A projected increase to most OC Transpo fares, including student U-Passes, is sparking frustration and advocacy efforts from Carleton students.
OC Transpo announced its 2025 transit budget on Nov. 25, which included a five per cent increase to the U-Pass that would add $11.45 to the current $229 per term fee for Carleton students.
Aidan Kallioinen, Carleton University Students’ Association’s (CUSA) associate vice-president of government affairs, said the projected increase will be “detrimental to students.”
“Twenty dollars means a lot in this economy, especially for students who sometimes have to worry about where their next meal is going to come from, or where next month’s rent is going to come from,” Kallioinen said.
Kallioinen added that the projected increase is especially unjustified given the recent cuts to LRT service times and the plan to “axe,” reduce or change certain bus routes in 2025. These include routes that serve the Carleton campus, including the No. 7, 10 and 111 buses.
He said students “are extremely upset with the way the buses are run, with the way the trains are run and with the frequency and reliability of the service.”
“We think a five per cent increase would be fine under the circumstances if we were seeing a similar delivery of service from OC Transpo, but this is not what we’re seeing right now,” he said.
First-year Carleton English student Samantha Nguyen said she has noticed buses have been “much more delayed” recently, particularly at higher-traffic bus stops.
With the repeatedly delayed launch of O-Train Line 2, the fare increases are “totally unfair,” she said.
“I don’t want to be paying so much for something that’s so unreliable.”
Nguyen added that the increase will be “taxing” on her as a full-time student, because she will have to work more hours at her part-time job to help pay for the increased cost.
Second-year Carleton history student Wade O’Reilly said he understands the increases and has found OC Transpo’s service reliable. But like Nguyen, he said the fare increases will have consequences.
“I’ll just need to work more since I need to pay [for] it,” he said.
In an emailed statement to the Charlatan, Glen Gower, the chair of Ottawa’s transit commission, said even with the increase factored in, the U-Pass offers a “significant” 55 per cent discount off the regular adult fare.
“The city would like to open discussions with each of the schools who are part of the U-Pass program to review the cost of the U-Pass next year,” he said.
Kallioinen said CUSA will enter these discussions with a “productive tone,” and that he understands some city councillors were also blindsided by OC Transpo’s decision.
He added that Carleton’s current agreement with OC Transpo states U-Passes can only increase up to 2.5 per cent per year without entering renegotiations. Any changes to the current agreement would need to go to a referendum for all undergraduate and graduate students, he said.
Kallioinen said unless there is a compelling case he is unaware of behind the increase, he does not think students would vote in favour.
“It’s going to be a very tough sell.”
He said a referendum could also open discussions of whether or not to keep U-Passes in future years, which he said is a conversation CUSA is not ready for.
“That’s not what we want,” he said. “It’s still a very valuable service for a lot of students. It’s still far cheaper than buying fares the normal way.”
Kallioinen said CUSA encourages students to advocate against the U-Pass increase. He said so far, several students attended the Nov. 25 transit commission meeting to advocate by speaking about their OC Transpo experiences.
He said students can also make a difference by attending Ottawa’s budget rally on Dec. 11, which will gather community members to resist fare increases. Kallioinen also said he urges students to call on their city representatives to push them to fight for fewer transit cuts.
Featured Image by Marissa Meilleur/the Charlatan.
