Connecting between Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) buses and GO service in Hamilton is set to become a free transaction starting March 14.
Metrolinx has paired up with 12 more transit agencies across Ontario to offer a “co-fare discount” which means it’ll be free to take the HSR and hop on GO or vice versa.
Riders will still have to pay the $2.55 cent HSR fare initially, but it’ll be automatically deducted from your PRESTO card when you connect with either a GO bus or train.
The discount applies only to those with PRESTO Cards and is deducted automatically when tapping between GO and the HSR.
Additional youth fare reductions are also being offered by Metrolinx, which will apply to post-secondary students as well.
The discounts, for youth aged 13 to 19, will increase to 40 per cent off the full adult fare, which the government says is almost double the current discounts.
Associate transportation minister Stan Cho says that as the province eliminates fees for licence plate renewals and removes tolls on Highways 412 and 418, the government is also making public transit cheaper.
A government spokesman says the moves will cost about $4.5 million.