Transit Commission

J. Cloutier: THAT, pursuant to Subsections 89(3) and 83(4)(a) of the Procedure By-law, the Transit Commission waive the Rules of Procedure to receive the verbal update from the General Manager of the Transportation Services Department regarding the LRT (Light Rail Transit) Confederation Line and Bus Service at today’s meeting, and dispense with the requirement for staff to provide a separate written report on this verbal update / presentation.

R. Brockington: BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Transit Commission direct Transportation Services staff to provide a regular update with respect to the Confederation Line and related Bus Service at each regular Transit Commission meeting, as a standing item until such time as the Commission Chair determines that they are no longer required and communicates this to the Commission; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Transit Commission waive Section 83.(4)(a) of the Procedure By-law to receive these updates on an ongoing basis, and dispense with the requirement for staff to provide separate written reports on these presentations.

R. Brockington: WHEREAS the Family DayPass for OC Transpo is only available on Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays, allowing a family group to ride all day on a single DayPass for $10.75; and WHEREAS a family can be made up of as many as six people, with a maximum of two aged 13 or older; and WHEREAS providing additional opportunities for families to ride public transit promotes future ridership; and WHEREAS it would be beneficial to families to have the Family DayPass also available during March Break, the months of July and August, and the two-week school board over the Christmas week and New Year’s holiday period; WHEREAS providing additional opportunities for families to ride public transit during peak tourist seasons will create an economic boost for Ottawa businesses; and WHEREAS staff has not yet been able to fully quantify the financial impacts of this change, which could potentially be revenue positive, neutral or negative to the City, but anticipate that any one-time administrative costs and/ or modest revenue impact (if any) can be accommodated through the existing proposed Transit Services operating budget and/or Transit Reserve Fund. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT OC Transpo implement the Family DayPass during the March Break as scheduled in 2020 by the four school boards in Ottawa, beginning on the Saturday through to, and including, the following Sunday; and THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT OC Transpo implement the Family DayPass from July 1 to Septem

C. McKenney: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the effective date for the recommended 2020 fare increases be amended from January 1 to December 31, 2020, with the anticipated revenue reduction $4,950,000 to be funded from the anticipated funds from the financial and performance provisions in the Project Agreement with the Rideau Transit Group.

T. Tierney: WHEREAS Council has adopted a Transit Long Range Financial Plan, which is predicated on annual increases to transit fares to keep pace with transit cost inflation and maintain an appropriate balance between funding for transit from taxes and fares; and WHEREAS Council on June 15, 2016, approved that the annual fare increase should be made on January 1 each year to be consistent with the City’s budget year, subject to annual budget approval; and WHEREAS by decision of Council, the 2019 fare increase was frozen until October 1, 2019, in recognition of the delay in opening O-Train Line 1; and WHEREAS the 2020 Draft Budget recommends an overall 2.5% base increase to OC Transpo Fares, to take effect on January 1, 2020; and WHEREAS the Transit Commission is of the opinion that the current service being provided on O-Train Line 1 is not yet satisfactory and that transit users have been experiencing challenging and uncertain commutes as a result of the ongoing issues and service interruptions on LRT; and WHEREAS maintaining the current fares would recognize the challenges experienced by OC Transpo customers since the launch of the LRT; and WHEREAS freezing fares at 2019 levels from January to March 2020 would result in an approximate reduction in fare revenue of $980,000, and the City Treasurer has advised that it is reasonable to expect that this reduction over the short-term can be funded from financial and performance provisions in the Project Agreement with the Rideau