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Guelph Transit's Fare Strategy

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The City is working to update Guelph Transit’s Fare Strategy, a detailed plan for fare programs, policies, pricing, payment options, and structure that will set the course for Guelph Transit over the next 10 years. The final strategy will include a review of our current fare system, guidelines to inform future decision-making, updated and detailed policies, and recommended changes to the fare structure, programs, and pricing.

The Fare Strategy review will not engage on interregional fares, sponsorships for pay for fare programs, altering eligibility for subsidized transit fares, university student fares, and changes to service plans.

How we have engaged with the community:

We've engaged all of Guelph, whether you ride transit now or not, along with businesses and employers. Your feedback will be used alongside data from municipal comparators, best practices in the industry, and staff expertise to develop the draft strategy.

Between March 21 and April 10, 2022, we asked the community to help us understand:

  • What fare programs would make transit more financially accessible
  • How changes to fares can make transit better
  • Who our riders are and how to create equitable fare structures
  • What we can do to get you riding Guelph Transit if you don’t already

In June 2022 we returned to ask households with youth aged 13-18 to tell us more about their interests in a semester pass and summer pass program for high school students.

Then what happened?:

On April 25, 2023, the Transit Fare Strategy was passed by Council. We are excited to bring a more equitable transit fare structure to the community. Check out the full report in our document section.

The City is working to update Guelph Transit’s Fare Strategy, a detailed plan for fare programs, policies, pricing, payment options, and structure that will set the course for Guelph Transit over the next 10 years. The final strategy will include a review of our current fare system, guidelines to inform future decision-making, updated and detailed policies, and recommended changes to the fare structure, programs, and pricing.

The Fare Strategy review will not engage on interregional fares, sponsorships for pay for fare programs, altering eligibility for subsidized transit fares, university student fares, and changes to service plans.

How we have engaged with the community:

We've engaged all of Guelph, whether you ride transit now or not, along with businesses and employers. Your feedback will be used alongside data from municipal comparators, best practices in the industry, and staff expertise to develop the draft strategy.

Between March 21 and April 10, 2022, we asked the community to help us understand:

  • What fare programs would make transit more financially accessible
  • How changes to fares can make transit better
  • Who our riders are and how to create equitable fare structures
  • What we can do to get you riding Guelph Transit if you don’t already

In June 2022 we returned to ask households with youth aged 13-18 to tell us more about their interests in a semester pass and summer pass program for high school students.

Then what happened?:

On April 25, 2023, the Transit Fare Strategy was passed by Council. We are excited to bring a more equitable transit fare structure to the community. Check out the full report in our document section.

  • More information

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    What's out of scope

    Some transit fares are managed outside of what the Fare Strategy can cover.

    For our valued clients who take transit using the Affordable Bus Pass program, or a University of Guelph student pass, those passes are not part of the scope of this project. Your feedback and your ideas about other programs are still important to us and we still want to hear from you here.

    Strategic connections

    We heard from the community that protecting the environment and being able to move freely are important to Guelph. A new Fare Strategy will ensure we’re future ready and meeting the City’s strategic priorities to Sustain and Navigate our Future.

    The transit fare strategy options to be presented for feedback are informed by direction from the Guelph Transit Action Plan: Route Review Recommended Plan, approved by Council in 2021, and the 2019 Transit Business Service Review.

    Updating our fare strategy gives us the opportunity to explore new programs that will get more people riding transit, meet the needs of our growing city and help meet the City’s and community’s climate change goals.

  • Budget watch

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    Changes to Guelph Transit, including scheduling and routing changes (from the Future Ready Plan that passed in November 2021) as well as the new electric bus program were all approved during the 2022-2023 budget.

    The Transit Fare Strategy works in sync with those approved changes to Transit, and with our efforts to get more people riding the bus, as well as new sources of revenue to keep fares reasonable while we grow.

    All of this means, your feedback in the Transit Fare Strategy will have an impact on the City budget for the next 10 years! This is one way you can provide input to the Transit Fare Strategy and City Budget!

  • Virtual workshop schedule and links

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    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    Join us at one of three scheduled events to learn about the Transit Fare Strategy and participate in a conversation around your interests and trade-offs that need to be considered as we develop the full strategy.

    You can participate however you choose, on WebEx, @ Facebook ( City of Guelph, or Guelph Transit) or call-in (some participation restrictions would apply for call-in).

    Please note: A second device such as a smart phone, tablet or extra monitor will be handy, to access a website called Mentimeter (menti.com) during the event. The activity on Mentimeter will help guide our conversations during the workshop. We will make sure those without access to Mentimeter are still included in the conversation.

    Schedule:



  • In-person engagement opportunities

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    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    We are traveling the city with two different engagement activities to talk to the community about the Transit Fare Strategy in person!

    • Community Polls: Will be set up at popular transit locations to interact with people quickly while they are en-route to their destination
    • Traveling Open Houses: Will be in central community locations with in-depth information and the full length survey to dig into what really matters for Guelph

    Schedule:

    Check out the Schedule for dates and locations to meet up with our staff in person!

    *This schedule is subject to change and dates may be cancelled due to weather as necessary.

    Date Time Location Activity
    Wednesday March 23 TBD Guelph City Hall - Service Guelph
    		 Community Poll
    Friday March 25 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Evergreen Senior's Community Centre Travelling Open House
    Saturday March 26 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Main Library Branch Travelling Open House
    Saturday March 26 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. West End Community Centre Community Poll
    Sunday March 27 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. West End Community Centre Community Poll
    Monday March 28 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Guelph City Hall - Service Guelph Travelling Open House
    Thursday March 31 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Guelph City Hall - Service Guelph
    		 Travelling Open House
    Friday
    April 1    		 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Guelph City Hall - Service Guelph
    		 Travelling Open House/Community Poll
    Saturday April 2 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Stone Road Mall platforms Community Poll
    Sunday April 3 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. Guelph City Hall - Service Guelph
    		 Travelling Open House/Community Poll
    Monday April 4 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Ontario Works Community Poll
    Friday
    April 8    		 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Guelph Central Station Travelling Open House/Community Poll
    Saturday April 9 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. Willow West Mall - near No Frills Community Poll
    Sunday April 10 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. Stone Road Mall platforms
    		 Travelling Open House/Community Poll
Page last updated: 28 Apr 2023, 01:08 PM