OC Transpo is cracking down on fare evasion, handing out fines to anyone who isn't abiding by the rules. That can mean steep fines for simple mistakes.
The crackdown has one Ottawa high school student fighting a $150 fine for failing to write her bus number on her bus pass.
"I wouldn't steal a bus pass; I'm a really good kid. (I've) never done a crime, so it was shocking," said Jennifer Tran, a straight-A student at Lisgar Collegiate and a student trustee with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
Tran said she was fined while riding the bus to school last week. She said that's when a fare enforcement officer boarded the bus and started checking bus passes.
Tran had forgotten to write her bus number on her bus pass and was ordered off the bus and issued a ticket.
"I got off and he accused me of stealing the bus pass," Tran told CTV Ottawa.
She said she was embarrassed and angry because she had no idea what she did wrong.
However, a spokesperson for OC Transpo said the rules regarding bus passes are clear.
"When they purchase the pass, the conditions of use are on there . . . Ignorance of the law is no excuse," said Kim Weston-Martin, who works with the city's transit law enforcement unit.
Although other transit users acknowledge it's a simple mistake to make, the city says fare evasion is costing taxpayers money. To combat the problem, the city hired 14 fare enforcement officers last fall.
Still, Tran said she plans to appeal the ticket. In the meantime, she's reminding other students to make sure their bus passes meet the rules.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Joanne Schnurr
