History of Downtown Calgary’s Free Fare Zone
Recently some cities around the world have been exploring the idea of introducing free transit fares to reduce the number of cars on the street thereby reducing GHG emissions. Calgary has had a 2.5 km long Free Fare LRT Zone along downtown’s 7th Avenue Transit Corridor for decades.
It creates a convenient and efficient way for downtown workers, residents and tourists to get from one end of downtown to the other without the need to drive, take a cab or Uber.
LRT train entering downtown from the tunnel underneath the new Central Library.
The 7th Avenue Transit Corridor is for trains and buses only, no cars or taxis. Emergency vehicles can use if needed.
The Free Fare Zone extends from the City Hall station on the right to the Downtown West/Kerby station on the left.
Transit Only Street
Downtown’s 7th avenue became a ‘transit only street’ in the late ‘70s in preparation for LRT which opened in May 1981. In advance of LRT construction, many bus routes began using the 7th Avenue transit corridor to bypass traffic congestion on other downtown roads.
Free service along 7th Ave was introduced as a gesture to downtown businesses who paid high taxes and whose employees often needed to travel only a few blocks between offices and meetings in the downtown and for tourists to promote shopping. Research showed that a high percentage of downtown employees were transit pass holders so they could hop on and off anyway, which meant there wouldn’t be a huge loss of revenue by creating a free fare zone.
The Free Fare Zone was also a good way to introduce downtown workers to LRT when it was first began operating.
Looking down on the the 4th Street station.
LRT Fare Logistics
Another factor supporting the free fare zone was Calgary’s decision to adopt a proof-of-payment, barrier free fare model, rather than have gated, staffed turnstiles at LRT Stations. The very narrow downtown platforms did not allow for any type of fare inspection area before boarding which meant it would be virtually impossible to do fare collections and inspections at the 7th Avenue stations.
The 4th Street Station links to Holt Renfew store on one side and the indoor +15 walkway and to the Hotchkiss Garden on the other.
Ten Cent Bus Zone
Prior to LRT, 7th Avenue was a well-used free fare zone for buses. However, in an attempt to raise additional revenue, a charge of $0.10 was introduced for travel along 7th Ave (regular fare was $0.25 in the ‘70s), which resulted in a ridership dropped to almost nothing since most people were only going a couple of blocks. There was a huge negative reaction (this is typical of anything that goes from being free to even a modest charge) so the $0.10 fare was eventually dropped. With the opening of the LRT the free fare for buses along 7th Ave was dropped as it was redundant.
Extending the Free Fare Zone
Over the years there have been many requests to extend the free fare zone beyond the current limits, especially to Stampede Park. However, because Calgary Transit is supposed to be at least 55% funded by user fares, extending the free fare zone to a very popular transit destination like Stampede Park (Stampede, Flames games, concerts, conventions, trade shows), would result in a significant decrease in revenue income, which would then result in increased cost to the taxpayer.
Given the cost of parking and the convenience of the service between downtown and Stampede Park, Calgary Transit officials over the years have view the transit fare as good value for money. Extending the free fare zone would provide a marginal benefit to a few at a significant cost to the financial health of the system.
The Stampede Station is going to get a mega makeover as part of the new Sports & Entertainment District that will include a new arena and expanded convention trade show centre.
Transit says…
Stephen Tauro, Communication & Information Lead at Calgary Transit recently said in an email “Our customer research indicates customers would prefer things like higher frequency on routes, better connections, more convenience and an enhanced customer experience above lower fares.” He adds, ”Offering free transit service is more complicated than it may seem on the surface. There would be funding issues, which would continue to grow over time, in order to maintain and expand on our existing service.”
Ultimately, Tauro and his colleagues at Calgary Transit feel, “Calgarians are currently receiving great value in the transit services that we provide today with several fare options for customers.”
The 7th Avenue Transit Corridor can get very busy.
Last Word
I loved John Hubbell’s (former City of Calgary, General Manager Transportation) comment about me about the 7th Avenue Free Fare Zone, “it is like a horizontal elevator along the downtown core. It function just like the elevators in the tall office buildings.”
Note: An edited version of this blog was published by Live Wire.
If you are interested in reading more about the trials and tribulation of Calgary’s 7th Avenue transit corridor these links might be of interest to you: