People who depend on buses in the Ottawa area now face a 2.5 per cent increase in the city’s 2018 proposed budget which, according to an analysis of the budget numbers posted online, would be the fifth consecutive year prices have increased by at least this rate.

The City’s long-range transit plan, approved in 2011, says transit rates will increase over the next 30 years to pay for the transit system, which now includes new light rail transit. OCTranspo will also buy 80 new busses this year for an additional $50 million.

But the City faces criticism for these fee increases.

Trevor Haché, a board member with the Healthy Transportation Coalition, said transit-goers are “not seeing the same 2.5 per cent increase in their social assistance rates or hourly wages.” He argued the increase impacts other areas of life including “the amount of healthy food they can put on the table, or the amount they can heat their house in the dead of winter.”

Inflation rates have only risen an average of 1.6 per cent since 2011, which means the City hasn’t kept levies on par with inflation, as the transit plan says it would.

“Ottawa now has, amongst cities in Canada with more than 500,000 people, the most expensive cash fares in the entire country,” said Haché.

Bus-goers lined up outside the Rideau Centre all expressed concern over the price increase.

“I think it’s ridiculous. I don’t know how people are supposed to keep up with that,” said Liam MacPherson.

“[The City is] charging transit users more because they know that so many people use the bus,” suggested Brittnee Kossongo. “There are other fees that could go up instead,” she said.

Carleton University student Sarah Taylor explained the cost of life for students is “already so hard with everything increasing every year.”

“The City is clearly trying to capitalize on it,” she claimed.

Zameer Masjedee, President of the Carleton University Student Association, said the cost increase affects students in particular. “It really hurts. Transit is really essential for students to just get to the university and to commute around the city,” he said.

Masjedee claimed the Association plans to begin conversations on transit with the City this summer.

Councillor Marianne Wilkinson, who sits on the Transit Commission responsible for fare budgeting, admitted transit affordability “is an issue” but the City has no other way to make enough revenue to pay for the system. “There’s only so much available to us in [property] taxes,” she said.

Wilkinson said that despite the fare increase, the City still does not make enough to cover the costs of the system each year.

She explained the Commission assumed a 2.5 per cent inflation increase in its initial budget assessment, but could lower future levies based on forthcoming assessments. The Commission determines the increase annually.

Trevor Haché argued that to continually increase prices at a faster rate than wages sends the wrong “price signals” because it discourages people from using public transit. He suggested the Commission increase City parking rates and freeze transit fees each year instead.

“We often hear governments talking about the desire to encourage people to ride public transit, and to considering driving a little bit less […] We think increasing parking rates would do a lot for more healthy, affordable transit in this city.”