Calgary’s free fare zone to remain until at least 2027

Calgary city council is debating whether to remove the free fare zone in the downtown core. Councils say they've received overwhelming feedback on the issue.

Calgary councillors delayed a final decision on the fate of city’s free fare transit zone until 2027 at a council meeting Tuesday night.

The vote late Tuesday evening comes less than three weeks after a city committee endorsed a plan scrap the zone along 7 Avenue S.E. that allows people to use the CTrain without paying a fare.

The proposal to get rid of the free fare zone, which runs between the Downtown West/Kerby and City Hall stations, faced major pushback from Calgarians, including from the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Calgary.

“Absolutely everyone I speak to wants to keep the free fare zone. I would say I’ve never seen an issue like this that has unified Calgarians in my five years on council,” Mayor Jeromy Farkas said Tuesday ahead of final discussion.

“We’ve heard from easily a thousand people by phone email over the last week or so.”

The free fare zone was introduced in 1981, but a city report recommended getting rid of it in an effort to boost safety and increase fare revenue.

“When a fare applies, peace officers have clearer authority to step in and address disruptive or unsafe behaviour,” reads part of a report from administration, which was initially endorsed by a city committee in early May.

Requiring CTrain riders to pay a fare in the downtown zone would have generated about $5 million in additional revenue per year, the report also stated.

“I understand why Calgarians might be really upset or concerned about riding the train downtown being downtown,” said Ward 4 Coun. DJ Kelly.

“I think that’s why you’re seeing a lot of my colleagues looking for opportunities for how we can improve that. There are ways that we can improve that. Getting rid of the free fare zone is not one of them.”