[homeles_ot-l] as an individual, please sign the petition for a Low-Income Transit Pass

[Trevor Haché]

Good afternoon, everyone,
Can you, as an individual, please sign the petition for a Low-Income
Transit Pass? We need as many *individuals* to sign as possible, and fast.
The Low-Income Transit Pass is being discussed on Monday, May 9th at the
Transit Commission meeting. More than 40 excellent organizations have
endorsed the petition, and 1,800 individuals have signed it, but now we
need as many *individuals* to sign as possible.

It is crunch time, folks, so it really is important everyone sign the
petition today. Sign here:
http://healthytransportationcoalition.nationbuilder.com/transit_pass_petition...
and please feel free to e-mail all your friends, family, and co-workers to
encourage them to sign, too.

We are just 200 signatures short of having 2,000 signatures total, so
please do what you can to help spread the word.

See below for an article written by the Ottawa Citizen on Friday titled
"Potential cost of low-income OC Transpo pass revealed".

Thank you kindly, for all the great work you do.
Sincerely,
Trevor Haché | worker, Healthy Transportation Coalition
www.healthytransportation.ca | Cell: 613-789-0604



http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/city-hall-blog-potential-cost-of-low-income-oc-transpo-pass-revealed
City Hall Blog: Potential cost of low-income OC Transpo pass revealed by
Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 29, 2016

OC Transpo says the introduction of a low-income transit pass in Ottawa
would cost either $1.3 or $3.3 million per year depending on how deep the
discount is.

Giving a discount similar to that of the student monthly pass, at 24 per
cent, to low-income customers would cost $1.3 million per year.

But giving a discount similar to that of the seniors’ monthly pass and
community pass, at 62 per cent, would cost $3.3 million per year.

OC Transpo says these costs are based on the assumption that low-income
fares would not be available to customers who receive transportation
funding through the Ontario Works social assistance program. If those
customers were included, the costs would be approximately 2.5 times higher,
at approximately $3.3 million for a 24 per cent discount and $8.3 million
for a 62 per cent discount.

The question of low-income fares was raised last fall by Francois Malo and
Blair Crew, two of the citizen members of the transit commission. The pair
submitted a written inquiry that transit staff responded to in the form of
a memo released Friday.

The commissioners wanted OC Transpo officials to look into what other
cities are doing and come back with advice on whether such an arrangement
might be possible in Ottawa — and at what cost.

Some form of subsidy for low-income riders is available in several Ontario
cities, including Kingston, Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton and Windsor. The
Toronto Transit Commission is exploring whether it should do the same.

OC Transpo estimates that 31,000 transit users in Ottawa have incomes below
the low-income cut-off, based on demographic information from the 2011
travel survey. Many are already eligible for some type of discount on
transit fares.

However, if a low-income fare program were to be implemented, OC Transpo
would work with the city’s community and social services department to
confirm eligibility of customers requesting a low-income pass. Once a rider
is deemed eligible, they would receive their discounted monthly pass on a
Presto card.

But unlike other Presto card, these ones would not be transferrable and
customers would have to carry photo ID to confirm their identity to fare
inspectors.

The memo will appear on the May 9 transit commission agenda, about a month
before we’re expecting to see the results of a long-awaited, top to bottom
review of OC Transpo’s fare structure.

Back in the fall, transit commission chairman Stephen Blais seemed open to
the idea of a low-income pass, which could help, among others, single
parents, working families and seniors on fixed incomes. “Exploring how we
might better provide in a more equitable way service for those marginalized
residents is a good thing,” he said.

But lowering fares for one group of riders could mean raising it for
others, as the bus service must strive to collect 55 per cent of its annual
revenue from fares.
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