Equipass helps — but not enough, critics say

By Darnell Dobson

A new monthly transit pass for low-income residents is too expensive, some community advocates say.

Equipass can be used starting April 1, and will cost $57 per month — roughly half the cost of a regular adult pass.

Former city councillor Alex Cullen, a director-at-large of the Federation of Citizens’ Associations of Ottawa, said low-income earners should not be forced to choose between basic amenities and public transport.

“Poor people shouldn’t have to choose between food and shelter and talking the bus, and in this city we should be able to help them out,” said Cullen.

Advocacy groups want the price lowered to $41 per month, the same price as the community bus pass given to people on the Ontario Disability Support Plan.

However the city has remained adamant that without funding from the provincial government, it is not possible to lower the price the extra $16 advocates want. Cullen said his group has lobbied alongside the city for funding from the province. He makes reference to the city of Calgary. Its version of the low-income pass is $44 due to funding it has received from the province.

Not all advocacy groups are on board, however. Trevor Haché, secretary and past president of the Healthy Transportation Coalition, said that although it would be nice if the province provided the city with the funds required to lower the price, he believes the city should look at using other investments by the province more wisely. The city spent billions on building a new transit system that isn’t affordable to some residents, he said.

“We really think that the city needs to be a little bit more progressive with regards to applying their equity and inclusion lens to their decision-making about public transit fares,” says Haché.

Not all low-income residents will be eligible for an Equipass. For instance, residents reliant on Ontario Works are being advised not to apply for the pass as they already receive a monthly grant from the province, which covers the cost of their transit pass.

But Jess Frances, an Ottawa resident in the Ontario Works program, said she was disappointed when she found out that she was not allowed to apply for an Equipass.

“You would think in a way you would want them to give the discount to everybody so they wouldn’t have to spend so much,” she said.

She also said that the city needs to be mindful of the fact that the full price for the monthly bus pass — almost $115 — is very expensive for people who do not get much from Ontario Works.

“Some of us only get like $700-$800, so $115 — that’s quite a lot to come from your cheque,” says Frances. “I know people that could go far with $56, I know people that have pawned their stuff mid-month just to get like $50, so it’s definitely a huge difference.”

Cullen said the city will need to review the program after a few months to see if it is having the desired effect, as well as look at other models that cities across the country are using.

So far, there has been no indication from the city that it intends to conduct any review of the program.