Brampton anti-poverty transit proposal - fare discount

NRU
March 7, 2018
By Maryam Mirza

As low-income Brampton residents are expected to be eligible for half-price PRESTO pass fares starting May 1, 2018, pending city council ratification this week.

Through funding under the Peel Region Affordable Transportation Program, Brampton would make available half-price PRESTO passes for eligible low-income adults and seniors.

Peel Regional councillor John Sprovieri told NRU that many Brampton residents don't have access to cars or transit.

"Transit is not cheap anymore, either to get to work, school, or friends and family," he said. "It [Brampton] is a very expensive area to live in - I know a lot of people who retire and they can't afford to stay here."

Low-income households make up 11.3 per cent of the population of Brampton, with more than half of the city's neighbourhoods populated by those earning less than the Toronto CMA average income of $50,000. The affordable transit program is part of the Peel Poverty Reduction Strategy introduced in 2012. In an effort to break the cycle of poverty, the fare discount is seen as a tool to support to eligible residents who want to find work, go to school and participate in the life of the local community.

In its 2018 budget, Peel Region allocated $1-million to transit subsidies, based on a pilot project last year to assess the potential cost of, and demand for, the Presto card discount program.

"When we launched our first strategy in 2012 and we had consultations and focus groups with the community and residents, people said consistently that access to affordable transit was a concern," Peel poverty reduction strategy committee advisor Adaoma Patterson told NRU.

During region-sponsored focus groups, Patterson explained that youth and working individuals who earn slightly more than the formal criteria for low-income eligibility cited financial issues as of particular concern. Subsidized transit is viewed as an important tool for low-income households to go to school, a doctor's appointment, a job interview or social events in the community.

"People have a perception about those living in poverty - that they're not working or receiving assistance of some sort," said Patterson. "Actually the biggest concern and rise in population are those who are working - part time and fulltime - and still struggling."

Brampton expects to introduce its affordable transit program by May 1st. After one year of the program's operation, the city plans to evaluate its performance, determine any additional needs of residents and assess any concerns raised by residents whose income slightly exceeds the low income threshold (for instance, $22,133 for a one-person a household).

"[The] good news is that the program is permanent - so how it expands and adjusts and changes will be in response to what people are telling us," Patterson said.