The city administration review showed various potential positive and negative impacts of removing the zone, which was first established in 1981. The primary conflicts were purported safety improvements versus the impact on more price vulnerable Calgarians who use the transit system.<\/p>\n
The downtown free fare zone is a 2.5-kilometre stretch along 7 Avenue S between the City Hall \/ Bow Valley College Station to the Downtown West \/ Kerby Station. Riders are free to hop on and off through the downtown at their leisure without paying a fare.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Administration said that their decision is driven by the need to improve safety for riders.<\/p>\n
\u201cSafety is not a secondary factor for riders \u2013 it is a primary decision-making factor that determines when, where, and whether people use transit at all,\u201d the review document reads.<\/p>\n
They called it a \u201cgatekeeper variable,\u201d which means that in riders\u2019 minds, no amount of service expansion or fare incentives will grow without safety addressed first.\u00a0 By removing the free fare zone designation, it opens the door for transit peace officers to deal with social disorder incidents that largely drive a weak perception of safety on Calgary Transit.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not without potential pitfalls, however.<\/p>\n
The removal of the downtown free fare zone, coupled with the increase in Calgary Transit fares to $4 per ride, hits lower-income Calgarians harder \u2013 particularly those who don\u2019t qualify for the Low-Income Transit Pass.<\/p>\n
City administration notes that Calgary is the only large Canadian city that still has a free fare zone. Other US cities have also recently eliminated their free fare zones for the same safety reasons Calgary is considering. <\/p>\n
Larger look at the Calgary Transit fare strategy<\/p>\n
The report estimates a reduction of 1.8 million downtown boardings with the removal of the free fare zone. There are roughly 5.4 million annual trips taken within the zone each year.<\/p>\n
While it will reduce riders in the short term, Calgary Transit estimates that number will recover over time. Meanwhile, they projected a $5 million bump in annual revenue.<\/p>\n
Ward 6 Coun. John Pantazopoulos, who was one of the councillors who pushed for the review, said that you don\u2019t want to \u201cthrow out the baby in the bath water\u201d and go directly to a $4 charge for downtown riders.<\/p>\n
He said that fares need to be looked at holistically for the entire system. That would include input from groups like Calgary Tourism, Calgary Economic Development and other stakeholders.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we do get rid of the free fare zone, then is there opportunities for\u2026 participants at a conference to still have free fare access? Maybe there\u2019s an accommodation for tourists, those sorts of things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s sort of looking at everything together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Yule, who also supported the fare review, said the removal of the free fare zone is a step in the right direction, particularly as Calgary Transit continues work on an overall fare review.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, this has always been about, let\u2019s be intentional about the subsidies that we\u2019re putting into the system and with admin\u2019s recommendations \u2013 I agree with them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this isn\u2019t the right place for a subsidy downtown, and so this, in conjunction with more work, I think we\u2019ll get there and find something that\u2019s a little bit more aligned with the transit priorities of getting people where they need to be and making it more appealing to use transit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Yule and Pantazopoulos mentioned the idea of a zone-based fare strategy, which may be among the considerations for how Calgary moves forward on fares in the future.<\/p>\n
Public feedback in favour of keeping the free fare zone<\/p>\n
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Calgary Transit downtown station. LIVEWIRE CALGARY FILE PHOTO<\/p>\n
The report notes that 85 per cent of downtown businesses said that the impact of removing the free fare zone would be somewhat or significantly negative.<\/p>\n
Further, a public opinion survey conducted from Feb. 15 to March 8 that collected 10,800 responses showed considerable overall support for keeping the free fare zone, even among infrequent riders.<\/p>\n
Among the respondents, between 68 per cent (infrequent riders) and 80 per cent (occasional riders) suggested keeping the free fare zone or even expanding it.<\/p>\n
The survey does indicate that 26 per cent of respondents live within walking distance of the free fare zone, compared with the general population (1 per cent).<\/p>\n
\u201cSurvey results indicate strong overall support for the Free Fare Zone, though respondents living near the zone and frequent transit users were significantly over-represented,\u201d the report read.<\/p>\n
Alex Williams with Calgary Transit Riders, a local transit advocacy group, said that citywide, users are split on the removal of the free fare zone.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople who live downtown are fairly irritated, but those who live more distant from the free fare zone seem broadly unbothered,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome are even in favour of the change, if it means more investment in the broader system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams said, however, that the elimination of the free fare zone is symptomatic of bigger issues facing Calgary Transit \u2013 chronic underfunding by city council.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t remember a single city councillor that\u2019s said they\u2019re expressly againstfunding transit, but riders are not seeing the support we need,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Coun. Pantazopoulos said any additional revenue gained from the free fare zone removal must go back into providing better transit service.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of budget constraints. I totally understand that, and there\u2019s going to be a lot of pushes and pulls come budget season,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut when we\u2019re asking Calgarians for something, a sacrifice, something that they had, we have to make sure that we\u2019re making the system better. If we\u2019re just simply taking out of the transit system to fund another initiative. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
If approved at committee, and then a future full meeting of Calgary city council, the city administration recommendation is to remove Calgary\u2019s free fare zone on Aug. 1, 2026.<\/p>\n
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