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What if no one had to pay for public transit?

Ottawa’s public transit system certainly has its share of shortcomings. But the biggest problem preventing an efficient transit system is that we have never thought of our public transit as a truly essential public service.

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We don’t need to dig though our pockets to find change before we can enter a library and we certainly are never expected to find exact change before we drive on Ottawa’s ever-expanding public road system. Just like libraries, sidewalks and parks, a free and efficient transit system would operate for the common good.

Currently, transit fares don’t come close to covering expenses and the public is left paying twice – once in taxes and once in fares – to subsidize a substandard service. OC Transpo’s ever-increasing fares are some of the highest in North America. Women represent the majority of public transit users and are disproportionately affected by high fares. And our city’s Dickensian policies squeeze money from the most marginalized in our community: The (un)affordable EquiPass will cost someone living below the poverty line almost $700 a year.