The city’s “Free Fare for Clean Air” policy is changing.
City Council accepted staff’s recommendation to hold one Free Fare day a year, regardless of the air quality index. It’s slated for early June.
Free Fare days currently occur after an air quality advisory, an effort to promote public transit and green transportation. The city averages 7.8 of these days per year, each costing about $1,200 in lost revenue. This year alone we’ve already had three of Free Fare days.
The unpredictability of these “bad air” days makes it hard to promote the free transit. A consistent and scheduled promotion will better public transit for everyone says City Transit Planner Josephine Macharia.
“It’s about promoting transit better to everyone so transit can be promoted that way and then as a byproduct, transit will be better for (those who take advantage of Free Fare days) as well because there’s more riders, more interest in it, and more resources going towards making the system better.”
Similarly, the city will now provide free public transit on certain occasions. Seniors will now ride free on National Seniors Day (October 1). Schools will still have access to the “Free Fare for Class Rides,” giving entire classrooms a free ride to go on field trips for free. In 2017, there have already been 42 classes take advantage of this program and more are expected to in the fall.
Transit on federal, provincial and municipal general voting day is always free, as it is during Bike to Work Week for registered bikers.
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