Burlington, Ont., considers making transit free for all, after reducing fares for youth, seniors

As council in Burlington, Ont., considers making it free to ride public transit, the city is looking to hear from its residents on what they think of the idea.

Council has asked its transit service to look into offering fare-free public transit and report back by the end of this year. The city has tasked the consulting firm Left Turn Right Turn to look into the matter. The firm is expected to complete a report later this year.

In an interview with CBC Hamilton, Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said if implemented, Burlington wouldn't be the first city in Ontario to do so, as Orangeville is currently piloting a two-year pilot program which began in January 2023.

"I'm an avid transit user myself and a huge believer that transit is really more than a way to get around, it's how people can participate in the life of our community," Meed Ward said.

"We know that if we're serious about giving people the option to take transit, reducing or eliminating fares is one of the best ways to do that."

The city is also looking for public feedback on the idea. A survey opened on Aug. 26 and will close Sept. 15.

"The purpose of this study is to really get the community's input on free transit and really understand what our community wants," said Catherine Baldelli, director of transit with the City of Burlington.

Transit already free for seniors and youths

Over the last five years, Burlington has tried fare-free transit for several groups, including youths and seniors.

The city first tried giving seniors free transit during off-peak hours in 2019. As a result, the number of seniors using transit increased by 41 per cent, according to the city's website.

Last year, the city implemented free transit for youth during evenings and weekends. It also made transit free for seniors at any time during the day. 

Meed Ward said that looking into making transit free for everyone is feasible because the city has already implemented it for those demographics.

"It's not as dramatic as going from everybody pays to nobody pays all in one year, which would have been probably difficult for any municipality to do. But that's not where we are," she said.

Baldelli added that ridership with Burlington Transit has exceeded pre-pandemic levels, and that the service saw more than three million trips throughout 2023.

Meed Ward said that the money needed to make transit free doesn't have to come entirely from the property tax base as it can also come through the province's gas tax program, which is calculated based on transit ridership and population. But she said those are questions the consultants will have to look into.

'This is a time to think of creative solutions'

Dan Hendry, project director of "Get on the Bus," a nationwide program that promotes transit use among young people, said other Ontario cities have explored free transit options for youth, including Kingston and Barrie. 

Hendry also said encouraging people to move away from car usage is one of the changes that is needed to combat climate change.

"Anytime we can get more people using public transit and simultaneously in parallel, electrify and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in public transit, that's a pretty big solution in the climate space," he said.

Baldelli said council will decide whether it wants to implement free transit once the report is completed. In the meantime, she said she's looking forward to the study.

"It could be transformational but I'm keeping an open mind," she said.