OC Transpo scrapping youth discount fares, increasing seniors passes 120% in 2025 budget

Transit fares increasing In addition to transit fare hikes, OC Transpo is scrapping youth passes and increasing the cost of senior passes. CTV’s Austin Lee reports.

OC Transpo is ending the free ride for 11 and 12-year-olds and will be charging youth and seniors more to board the bus and the O-Train in 2025, as part of a five-per-cent hike in the 2025 City of Ottawa budget.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says the city is using "a lot of duct tape" to fill a $120 million hole in the OC Transpo budget, including a reduction in discounted fares for seniors and youth.

A five-per-cent hike would increase the cost of a single-adult fare to $4 for Presto/card users and $4.05 to cash, while an adult monthly bus fare will increase $6.25 to $135.

The Transit Services draft budget shows the city is scrapping the 'Youth' (ages 13-19) monthly pass, and scaling back the discount for seniors aged 65 and older. The city will also eliminate the free transit service for 11 and 12-year-olds in 2025.

The cost of a senior monthly pass will increase from $49 to $108, with staff saying the fare is a 20 per cent discount from the regular adult rate.

According to the full OC Transpo budget, the city will end the free transit days on Wednesdays and Sundays in 2025.

CTV News spoke with seniors at the St. Laurent Transit Station on Thursday. Transit riders say they rely on public transit to get to doctors' appointments and shopping, and to just get out of the house.

"Unbelievable,” says 71-year-old Rachael, who currently pays for a monthly seniors’ pass. "That's my only transportation, so I have no choice. And then I'm on limited income.”

“So, what can you do?  Complain? Complain to them? There's nothing. You know, I've been taking the bus for over 40 something years."

David Fraser told CTV News Ottawa, "I'm concerned that it's part of a death spiral for public transit, which I feel should actually be free for all citizens."

Jimmy added the fare hike is "ridiculous for the service that we get."

"You take it away from the kids, and you take it away from seniors who pay for this.”

With the elimination of the 'Youth' monthly pass, the cost for a monthly pass will increase from $99.25 for the youth pass in 2024 to $135 for a monthly pass for students and youth 11 to 18-years-old.

"We will continue to have discounted fares for seniors and youth but the discounts won’t be as large as they were in the past," Sutcliffe told reporters.

"And they will now be more in line with what’s offered in other cities. We were actually giving bigger discounts than many other places."

Under the proposed budget, children and youth under the age of 10 will continue to be able to board the bus for free.

Single rides for pre-teens will cost $2, instead of free.

OC Transpo is projecting ridership to return to 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2025.

According to OC Transpo's budget, the five per cent hike in transit fares is expected to generate $6.9 million in new revenue in 2025.  The elimination of the monthly Youth pass will generate $5.57 million in revenue, while the reduced discount rate for senior fares and the end of free travel days will generate $2 million in revenue.

If approved by the Transit Commission and Council, the new fares will take effect on Jan. 1.

Here is a look at the proposed new rates:

Monthly passes

Single-ride fares

The fares for the Community monthly pass, the Access monthly pass and EquiPass remain unchanged in 2025.

Fourth highest transit fares in Canada

OC Transpo will continue to have the fourth highest transit fares for a monthly pass in Canada following the five-per cent hike in 2025.

The $135 cost of a monthly fare in Ottawa follows fares in Toronto, Brampton and Mississauga. Gatineau's STO will increase fares $3 to $113 in 2025.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the cost of transit fares across Canada:

Monthly pass

Cash fares

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Peter Szperling