Free Transit Ottawa

Highway expansion encourages driving, increases emissions, and destroys green space. It is only "necessary" because cars are such a spatially inefficient way to move people. Investing the money in local and intercity public transit is a far better use of funds https://www.cbc.ca//highway-413-environmental-defence-1.60

https://form.simplesurvey.com/f/s.aspx

Good news! We'll be doing a #ParaAwarenessWeek next week! It's very easy for #ParaTranspo users to be forgotten, especially during such difficult times for #Pub...licTransit...and we don't want that to happen! From April 26- 30, 2021, we'll be highlighting Para issues, talking to ParaTranspo users, and trying to build awareness of what Para users go through on a daily basis! More details to come but, in the meantime, as part of the week, we're also rolling out a short survey for Para users. Please take a moment to fill it out...results will be shared and discussed during and after the #ParaAwarenessWeek and will be used to help push the city for improvements to the service. Please share! https://form.simplesurvey.com/f/s.aspx Thank you for your support...and please stay safe! Keep those masks on and, if you're eligible, get that #COVID19 vaccine, STAT! #OCTranspo #ParaParity #KeepTransitMoving #OttBus #OttLRT #OttCity #OttPolitics

"More than 100 OC Transpo staff across the entire organization have tested positive for the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic" "OC Transpo has seen a recent jump in COVID-19 cases, with Ottawa city council receiving reports of eight operators testing positive for the virus over a recent eight-day period" https://globalnews.ca//ottawa-transit-drivers-covid-vacci/

Because of the pandemic, we find ourselves having to fight not only for transit in our city but transit between cities. Perhaps Greyhound's reduced service is an opportunity to think of something even better for intercity transit - something electric, affordable, accessible, and publicly owned https://ottawacitizen.com//egan-bus-station-gone-greyhound

The idea of a 15-minute neighborhood is that basic necessities should be within a short distance of your home, to reduce vehicle trips and emissions and make cities more accessible. Ottawa has a long way to go to achieve this vision, with only 20% of residents living close to a grocery store, pharmacy, school, or library. A closer city is possible but we must be bold and prioritize reliable transit, bike/walk paths, and the needs of everyone - not just drivers. We can start by redirecting some of the millions committed to road widening and upkeep towards sustainable transport. https://www.theglobeandmail.com//article-when-it-comes-to/

It took a pandemic, but key Ottawa city councilors are finally re-evaluating the need for road expansion and talking instead about "filling gaps in our transportation network" and reducing emissions. Now is the time to make a strong case for reliable transit to move people away cars and onto busses in the long term. Lots of work remains, but we may actually be heard now. https://ottawacitizen.com//changes-to-work-culture-and-low

In case you missed it - here is the video of the virtual event by some great organizers in Toronto. They discuss the ongoing fight to lower fares and improve transit service while navigating the pandemic https://socialistproject.ca/lefts/lower-fares-more-service/

These recommendations are for Winnipeg but apply to the Ottawa and Ontario context as well: "Anyone on social assistance should receive a pass at no cost because any amount is too much given the present inadequacy of the basic needs allowance for actually meeting basic needs. This should not result in any reductions in benefits that people currently receive" "Addressing transit poverty and its consequences means creating a transit system that is safe, reliable, accessible and... affordable. This will require broad-scale transit investment" https://www.policyalternatives.ca//fast-facts-how-make-low

Free transit for kids is one easy way to extend a line of support to working class and low income families, especially in hard times. A broader free youth pass could take this even further. OC Transpo currently lets children 5 and under ride for free with only a discounted rate for ages 5-19. https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/children-under-11-to-ride-for-f

We can't have another year of inaction here in Ottawa. Join us December 9th at 9am to rally for a better future.

Join us for this important Canada wide event!

"Those who complain that we should not provide free transportation should remember that all the folks driving on the Queensway are taking advantage of roads that are paid for by the taxpayer. In other words, the taxpayer is subsidizing the drivers. Why not encourage them to use LRT instead?" https://ottawacitizen.com//todays-letters-rethinking-lrt-i

To put it in perspective, I currently spend about $1,000 a year on transit, and that’s while only working part time. This is supposed to be the cheaper option t...o buying a car. As Ottawa is a very spread out city, most workers are required to bus or train to work every day - this adds up quickly for someone with a low income. However, we are not a city with the expanse of Toronto. Although a functioning transit system is important in our city, it should be cheaper and easier to maintain than somewhere like Toronto, and kept as a tool for those who need it. Instead, the city is constantly investing millions in new, redundant projects. What was the point if not to save money for the city and the people? It hasn't improved the efficacy or the speed of my commute, and many people now have to make an additional transfer from train to bus. However, we are expected to shoulder the burden of most of this expense, and while the train looks good on paper as a way to promote the city, citizens have been complaining about it since its launch. The only way to fix it? More money, of course. Personally, I would have preferred a cheaper fare to a fancy train. -Elizabeth See the first part of Elizabeth's story on Courage Ottawa's Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHNtyu7FSaL/ Sign our petition: https://www.horizonottawa.ca/flatten_the_fares_stop_the_far Want to share your thoughts on the proposed fare increase like Elizabeth? Get in touch: https://www.ottawatransitriders.ca/opportunity_social_media #FlattenTheFares

We need to not only #FlattenTheFares, but bring them to zero. Raising fares on folks who still rely on transit (often front line workers) during a pandemic is a new low for the City of Ottawa. Reach out, speak up.

Decades of underfunding for social infrastructure, housing, and transit has brought Ottawa’s inequality to a crisis point. This alternative budget created by a grassroots coalition of community groups across Ottawa, including Free Transit Ottawa, asks an ambitious but important question: how much would our city improve if we took care of the people around us? Read the full report here: https://ottaltbudget.mailchimpsites.com/ #OttawaAltBudget Ottawa Coalition for a People’s Budget

COVID-19 has exposed the weaknesses in our public services, with workers paying the price. "TWU’s international president John Samuelsen blamed the budgetary disasters on an overreliance on the farebox system. He says it’s a vestige of the practices of the private companies that ran public transit 100 years ago. That system ended because this vital public service could not be run as a for-profit enterprise, he said." https://socialistproject.ca//transit-workers-are-still-d/

We support affordable housing near public transit!

"Private capital’s priorities are profits, and they have no interest in retooling in the interest of workers and planet unless they get massive public subsidies and favourable legislation (while fighting worker rights tooth and nail)." https://www.rankandfile.ca/beware-the-corporate-otoole/

Are you interested in supporting free public transit in Ottawa and across Canada? You can now join to be on official member of Free Transit Ottawa, and work with us to achieve a just and equitable climate response: https://freetransitottawa.ca/membership-form/

"Expanded, free public transit, funded by taxes on the rich, can be at the heart of a just transition to a green economy." https://www.jacobinmag.com//green-new-deal-public-transit-

"I've seen a future without cars, and it's amazing" https://www.nytimes.com//o/ban-cars-manhattan-cities.html

New York is pushing cars off some of its busiest streets to reduce car traffic as the City reopens after Covid https://www.nytimes.com//n/mta-buses-nyc-coronavirus.html

"We could point to how every dollar invested in transit returns three dollars in economic growth. But, frankly, mobility should simply be a right. Fare-free transit would fundamentally transform our cities and the lives of the working class." https://socialistproject.ca//06/year-for-fare-free-transit/

The NCC has created a 'Preliminary Master Concept Plan' for the redevelopment of their LeBreton Flats site. Left to their own devices, they will sell the lands to the private sector without any obligation to create affordable housing, childcare, health services and other social amenities Ottawa desperately needs. LeBreton Flats Community Benefits Coalition is advocating for a sustainable, equitable, mixed-use community supporting a large and diverse resident population. Please sign the petition and send to your networks. Thanks https://cbaforlebretonflats.ca/

Jane Finch Action Against Poverty and our allies Free Transit Toronto

Small changes can mean big wins when we prioritize transit. "To speed up service on its busiest streetcar route, city council limited car traffic on a crowded, slow-moving stretch of King Street running through the heart of downtown. It produced big results: Even as car traffic on surrounding streets was largely unaffected, the streetcars moved faster and arrived more frequently. Already high ridership surged." https://www.theglobeandmail.com//article-toronto-has-some/

"A response to police violence and anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism cannot stop at demands for police reform. It must concentrate on removing the various forms of leverage repressive state institutions and individual cops have at their disposal: budgets, arms, legal authority, protocols of engagement." https://socialistproject.ca/?p=2826

Yellowknife has officially waived fares on public transit in response to COVID-19. In Ottawa, the policies are unclear as buses do not require payment (unofficially) but Paratranspo users must pay. LRT gates remain up. Riders are vulnerable to fines and tickets without an official policy. https://www.yellowknife.ca/en/living-here/transit.asp