OC Transpo fare inspectors issue nearly $75,000 worth of tickets last fall
The warning period for fare evasion on OC Transpo is over with fare inspection efforts getting serious.
A new report says fare inspectors issued nearly $75,000 worth of fines during a blitz last fall.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
According to the report prepared for the transit commission, fare inspectors handed out 287 tickets for $260 each over 39 days between Oct. 11 and Dec. 12, 2023, or an average of seven tickets per day.
The majority of the tickets, 212, were issued to riders on the Confederation Line LRT. The other 75 tickets were issued to bus riders.
OC Transpo began reintroducing fare inspections last year. Over the spring, fare inspectors focused on warnings, handing out only two tickets in May and 33 in June alongside 129 warnings over those two months.
City staff say that transit ridership stabilizing at around 70 to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels is leading to a permanent fare revenue gap for OC Transpo. This, in turn, puts more pressure on the city to crack down on lost revenue from people jumping over fare gates at LRT stations or not paying for a bus ride.
A new initiative was launched earlier this month to get more information on fare evasion patterns in the city.
"Minimizing revenue lost due to unpaid fares has been identified by OC Transpo management and staff, ATU 279 leaders, and members of Council as a priority," the report says. "As a result, a Focused Fare Compliance Initiative was launched on Jan. 5, 2024 to gather information and to confirm the right mix of resources to conduct enforcement of fares and other offences on Ottawa’s multi-modal transit network."
The initiative consists of two fare inspectors who issue tickets while being supported by the presence of two special constables. Staff say the initiative could also help crack down on other issues, such open liquor.
A test run on Dec. 8 led to 11 tickets for fare evasion, nine for alcohol infractions, seven for trespassing, and led to two arrests, including one for a person who was unlawfully at large, the report says.
"The Focused Fare Compliance Initiative will continue until the end of April 2024, at which time the results of the initiative will be reviewed and decisions will be made on the effort and approach going forward to optimize the combination of fare enforcement and public safety/security assurance," staff say. "In addition, this initiative will provide a baseline metric for OC Transpo to determine appropriate measures/approaches to address issues related to fare compliance."
Transit commission meets Feb. 8.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Robert Pickton's handwritten book seized after his death in hopes of uncovering new evidence
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Indian government employee charged in foiled murder-for-hire plot in New York City
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.