OC Transpo ridership jumps 28% during free-fare September weekend
O-Train Line 1 saw a 57% surge as the city marked Ottawa 200, Nuit Blanche, and the Titans' championship win.
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OC Transpo carried 28 percent more riders than a typical fall weekend when it offered free fares during Sept. 26-27, riding a wave of city events that included the Ottawa 200 block party, Nuit Blanche, and the Ottawa Titans' championship baseball game.
The O-Train Line 1, running east-west through downtown, saw the biggest surge: ridership jumped 57 percent, with an additional 45,600 trips over the weekend. Lines 2 and 4 each gained 21 percent. Bus ridership rose 14 percent, and Para Transpo climbed 11 percent.
Council approved the free-fare weekends following a motion from Capital Councillor Shawn Menard, intending to compensate riders for poor transit performance and attract new and returning passengers. A second free-fare weekend is planned for after the LRT east extension to Orléans completes—a project now delayed at least one month due to a "safety-critical" software issue.
The free weekend offered a visible boost to ridership, though whether the increase represents a return to baseline ridership or genuinely new riders remains unclear.
How much did the two free-fare weekends cost the city?
Does the 28% jump represent new riders or displaced riders from other weekends?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
