Free Transit Ottawa

Fighting for free, reliable, and accessible transit in Ottawa 🚌 ✊

Learn more about us:
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[Free Transit Ottawa @freetransitott]

We're joining the X-odus. Follow us on BlueSky! 👇
https://t.co/Pc4IcQ5NLo

[Mark R. Brown, AICP, CNU @CompletedStreet]

More multimodal lanes means more capacity.

[Free Transit Ottawa @freetransitott]

"OC Transpo is missing an opportunity to attract occasional riders who use cars."
https://t.co/voGgy05QwI

[News from TransLink @TransLinkNews]

Ever see a bus lane and thought it looked empty? Think again! Each bus lane can move more people per minute faster than a typical lane for cars.

💡 Learn more at https://t.co/DCfO88F37H

[William van Geest 🌻 @WVangeest]

I get the logic behind it, but I still think it's messed up that @OC_Transpo bus stops are the lowest priority on this list. Not the message we should be sending, and no way to encourage sustainable transportation in our city that so badly needs it.

#Ottawa #OttTransit #Autowa

[Duncan Rae @duncrae]

Hey #Ottawa, did you know?

In September 2023, the most popular bus route *by far* was the 88 on Baseline, clocking in at 4.7% of ALL weekly bus trips!

After that are Routes 6 & 7.

The time for bus lanes on Baseline Road and Bank Street is now.

Source: OC Transpo via FOI req.

[Free Transit Ottawa @freetransitott]

@StewartGreen81 It is indeed 🙃

[Free Transit Ottawa @freetransitott]

"We have a lot to be proud of in terms of the progress that the team at OC Transpo is making... We have to celebrate the progress that's being made and celebrate the achievements." — Mark Sutcliffe

[Free Transit Ottawa @freetransitott]

Traffic congestion costs Ontario about $56B a year. "There is an urgent need for improved public transit and transit options."

"Travel delays profoundly affect quality of life, restrict access to jobs and services, and escalate infrastructure costs."

https://t.co/IHy4zBTNMf

[Free Transit Ottawa @freetransitott]

The 5% fare hike has passed. That's $4 a ride or $135 per month. As usual, it's not even funding better service — service hours are being cut 3.5% and there's a $36M hole in the budget.

https://t.co/Nie1A6rYt6

[Horizon Ottawa @HorizonOttawa]

@RiverWardRiley Amilcar says one of the main problems with reliable service delivery is traffic, saying "I don't have bus lanes all over the city".

Why aren't you advocating for that, then, instead of just saying "hey traffic is bad not my fault"?

[Free Transit Ottawa @freetransitott]

Are transit riders not residents? He is literally making us pay more, a lot more.

[Horizon Ottawa @HorizonOttawa]

Mayor @_MarkSutcliffe has some comments about the budget before getting into the discussion - he says he's been frustrated that anyone is talking about residents having to pay for our transit problems when instead they should be only talking about other levels of government.

[Free Transit Ottawa @freetransitott]

"Bus operators should have 5-8mins at the end of each run to allow for unexpected delays. OC Transpo has cut out that recovery time. Now instead of just one bus being slightly late, hundreds of trips per day are missed entirely."

https://t.co/832Z3bcBOA

[Horizon Ottawa @HorizonOttawa]

Councillor @DevineSean reads a motion to increase the transit levy from 8% to 9.41%, at a cost of $11.99 to the average transit levy payer.

There are some pretty great "whereas"'s for this motion:

[Free Transit Ottawa @freetransitott]

There's a line item in the 2025 budget projecting $1m collected from fare evasion fines and only $1.1m anticipated in fare recovery as a result... 🤦‍♂️

[Horizon Ottawa @HorizonOttawa]

Councillor Carr says she hears a lot about fare enforcement, and wonders if they can measure the percentage of fares paid.

Staff say it would be great data, but it's hard. They "feel confident" more people are paying fares but don't know how they would get that data.

[Free Transit Ottawa @freetransitott]

Ottawa's move to scrap it's $99 monthly Youth Pass to "better align fares with other cities" is clearly bogus.

[City of Victoria @CityOfVictoria]

The annual Youth U-PASS is now available for 2025! Youth between the ages of 13-18 years of age living in the municipality of Victoria are invited to apply for a free annual Youth U-PASS valid from January 1 to December 31, 2025. Learn more: https://t.co/XZv1fPJD9F

[Shawn Menard @ShawnMenard1]

City Hall Transit Update- Motion Monday at commission: A 60% increase in the seniors pass, eliminates free Sunday service but restores free Wednesday service. Still eliminates 11 and 12 free and discounts for 13-19 disappear, still intends U-Pass increase against agreements.

[Free Transit Ottawa @freetransitott]

"Transit can remain a last-choice option. But it comes at a high price. We’re spending $850m on a service that fewer and fewer people want to use.

Or the City can fund transit to the point where OC Transpo is a real option, even the first-choice option."

— @NSaravanamuttoo

[Free Transit Ottawa @freetransitott]

"Instead of fighting congestion, we need to embrace it. We need to recognize it for what it is - pent up demand for local alternatives - and use it to create wealth and prosperity within our cities."

— Charles Marohn, Strong Towns

[Sean Devine @DevineSean]

We have to fill the $120 million gap on the #OttCity transit budget. Rather than charge seniors $708 more per year for a seniors pass, or charge youth $432 more year on a youth pass, another way is to have the average homeowner pay an additional $38 more on their transit levy.