Low-income bus riders to pay $2.15 per ticket in Quebec City

Low-income commuters who ride Quebec City's buses will soon pay a reduced fare of $2.15, a third less than the current price of $3.25.

The city of Quebec announced the discount as part of its ÉquiMobilité program last Monday.

The new fare prices for bus tickets come into effect on April 20 for eligible commuters. This 33 per cent fare reduction will also apply to monthly passes as of May 1. 

To qualify for the program, individual commuters must have a gross annual income of no more than $29,380. But the income cutoff for each household rises according to family size.

According to the city, a family of four can qualify with a household income of $54,594, while a family of seven or more can qualify with an income of $77,751.

The discount is the same as the fare discount granted to seniors and students.

Paratransit users will also pay a reduced rate without having to prove their eligibility.

"The introduction of the ÉquiMobilité program is a concrete way to reduce social inequalities and offer everyone a better quality of life," said Maude Mercier-Larouche, president of the Réseau de Transport de la Capitale (RTC), the transit authority for the Quebec City area.

An estimated 23,000 people are entitled to the discount with monthly pass users pocketing an extra $400 per year in savings, the city said.

Émilie Frémont-Cloutier has been pushing for lower public transportation costs in Quebec City for the past 10 years. She's the coordinator for a local collective called TRAAQ, which advocates for affordable and accessible transportation.

People on low-incomes usually don't have the luxury of remote work and have to commute to their workplaces, often in places like grocery stores and restaurants, she said.

Monique Toutant, a member of TRAAQ, said the reduced fare "will allow me to be able to buy a little more to eat."

"It will also allow me to maybe pay for an outing from time to time," she said.

"Sometimes you say to yourself: 'I have to buy a bus pass, so I'm going to limit my outings."'

In a news release, Nicole Laveau, who represents the Table de concertation des personnes aînées de la Capitale-nationale — an advocacy group for seniors in the Quebec City region — said she hopes eligible seniors will be able to take advantage of reduced fares and lower their level of social isolation.

Olivier Colomb-Deyrames, director of ROP03, a local organization that speaks on behalf of people with disabilities, is one of the groups that was consulted when the city created the ÉquiMobilité program.

Slashing the price of public transportation means people with disabilities using paratransit services — who are often over 65 and are on low income — can more easily participate in society, he said.

Colomb-Deyrames sees the program as a major step forward, but he would like to see the Quebec government take on a more active role in lowering public transportation costs.

"We need the Quebec government to get behind social pricing," he said. "We're happy our city didn't wait for the Quebec government because we would still be waiting."

Frémont-Cloutier is optimistic about what municipalities can accomplish in expanding access to public transit if they take charge. "In Quebec and Canada, [cities] have to take the leadership [role]."