Ecopass users shouldn’t see a deduction for their transit pass on their next paycheque, the City of Ottawa has announced.
In a special meeting related to the transit strike, councillors directed city staff to ensure that all salary deductions for the Ecopass are immediately halted.
The Ecopass, OC Transpo’s employer pass program, allows employers to offer discounted transit passes to their employees through automatic payroll deductions.
But since the 2,300 OC Transpo transit drivers, dispatchers and mechanics walked off the job on Dec. 10, the city maintained bi-weekly payroll deductions for the more than 20,000 subscribers through most of January.
The automatic payments – ranging from $34.83 to $54.18 semi-monthly, depending on the type of transit pass – have now stopped, the city says.
The suspension of deductions will continue after transit service resumes, until subscribers have been “completely compensated for their loss,” the city promised in a statement.
The city previously stated it couldn’t halt the deductions because Ecopass employers organize the deductions from their employees’ salaries. Since pay schedules vary among employers, the city said it made an immediate stop in deductions at the start of the strike “impossible.”
Council has also decided that Ecopass holders who are “facing financial hardship” can apply for a refund at any city client service centre. Applications will be accepted on a “case-by-case basis.”
Transit users holding a December monthly bus pass, a 2008 annual pass or a 2008 fall semester student pass can also obtain a refund.
Residents can visit http://www.octranspo.com/ or call 3-1-1 for more information.