Mark Sutcliffe is pledging to cut the cost of an adult monthly OC Transpo pass by $43.50, get the wheels in motion to expand light-rail transit to Kanata, Stittsville and Barrhaven and reintroduce express routes from key locations if re-elected mayor of Ottawa this fall. The incumbent mayor unveiled the first “major plank” of his campaign at Terry Fox Station on Monday, outlining what he calls a list of “bold actions” that will “build a stronger public transit system in Ottawa. Sutcliffe is promising to reduce the cost of an OC Transpo adult monthly pass from $138.50 to $95 a month, saying it will “save riders more than $500 a year.” OC Transpo currently has the fourth-highest adult monthly pass in Canada at $138.50 a month. The cost of an OC Transpo adult monthly pass has increased from $125.50 in 2022 to $128.75 in 2024 and $135 in 2025. Sutcliffe is also promising a $10 daily price cap on transit fares, extend the transfer window to two hours, and introduce a “Major Employer Pass” to provide bulk transit passes to the federal government and other large employers. Sutcliffe told reporters the $43.50 cut to the adult transit pass would cost an estimated $15 million to $17 million a year. “We anticipate that a lot of people are going to purchase passes because it’s much more attractive and affordable at that level,” Sutcliffe said, adding an increase in ridership would boost revenue for OC Transpo. Candidate Jeff Leiper called Sutcliffe’s plan to cut transit fares “financially reckless.” Speaking at Bayview Station as commuters experienced delays on O-Train Line 1 Monday morning, Leiper said transit riders “just want to get to work this morning and just asking City Hall for a transit service that works.” The mayor’s transit platform also includes finalizing an agreement to upload the light-rail transit system to the Ontario government, “Building our Rapid Transit Infrastructure” and “better busing.” “Critical to the plan is securing the promised $4 billion LRT upload investment from the Province of Ontario,” said a media release from Sutcliffe’s campaign. “The upload is a historic funding agreement that was proposed and negotiated by Sutcliffe and is the single largest investment in transit infrastructure in Ottawa’s history. Under Sutcliffeʼs leadership, the provincial investment will be finalized, removing a significant debt load from the city, and allowing for billions of dollars to be reinvested into new rapid transit projects.” Other parts of Sutcliffe’s transit plan includes: The campaign platform says if re-elected, Sutcliffe will work with labour partners to establish a “working group of frontline employees who know the system best and can recommend improvements.” OC Transpo posted a $7.2 million budget deficit during the first three months of the year, mainly due to lower ridership. The 2026 OC Transpo budget currently includes a $46 million placeholder for provincial funding, but no funding has been announced. The transit service posted a $52 million deficit in 2025 due to fewer passengers using the system and no funding from upper levels of government. Other candidates release transit platforms Sutcliffe is the fourth mayoral candidate to release their transit platform. Two weeks ago, Leiper unveiled a plan called “Transit that Works,” which included restoring previous OC Transpo bus route cuts, introducing a “Transit Service Guarantee” to set clear standards for on-time performance and frequency, and rolling out dedicated bus lanes. Leiper says Sutcliffe’s plan to fund the adult pass fare cut with funding from the upload of the O-Train to the Ontario government “asks riders to count on money the city does not have, and that affordability alone will not win back the riders Ottawa has lost.” “Making transit more affordable is a start, but Mark Sutcliffe’s platform falls short of what riders need and uses funds that don’t yet exist,” Leiper said. “Mark Sutcliffe is promising a fare cut paid for with savings from an LRT upload that has not been negotiated or signed, and does not appear in the provincial budget. Two months before an election, he is asking riders to count on money the city does not have.” Candidate Alex Lawson criticized Sutcliffe’s campaign promise for transit. “OC Transpo lost $52 million last year while leaving people standing in the cold,” Lawson said in a statement. “Sutcliffe claims he’s got a $4-billion investment from the province, but also says he plans to get one. He doesn’t have a deal with the province. He hopes for one. A transit system doesn’t run on hopes and dreams.” Lawson unveiled his plan for OC Transpo in May, which includes bringing back rush-hour bus rapid transit, resetting the run times and rebuilding the schedule, boosting transit fare enforcement, introducing a rider code of conduct, installing cameras on every bus and a 90-day management accountability review. Lawson also proposes a bus-specific heavy mechanic stream at Algonquin College to boost mechanics at OC Transpo. Candidate Neil Saravanamuttoo has pledged “Buck a Ride” transit city-wide if elected mayor as part of a four-point transit plan, with a cap at $40 a month. Saravanamuttoo said he would use savings from Ontario’s upload of the LRT to fund the $1 a ride plan. “I’m flattered that Sutcliffe wants to copy my transit affordability agenda but his $95 monthly pass is a half measure when we need decisive action to restore a transit system in crisis,” Saravanamuttoo said in a statement. “My buck-a-ride plan benefits everyone – not just adult pass holders – and can be financed entirely from the $85 million in savings we’ll get when the LRT is uploaded to Metrolinx. Sutcliffe’s transit plan is too little, too late and will not stop the continued decline of OC Transpo.” With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Leah Larocque
