Ottawa city council will consider offering
free fares for youths
18 and under on weekday evenings, weekends and during holidays, while
OC Transpo
staff will also look into a temporary extension of the 90-minute transfer window.
Steve Desroches, the councillor for Riverside South-Findlay Creek ward, introduced a motion calling for free fares for riders aged 18 and under on weekends and on public holidays, which was estimated to cost $240,000 per year.
The motion also called on staff to explore the feasibility of offering free fares after 5 p.m. for the same age group, which was estimated to cost $190,000 per year, and to provide seniors aged 65 and over with four free rides per month on Para Transpo at an estimated $152,000 annual cost.
The motion, which was carried at the Nov. 24 transit committee meeting, also suggests that the transfer window should be extended to 105 minutes on weekdays between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to accommodate long commutes that require two fares for one trip when they extend beyond the current 90-minute limit.
The transfer window extension would be a temporary measure and would “sunset” after the launch of the LRT Stage 2 west extension to Algonquin Station and Moodie Station, scheduled for 2027.
The motion proposes offsetting the costs of the measures, estimated at $712,000 annually, from within the OC Transpo departmental budget.
Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill told the committee riders had faced pressure within the 90-minute transfer window during longer commutes from downtown, particularly in peak periods, following the rollout of the News Ways to Bus route overhaul.
Many riders have seen their transfer windows expire mid-route and must pay second fares once they reach their local buses, Hill said.
“I’ve been having significant concerns, especially on the afternoon peak period from Tunney’s out to the western side of the city, whether it’s Kanata, Nepean or Barrhaven,” Hill said.
“When a transit rider, especially the ones from Gatineau or from places that require a second movement from downtown, when they get back to their local (route) in Barrhaven or Kanata, and they have to do that last tap as a result of the New Ways to Bus — that’s created this pressure whereby that sometimes will cause them to be over the transit window time frame.”
Hill said the transfer window extension would address a “symptom” related to the unreliable transit times at the Tunney’s Pasture LRT station.
“A big part of that is the construction that’s going on right now for Stage 2,” Hill said.
Once the LRT west extension is completed to Algonquin Station and Moodie Station, Hill said, there will likely be a “substantial reduction” in commute times and the 90-minute transfer window could be reinstated.
OC Transpo general manager Troy Charter said staff were supportive of the motion and said staff “understand the concerns” with commute times that extended beyond the 90-minute window.
“When we go to remove that flexibility in the future, that can result in some negative feedback that could come back to transit committee or (local councillors),” Charter cautioned. “But, other than that, we do support the motion with the noted concerns with regards to the impact on the budget.”
The motion will head to council for a vote on Dec. 10.
“This motion is the result of a lot of conversations and work from everyone around this table over the past few weeks and months with a lot of assistance from staff and from OC Transpo and from finance and with the mayor’s office,” transit committee chair Glen Gower said. “These are some small measures, and I think everyone has taken a little bit of compromise to get us within a funding goal.”
LRT East extension on track
There has been “significant progress”
on the O-Train east extension
that will bring rail service to Orléans and extend the rail line from Blair Station to Trim Station.
Charter said he was
optimistic the extension would be completed
in the first quarter of 2026.
“We’ve made significant progress towards completing the testing and commissioning and the integration phases of the O-Train East extension project,” Charter said in an update to the committee.
Staff are working on “final items that must be completed prior to achieving substantial completion,” he said. “This is a very deliberate and thorough process, something that we won’t rush … We’re going to make sure that we follow all the right steps, and we’re not going to launch the system if it’s not ready to go … from a safety perspective, obviously, first and foremost, but also from a reliability perspective.”
Once technical experts and the independent certifier sign off on the project, Charter said, OC Transpo will host a technical briefing for councillors.
Charter did not commit to a specific opening date, but said he anticipated the east extension would open within the first three months of 2026, with a technical briefing “in the coming weeks.”
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