OC Transpo rolling out fare capping for Presto card users Aug. 1

Presto card users in Ottawa will soon have their fares capped at the cost of a monthly pass. CTV’s Shaun Vardon reports.

OC Transpo is extending its fare capping policy to Presto card users starting next month.

Transit Services general manager Renée Amilcar said in a memo Tuesday that beginning Aug. 1, transit riders using a Presto card will not have to pay more than the cost of a monthly pass in any given month when tapping their cards to board a bus or train or when using Para Transpo.

“This new feature is ideal for customers using a Presto card who are eligible for a discount and are unsure how frequently they will use transit in a given month,” Amilcar wrote. “Customers can load funds onto their Presto card to pay per trip on OC Transpo buses, the O-Train and Para Transpo. Once their total fares paid reach the cost of their monthly pass type, all additional trips for the remainder of that month will be free.”

The only exception is the rural supplement for rural trips on Para Transpo. OC Transpo says only the base part of the rural fare (the price of a single urban trip) counts towards the monthly total. Upon reaching the monthly cap, riders will be charged the rural supplement for any additional rural trips.

Fare capping is already in effect for people who pay with their credit or debit card.

This new Presto card policy will extend to people eligible for discount monthly passes such as the senior’s pass, EquiPass or Community Pass.

An adult monthly pass costs $135 and a youth monthly pass is $104. A senior’s pass and the EquiPass are $58.25 per month, while the Community pass costs $43.25 per month.

“For Senior, EquiPass, and Community pass holders, monthly fare capping on your Presto card offers you the flexibility of monthly savings without the upfront cost,” OC Transpo says.

A Presto card user with a regular adult monthly pass would need to pay for 34 regular trips with their card in a month to hit the cap. Seniors, who also pay a reduced fare on their Presto cards, would reach the cap on their 19th trip.

Amilcar says customers won’t have to do anything extra to take advantage of fare capping.

“Customers are asked to continue tapping their card for every trip – even after reaching the monthly cap – as this adds proof-of-payment to the card in case of fare inspection and supports accurate ridership tracking,” Amilcar’s memo says.

Customers who regularly transfer to Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO) service are asked to continue purchasing monthly passes to ensure seamless travel between the two transit systems.

OC Transpo confirms that unlike debit or credit card payments on the transit system, which cap at $12 in a single day—the price of a day pass—fare capping with Presto is only monthly.