Calgary city council's regular meeting stretched into Wednesday as local lawmakers discussed and voted on a litany of motions, including a significant change to Calgary Transit's fare policy. The council voted 12-3 in support of a recommendation to extend the validity of a single-use Calgary Transit fare from 90 minutes to two hours, effective Jan. 1, 2027.
Transit Ticket Transfers Extended
The directive stemmed from a recent notice of motion from Ward 12 Coun. Mike Jamieson, who argued that a 90-minute transfer is often inadequate for some public transit commuters, particularly those living on the city's outskirts. "We hear from this from our constituents," he said. "People want a greater value, especially in Ward 3 and Ward 12, where we don't have train access. Every other ward has train access."
Jamieson noted that the city has added almost a million people since the last review of the 90-minute time limit was implemented. "We're a growing city and transit does need to respond to that," he added.
However, a report from administration indicated that extending ticket validity would result in an annual revenue loss of about $2 million and would only benefit approximately two per cent of Calgary Transit customers who purchase single-use fares. Opponents, including Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness, Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot, and Ward 8 Coun. Nathaniel Schmidt, called the request "ad-hoc" and "putting the cart before the horse," noting that Calgary Transit is already conducting a fare review.
Despite these concerns, a majority of council argued the change would benefit riders. Mayor Jeromy Farkas said, "This is a great idea. It does beg the question, though, in terms of why many trips here in the city actually do take 120 minutes. It begs a much more uncomfortable question in terms of transit efficiency and how we choose to resource this."
As part of the motion, council will refer a request for an additional $2 million in base operating funding for Calgary Transit during their 2027-30 budget deliberations in November. During debate, Chabot successfully introduced an amendment to add a line that council would "consider alternative funding opportunities should they become available sooner." He argued, "If we're going to find more money, it should be going toward better cost recovery, not more subsidies. We're already at 40 per cent subsidy for our transit system."
The meeting also covered other business, including a water efficiency plan, a confidential discussion about CAO David Duckworth's impending departure, and a motion to increase funding for public parks maintenance. Council's decisions on these matters will have lasting impacts on Calgary's infrastructure and services.
