Orillia Transit users will see a small fare hike in the new year.
Starting Jan. 1st, 2021, a cash fare to ride the bus in Orillia will increase by ten cents from $2.60 to $2.70.
There will also be price changes to bulk ticket fees (see below Orillia Transit Key Facts Poster).
“The City has continued to invest significantly to modernize and improve our transit system,” says Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke. “This year, we added 11 bicycle racks to the buses to encourage and promote active transportation, three new shelters, additional concrete pads at bus stops to help with winter maintenance and accessibility and will soon introduce a new Smart Pay system. As part of this continuous improvement, we are increasing fares slightly. Transit service is still subsidized to a large degree by the municipality, and the small increase to the transit user is still very competitive with other similar transit services.”
The Smart Pay Fare System is scheduled to launch in 2021. It will allow riders to pay with a loadable smart card. Riders will still be able to pay with cash if they choose to, but they’ll now have more flexibility with how they pay their fares. Both improvements will make it easier for Orillia Transit users to move between the City of Orillia transit service and the Simcoe County LINX transit service.
“The investments in Orillia Transit to date have resulted in a better rider experience, improved capacities and better schedule adherence,” says Jeff Hunter, Manager of Construction and Transit. “We look forward to continuing to implement further improvements such as the Smart Pay Fare System to provide another level of service for our riders.”
Updated rate schedules and route maps are available on the City’s website at orillia.ca/transit and are available for pick up throughout the City.
Also – you can Download Pingstreet, the City of Orillia’s free mobile application, and access real-time GPS-based information for all Orillia Transit routes including bus arrival times; bus route information; current bus locations on the route map; and the option to save frequently used stops as a favourite for quick and easy access.
An annual rate increase was approved by Council as part of the 2020 budget process in order to maintain continuing improvements to Orillia Transit service.