OC Transpo fare hike kicks in May 1

Riding the bus and trains in Ottawa will cost you a little extra starting next week.

Starting on Sunday, May 1, most fares will increase by an average of 2.5 per cent more, a jump that was approved in the 2022 City of Ottawa budget.

Fares were initially set to hike on January 1, but a vote by council delayed the increase until Rideau Transit Group (RTG) provided 15 trains for service for a month following the September derailment.

RTG has since been able to provide those 15 trains for service on the Confederation Line.

“The deferral of the 2022 fare increase to May 1 is an acknowledgment from Council of the significant service disruptions customers on O-Train Line 1 experienced in the fall of 2021,” the City wrote in a statement released on Thursday, April 28.

However, several discounted monthly pass and single-ride fare options are available for eligible customers, including seniors, children and youth ages eight to 19, and customers on a low income (EquiPass), or customers who receive Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) benefits (Community Pass).

No-charge service is also available for seniors 65 and older on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Children ages six and seven now also qualify for no-charge child fares.

Children up to seven years of age can ride for no charge every day as part of a change piloted for 2022.

More information on eligibility can be found on the OC Transpo website.