Where Ottawa’s mayoral front-runners stand on OC Transpo

Ottawa’s four leading mayoral candidates are offering sharply different fixes for OC Transpo ahead of the Oct. 26 vote: Mayor Mark Sutcliffe would cut the adult monthly pass to $95, Neil Saravanamuttoo would charge $1 a ride, Jeff Leiper would accept modest fare increases and refund riders when buses fail to show, and Alex Lawson says the system is not ready for more money.

Whoever wins will inherit a transit system that ran a deficit of more than $50 million last year, with ridership still below pre-pandemic levels, a winter of poor bus reliability and delays to LRT expansion, CBC Ottawa reported in a comparison of the platforms published Oct. 22.

Sutcliffe’s campaign platform promises to cut the monthly pass by more than $43 to $95, which it says would save regular riders more than $500 a year. He would also bring in a $10 daily fare cap and a two-hour transfer window. CTV News Ottawa reported the pledge when he announced it in August. He has also promised more buses, drivers and mechanics, express routes and new park-and-ride lots.

Much of Sutcliffe’s plan depends on a deal to upload the LRT to the provincial agency Metrolinx, which he says could save the city about $85 million a year. No agreement has been signed, and his opponents say a takeover is not guaranteed, according to CBC News.

Saravanamuttoo, an economist, is promising the deepest cut: $1 single-ride fares, capped at $40 a month, under a plan he calls “Buck a Ride.” He told CBC News it would cost about $100 million in lost revenue at current ridership and would be paid for with the same expected LRT upload savings. He also promises a full bus network redesign and a real estate agency to develop land around stations.

Leiper, a three-term councillor, has moved the other way on fares. He now supports modest increases to keep the system funded and calls a freeze an eventual goal once OC Transpo is out of crisis. He would reverse the 2025 “New Ways to Bus” route changes, add bus lanes, widen eligibility for the low-income EquiPass to include minimum-wage workers, and give riders their money back when buses do not show up, a pledge he has acknowledged would be hard to deliver for cash riders.

Lawson, a homebuilder, is focused on reliability, fare enforcement and safety. He would put fare inspectors on the system seven days a week, review routes and timetables, and run a rush-hour express bus network until the LRT meets reliability standards. His fiscal plan includes no new transit funding. He said the system is “not ready for more money” until schedules are fixed.

The candidates clashed over transit at CBC Ottawa’s debate on Oct. 21, where Leiper said residents “feel gaslit” when told the system is improving. For voting hours, ID rules and the other races on the ballot, see our guide on how to vote in Ottawa’s Oct. 26 election. More city news is on our Ottawa page.

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