The mayors of Alberta’s two biggest cities said the province has pulled $12 million in funding meant to help low-income residents access public transit.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said the move is an insult to Calgarians who are already struggling to get by.
The Calgary program works on a sliding scale with those most in need paying as little as $5.80 a month for a transit pass. A regular adult monthly pass, by comparison, costs $115.
Gondek says the city saw more than 119,000 low-income passes issued in the first three months of this year to aid those living below the poverty line.
Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi says defunding the program will make life more expensive for 25,000 local residents every month, including students and seniors.
“At a time when Edmontonians are struggling to afford their basic needs and demand for this program has increased 150 per cent since 2016, the decision to defund this program in Edmonton and Calgary shows that the province’s priorities are in the wrong place,” Sohi said in a statement on social media Tuesday afternoon.
Originally set as a three-year pilot program in 2017, Sohi said the program has been incredibly successful.
He said more than 250,000 ride transit program passes were sold in 2023 — an increase of approximately 20 per cent from 2019.
We were informed today that the Government of Alberta is discontinuing funding their portion of the Low Income Transit Pass program in Edmonton and Calgary.
Each month, this program is accessed by over 25,000 low-income Edmontonians, Students, and Seniors who require public…
— Amarjeet Sohi (@AmarjeetSohiYEG) April 30, 2024
— More to come…