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“Predictable and reasonable” was how the head of Ottawa’s transit commission characterized a proposed average increase of 2.5 per cent to OC Transpo fares.

Stephen Blais said it costs more money every year to operate public transit and noted that it is better to have small, annual increases than to artificially freeze fares for a year and hike them the next.

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“That’s what we heard people weren’t interested in,” he told reporters Wednesday after OC Transpo’s proposed budget of $478 million was tabled at a special meeting of the transit commission.

“These are the fare increases that are predictable and reasonable each and every year to afford the transit system we’ve decided to invest in,” Blais said.

As of July 1, regular adult monthly passes will rise by $2.50 to $103.25, while adult express passes will rise to $127.25, up from $124.25.

Adult cash fares will rise a dime to $3.55, while single trip fares using Presto’s e-purse will be $2.84, up from $2.77.