More than $1,900 worth of fare-dodging fines issued per day on OC Transpo

A report to Ottawa'stransit commissionsaidOC Transpo fare inspectors issued287 tickets adding up to nearly$75,000 in finesover39 days this past autumn.

The data comes from what the city said was a normal level of fare enforcementbetween Oct. 11 and Dec. 12, 2023.

Inspectors gave 212 $260 tickets to LRT ridersand 75 to bus riders, according to the report:an average of aboutseven tickets or $1,910per day.

Transit services said thefines will help close what's become a"permanent gap" in annual revenue and operational costs.

Ridership hasn't rebounded to the same levels as other major cities, leaving the servicehaving to come up with tens of millions of dollarsto cover the fact it's fallen short of projections.

The report also outlines a new "fare compliance initiative" that startedJan. 5:twoenforcement officers issuingtickets,supported by two special constables.

The initiative is testing themix of resources needed for fare enforcement and other offences on transit network such asopen liquor and trespassing.

A pilotin December yielded11fare tickets, nineliquor-related offences, seventrespassing offencesand twoarrests.

The initiative will continue until the end of April 2024,when its data and effectiveness will be reviewed.

Targeting the wrong people

A transit advocacy groupsaid fare tickets arethewrong priorityand OC Transpo should focus on improving service if it wants todissuade turnstile jumpers and fare evaders.

"Our transit system is in this sort of death spiral right now where the fareskeep going up and the quality of the service keeps going down," saidKari Glynes Elliott, co-founder ofOttawa Transit Riders.

She said given OC Transpo's track record, it's no wonder people aren't paying.

"I would imagine that a lot of people choosing not to pay are probably doing so because they've been waiting an hour for a bus that's supposed to come every eightminutes," she said.

She also worriespeople ticketedcan't afford hefty fines.

"If you don't have enough money for a transit fare, there's no way you can afford a [$260] ticket like that," she said.

On top of improved service, she'd like to see a more well-rounded approach to poverty reduction to get to the root of the fare skippers.

"It's like clearing out encampments;you can't enforce your way out of poverty," she said.

"We need to be talking a whole bunch more about giving people opportunities and alternatives to get around the city."

Fare evasion seen as on the rise

The report didn't putthat 39 days of tickets or fines in a broader context. It said the initiative that started this month willset a new baseline for fare-dodging data.

Clint Crabtree, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279, recentlywarnedthat the city is losing precious revenue from more and more passengers skipping out on paying.

• OC Transpo union says more riders than ever are skipping fares

Transit services general manager ReneAmilcaralso said in DecemberOC Transpo has been working closely with drivers to come up with a solution to fare evasion.

Anaction plan was being formed, she said, which will target problem routes that drivers identify.She planned to present it to thecommission next month.