OTTAWA -- Transit riders in Ottawa and Gatineau will be paying more to board public transit this year.
Fare increases for OC Transpo and Gatineau's STO take effect on Jan. 1.
In Ottawa, a 2.5 per cent increase in fares for OC Transpo buses and the O-Train was approved in the 2021 city of Ottawa budget.
The cost of an adult monthly bus pass increases $3 to $122.50. A youth pass increases $2.25 to $94.50 a month, while a senior monthly pass jumps $1.25 to $46.25 a month.
Cash fares increase a nickel to $3.65, while a single-ride fare paid by Presto card jumps five cents to $3.60.
The Transit Commission voted 8 to 3 to approve the transit services operating budget, which included the OC Transpo fare hike. Councillors Theresa Kavanagh and Catherine McKenney and Citizen Transit Commissioner Sarah Wright-Gilbert voted against the fare increase.
On Wednesday, Wright-Gilbert tweeted, "I don’t regret voting against this. Charging riders who need public transit the most more during a pandemic is wrong. It’s just wrong."
Transit fares also increase on Gatineau's STO system on Jan. 1.
A monthly adult bus pass increases $1 to $100 a month. A student pass is $64 a month.
In 2020, OC Transpo's monthly bus pass was one of the most expensive in Canada. The $119.50 cost of a monthly pass in Ottawa in 2020 ranked behind the TTC in Toronto, Mississauga's "MiWay", Brampton Transit and Vancouver "TransLink" Zone 2 access to the suburbs for most expensive transit fares.
The TTC charges $156 a month for an adult pass.
