OC Transpo to riders: Please pay for trips
When people don't pay it's demoralizing to drivers, transit staff say
When people don't pay their fare it's demoralizing to drivers and frustrates riders who always tap their cards, City of Ottawa transit staff say.
They also argue that paying for OC Transpo will improve the system's reliability and help retain drivers.
Many aren't convinced and suggest doling out $260 tickets for not having proof of payment amounts to a poor tax.
OC Transpo has been cracking down on fare evasion, which spiked during the pandemic and has not come down since. A recent survey saw enforcement teams hand out seven tickets a day worth nearly $75,000 in total fines.
"It's unfortunate people don't want to pay," said transit services general manager Renée Amilcar. "Maybe they think that we don't care, but we do care."
- More than $1,900 worth of fare-dodging fines per day on OC Transpo
- OC Transpo union says more riders than ever are skipping fares
Amilcar said she "doesn't know why" this is happening, although she suggested it may be related to fewer people buying monthly passes and more riders entering buses from the rear doors.
She said drivers feel they have to push back when they see people skirting the system, which leads to confrontations and even assaults.
Not just about money, says OC Transpo
The dire, chronic financial shortfall plaguing the transit system is a continuing source of consternation for its leadership, leading OC Transpo to cut routes — and jobs.
Further aggravating issues is a driver shortage which has the agency in consistent hiring mode that has so far been unable to plug the holes.
- OC Transpo financials 'much worse' than expected
- OC Transpo digs into reserves, weighs layoffs to fill $50M hole
OC Transpo's chief safety officer said financial gain is not one of the reasons why OC Transpo thinks fare evasion needs to be quashed.
"Number one, is to improve operator safety," said Paul Treboutat.
"Many of our bus operators are being injured on the job … because of incidents associated with them attempting to enforce the payment of fares before they board a bus."
Plastic barriers can only do so much, transit commissioners heard, with drivers sometimes struck by a hot coffee or hurt by the emotional impact of persistent harassment.
The presence of enforcement officers increases security and compliance, he said, which in turn builds confidence among former riders who could feel encouraged to take public transit again.
"This is an opportunity for us to attract additional ridership to improve the prospects for increased revenue," Treboutat said.
When drivers can focus on doing their job, he added, there's less of a chance that their route will fall behind schedule.
No way to know who gets hit with tickets
Some councillors echoed concerns by residents about who bears the brunt of enforcement.
"I would suggest that fare enforcement very specifically affects the city's most vulnerable residents," said Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper.
"We can ask for proof of payment from everyone and that sounds like fair and equitable treatment, but the actual impacts of fare enforcement are probably falling very disproportionately on the lowest household."
Others disagreed, weighing in on the debate with anecdotes about groups of shoppers at the Rideau Centre squeezing through fare gates on a single tap, or frequent conversations among public servants who only pay sometimes.
Tracey McRae, chief of the special constable unit, couldn't say which demographics are most likely to get caught.
"We don't have a way to determine the financial status of each individual. We cannot base our opinions on their appearance or the clothes they are wearing," she explained.
"Then, we run into the slippery slope of profiling, which we do not do."
She said officers are encouraged to educate fare evaders on programs that offer free bus passes.
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