While many Canadian cities face challenges with rising transit fares and declining ridership, Orangeville, Ontario, is experiencing a remarkable turnaround. Ridership in the town has more than doubled over the past two years, following the introduction of a fare-free transit program in 2023, which will continue through 2027. The success of this initiative is generating interest from municipal leaders across Canada and the U.S., with over 25 officials seeking to learn from Orangeville’s experience.
Orangeville’s program is part of a growing movement of free transit initiatives in smaller Canadian and U.S. communities. Prior to Orangeville, Canmore, Alberta (pop. 17,036), implemented free transit in 2022, while Mont-Tremblant, Quebec (pop. 11,000), started offering free service in 2019. Although Orangeville is larger than both of these towns, it follows in their footsteps by offering free bus rides to all residents. In 2019, before the fare-free initiative, Orangeville’s three bus routes served approximately 100,000 passengers annually. In 2023, after eliminating fares, ridership soared to 225,000, and this year, the town is on track to exceed 260,000 riders.
The town’s annual transit budget is about $1.2 million, with fare revenue of around $150,000. However, the costs of fare collection, totaling up to $80,000, made eliminating fares a more cost-effective option. Mayor Post emphasized the importance of investing in transit culture and reducing car dependency. As a result, free transit has benefited lower-income residents, seniors, and youth by improving access to essential services, jobs, and social activities.
For example, Vivian Petho, a regular rider on Orangeville’s green route, shared how important free transit has been for her. “I can get to my appointments and my son’s school and activities for free, which I couldn’t do without transit,” she said. Christopher Gierusz, a visitor from nearby Brampton, also expressed his appreciation. “I find this amazing. The city I’m from is expensive to travel on the bus,” he said.
While smaller cities have successfully implemented free transit, larger cities face challenges due to their heavy reliance on fare revenue. Cities like Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Victoria have pushed for similar initiatives, but experts argue that free transit in large urban areas would require significant government funding. Yuval Grinspun, CEO of Left Turn Right Turn, believes fare-free transit works better in smaller communities and suggests a targeted approach—offering reduced or free fares for low-income individuals or students—could be more feasible in larger cities.
Larger cities like Boston and New York have tested targeted fare-free transit programs, with Boston making three bus routes free in low-income areas and New York piloting fare-free routes for a year. However, challenges such as fare evasion have arisen. While some critics argue that reliability and safety should be prioritized.
Building on this success, Orangeville plans to expand its fare-free service next year to a nearby rural area, with increased local funding to support an additional route. As the conversation around fare-free transit grows in Canada and beyond, Orangeville’s experiment provides a valuable case study for other communities considering similar initiatives.
