Trim Sarnia’s free refugee bus pass program: city staff

Sarnia’s 12-month free refugee bus pass program should be pared back, city staff recommend.

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About 200 refugees received free bus passes in Sarnia this year through the city program, which has “been working well,” engineering and operations general manager David Jackson said.

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But it’s also more generous than similar programs in Ontario, staff said, in a report going to council Dec. 11.

The most generous elsewhere, among those reviewed by city staff, is Ottawa’s six-month program, the report says.

Closer by, London and Windsor direct refugees to subsidy programs for low-income people, it says.

Sarnia has similar subsidy programs, including one through the Inn of the Good Shepherd that discounts rates 20 per cent, and another through Lambton County, Jackson said.

Paring back to mirror Ottawa’s six-month program is recommended in 2024, “partly (so) those other (subsidy programs) can be utilized with this as well,” he said.

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Keeping the free-pass program is valuable because it helps newcomers establish themselves — and become familiar with transit — but it’s important not to miss out on revenue for the city, Jackson said.

A monthly pass costs $80 in 2023. Costs are poised to rise to $85 in 2024.

It’s also not a given that refugees would just pay for transit, or ever use the system, without the initial free access, Jackson said.

“This one is unique,” ​​he said.

“The impact is increased ridership,” he added; “but the potential benefit is, when someone’s introduced to utilizing transit, that they would — after they get established — then be able to pay the regular fare and help contribute to the system.”

City’s bus ridership this year totalled 1.5 million trips as of Nov. 29, he said.

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That’s up from 1.32 million trips in all of 2022, and we pace to end up about 1.7 million — Sarnia’s peak bus ridership in 2019before ridership tanked amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

Road changes, including this Septemberhave been implemented since to address overcrowding on some routes, particularly to and from Lambton College, where passengers were sometimes being left behind at bus stops.

Free passes for refugees likely don’t exacerbate the overcrowding problem, partly because the times and routes refugees use likely don’t overlap with the times and routes used by college students, Jackson said.

Some refugees don’t use their passes at all, and some use them on a daily basis, he added.

Free passes are also available to veterans and children under 12.

The impetus for introducing the program was a notice of motion from Coun. Brian White in May 2022, to help the influx of people escaping Russia’s war in Ukraine, and other refugees.

“It’s just an opportunity to provide a warm welcome for folks who have been dealing with stuff that’s far beyond our imagination,” White said at the time.

Council, at the time also, asked staff to identify best practices and create a program.

The Dec. 11 report is the result, after trialing the 12-month version, Jackson said.

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