Calgary committee endorses plan to get rid of free fare transit zone

Calgary city council will be discussing the future of the CTrain's free fare zone. Mason DePatie reports.

The free fare transit zone through Calgary’s downtown core should be eliminated, a council committee concluded on Thursday afternoon.

After hearing from nearly two dozen public speakers at city hall — most of them speaking in favour of keeping the free fare zone — the city’s Infrastructure and Planning Committee voted in favour of getting rid of it.

“Right now, we have the free fare zone (and) anyone can get onto the system. There’s nothing that you can do to prevent them from being there. And once they’re there, then how do you get them off?” said Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot.

A final decision will still have to come from council as a whole at a future meeting.

If councillors agree with the committee’s recommendation, a regular adult fee of $4 will be implemented in order to take the train, including the area that is currently free between the Downtown West/Kerby and City Hall stations.

The free fare zone has existed since 1981.

“I don’t believe that there is any justification for eliminating the free fare zone,” said Ward 7 Coun. Myke Atkinson. “I think it actually will put at risk a very important part of our downtown core.”

A report from city officials admitted there was strong support from transit riders, downtown residents and business owners to keep the free fare zone.

“Just think about how many people come here for just Stampede alone,” said Deborah Yedlin with the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re increasing as a city that attracts more conventions, more events and what you want is people to be able to access downtown from wherever they are easily and without any barriers.”

“To have to pay presents a barrier to getting down, getting through the city and I think that’s something that’s council needs to be aware of,” she added.

The move to start charging CTrain riders through downtown is supported, in part, by city officials as a way to “give transit peace officers lawful authority to remove disruptive riders earlier, address loitering and intervene before issues escalate,” a report reads.

Eliminating the free fare zone would also generate about $4 million in additional fare revenue.

Free fare for all?

While council will debate getting rid of the current free fare zone, one councillor is suggesting the city consider doing the opposite: making all transit free to ride.

“Why are we charging user fares for transit? We don’t charge for using our roads. We don’t have tolls on our roads. Transit is something that we want to encourage,” Atkinson said.

“We want as many people moving around our roads on transit instead of driving and fares have been shown as a way to potentially shift some of those drivers onto our transit fleet,” he added.

Coun. Mike Jamieson, who voted in favour of getting rid of the free fare zone, doesn’t agree with the pitch to instead expand the free zone.

“I simply don’t agree with that at all, because it doesn’t make sense out of  any kind of an economic basis. I mean, transit’s very expensive and we got to find the money to pay for it,” Jamieson said.

If council votes to get rid of the zone, a paid fare will be required to take the train by Aug 1.