discovered during the strike, the bus drivers are exorbitantly overpaid. Fuel costs are lower now than they were a year ago.
Robert Ottawa
I would think that they should be lowering fares to get riders back after the strike this winter. Just proves that they don't actually care about their riders just their pockets
Spud Lite
This is certainly the best way to sell mass transit to the Ottawa populace - especially after the misery of the transit strike! Way to go, guys!
jay
Robert
So you would perfer the tax payers cover the fees.
Bruce from Ottawa
What a slap in the face. Nevermind this nonsense, I'm buying a new bike.
garth
Man, OC Transpo sure does suck.
Rick bus boy
Thanks Ottawa, this price hike will show us we really needed to help out the auto sector and buy cars that are getting cheaper with all their deals on now.
If the winter strike didn't lose enough riders, this hike will add some more and send many buying cars.
Maybe the city of Ottawa could give us tax payers a rebate on our new car purchases, since they can't seem to understand what they are doing anyway, it should be a fast sell to get it pass at a council meeting.
So what should a bus fare cost when we get our trains?? Well let see, in about 10 years if we are luck to ever get the trains, at $0.15 increase per year times 10 years = $1.50 per ticket which we need 2 to travel. At $1.15 ea now, plus $1.50 for future hikes for at total of $2.65 x 2 tickets to travel =$5.30 to board the bus/train, can't wait.
Instead of getting cars off the roads in the city, we will be adding more due to people that have NO idea of what they are doing on city council.
Lee
This is a good example that Ottawa's public transportation system is unreliable, unfair, and unreal. The government wants the people to go green and give up their cars. On the other hand, they let bus and train users become the biggest victims!
Tom in Orleans
inflation almost 0%
Fuel prices down $80.00 per barrel so it is cheaper to fuel the buses than when this change was approved.
Buses that leak everytime it rains
For that we get to pay 15% more
Only Alex Cullen can come up with justification
morten
One thing the strike should have taught all of Ottawa, if the story comes from City Hall do not expect any truth.
Expect the explaination that they think you will accept. Please continue to send manokins to city hall as counsellors.
Wages, and really wages at OC transpo were predicted to decrease with the changes forced by Mr. Baird as the costs will be covered by reduced over-time.
Fuel costs have declined by at least 25%.
Money paid as fare is dedicated to general revenues, your fare is paying for busses, roads, libraries, arenas, council vacations, etc....
Remember these are the manokins that suspended discussions on transit service, during a strike, to tackle the critical point of how many of them would go to Whistler for a week.
These are the manokins that supported "Former" Mayor Larry O'Brien, 100% to break the ATU and ignore the needs of their community.
Shall we discuss who was really selfish?
Chris
While OC Transpo is claiming that Orange and Green tickets expire on June 30, the Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations says otherwise.
Tickets were bought and sold at an agreed to price. Deliver the service.
"The lowest price is the law!"
JR
Expanding the service? Is that why I now wait up to 15 minutes for a 95, even during weekday peak hours? Or why my 7 is now often a no-show?
Great, I now get to pay more to stand in an overcrowded bus... if it shows up, that is.
How Unjust A Rip-Off By Transit Committee
Ottawa has the highest Transit Fares in North America, and after a 2 month strike, I saved a total of $18.00 on March Senior Bus Pass. Another money grab !!
To make matters even more insulting my Property Tax portion of $97.50 for 2 months of service ,where we had "No Service" is simply
never addressed and forgotten !!
Federal Arbitrator is still trying to resolve last Contract issues,and July is upon us with no "New Contract"??
Cornellier has been re-elected for another 3 years, and ATU 279 membership might not approve last agreement on "no more strikes" in the Fall ??
Even though we have excellent service, the OC Management, City Council and the ATU 279, are far from being on the same page and
lack vision, while constantly shoving anything down our throats !!
Have a nice summer !!
Robert Cyr
jt
morten
First he is not the former mayor he is still the mayor.Second yes the demands by the atu at first could be seen as beeing a bit much.
U student who lost 1/2 my yr & lots of $$$$$$
great so everyone who lost their job last winetr because of the strike - can just fork out more money to pay the salaries of these lazy bums!!! their union should be run out of town!!! drivers make what $20 plus an hour??? probably more .... i know a heck of ALOT of people in Oshawa or Windsor that would take their jobs & do it for 1/2 that pay....... they should all be fired & the city go down the unemployment line to recruit people who are glad to work
James H.
OC Transpo increases fees non stop while the quality of service goes down non stop. Time for us to stop getting pushed around and start pushing back. City Councillors just got an increased budget to spend on useless things, maybe they should fork it over.
We should start charging everyone who runs a car in Ottawa. The fees to operate your car in the city could help cover the bus fee increases instead of screwing the people who are making the right changes.
Have fun one day and count how many cars are on the road with 1 person in it. Charge them 150$ per month for running their car in Ottawa, guaranteed it'll help us. After all, us bus riders could also buy cars and ride around endlessly but we don't....
In closing, The City of Ottawa and Oc Transpo should start paying attention to us, or we just might have to take matter in our own hands...
Sam
To Chris (Expired Tickets).
I'm going to play the devils advocate. The tickets don't actually "expire". They are still worth their face value and therefore no value is lost from the ticket. However, in order for you to use them you must go into a an OC kiosk and exchange it for the new tickets - provided you pay the difference for the new tickets.
Eric Jacksch
OC Transpo continues to be great motivation bo buy a car.
bus rider
Get over it. Deal with it. I'm so tired of hearing people complain. If you don't like it, DON'T RIDE THE FREAKING BUS!!!!! Simple as that.
Jayme
James H.
Its a very slippery slope if you force people to pay $150.00 to use there own private car.If you do that then you have to charge anyone who uses the road be it bikes or just walking.Even that a $150 a month is way to much if they went that right they should go with this pay set up
Car $100.00 per month
Bike/scooter $50 per month
Other $25 per month
While i do agree there way to help bus riders i don't think this is the right way it may not even be legal.
