There is no need to tap your Presto card or drop change in the fare box in Ottawa this month — no-charge transit begins across all OC Transpo services on Wednesday through to the end of the month as a “gesture” to riders after recent light-rail shutdowns.
Buses, Para Transpo and LRT service will be fare-free for users for the month of December after city council approved the measures at a meeting in October.
The free service was contingent on OC Transpo running a full complement of 11 trains to meet current peak service demands, a feat the transit service hit on Monday.
Service on the Confederation Line resumed in mid-November with seven trains and some spares and incrementally increased over the course of the month.
Light-rail trains and maintenance procedures went through a full inspection following the Sept. 19 derailment, with transit officials assuring city council and members of the public that the new system is, indeed, safe to use.
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South Kanata Coun. and transit commission chair Allan Hubley put forward the motion for the month of no-charge fares, calling it a “gesture” to Ottawa residents who have seen their commutes and ways around town disrupted with the 54-day shutdown.
Rideau Transit Group, the consortium tasked with building and now maintaining the Confederation Line, is expected to foot the roughly $7.2-million bill for the free transit experiment.
December might not be the only month of no-charge service in Ottawa’s future if transit advocates have their way.
At Wednesday’s meeting of the transportation committee, Capital Coun. Shawn Menard has a motion to explore the implementation of free transit as a possible policy tool.
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