The removal of the Free Fare Zone will be brought up for discussion today, Thursday, May 7, at the City’s Infrastructure Planning Committee. Alpha House’s main building is situated right outside the Free Fare zone, beside the Victoria Park/Stampede Station.  We want to share some thoughts.

Firstly, because we do hear comments on occasion about the safety of public transit and the population that Alpha House works with, we would like to briefly say that street-involved individuals will still find ways to use transit even without the Free Fare Zone. If your opinion about the zone is in any way shaped by the idea that your commute will now be free of homeless individuals or those struggling with addiction and under the influence, you will be disappointed.

The Free Fare Zone has been around for over 40 years; many – probably most – Calgarians can not easily recall a time when the Free Fare Zone did not exist.

The downtown area (both inside and slightly outside the free zone) houses dozens and dozens of essential services and critical resources that can be accessed by traveling through the Free Fare Zone. Unhoused and vulnerable Calgarians take appropriate advantage of it to make appointments, often related to basic needs, housing, banking, and healthcare services, to pass the time, to bottle pick, and to access services. People experiencing homelessness will still be able to access bus and transit passes through homeless-serving agencies.

The removal of the free fare zone will only hurt low-income groups. It will add an additional barrier to people already struggling to meet their basic needs. Huge stretches between the transit stations within the Free Fare Zone are walkable, which in no way helps those with physical disabilities who rely on the Free Fare Zone to travel around downtown. The removal of the Free Fare Zone would only negatively impact low-income and vulnerable populations who are already in need of support.