Some Brampton Residents Can Now Get Cheaper Bus Fare

Brampton | Ontario | Latest News |

Published May 1, 2018 at 9:23 pm

If you’re a Brampton Transit rider who sometimes struggles to make ends meet, you might now be eligible to catch a break on fares. 

If you’re a Brampton Transit rider who sometimes struggles to make ends meet, you might now be eligible to catch a break on fares. 

Transit prices have officially been slashed for some low-income residents, if you meet certain criteria and are interested in purchasing a discounted monthly pass.

The Peel Affordable Transportation Program (ATP) – Brampton allows low-income residents in Brampton to purchase a monthly PRESTO pass at a 50 per cent discount as of May 1, 2018.

Adult monthly PRESTO passes are currently $124, while senior passes are $52. As of May 1, those passes will be $62 and $26 for eligible residents, respectively.

How so residents know if they’re eligible for the discount?

First, you have to be a Canadian citizen, a landed immigrant, or a newcomer who has applied for permanent residency, sponsorship, or refugee protection in Canada.

Next, your after tax household income should be equal to or lesser than these amounts:

Table courtesy of the Region of Peel

The ATP is already running in Mississauga on MiWay, where it has seen success, so this isn’t just a pilot program – it’s now a permanent program in Brampton.

The discount is valid for 12 months, after which residents must re-apply to keep the cheaper fare.

The program is a partnership between the Region of Peel and Brampton Transit.

The Region is providing a 50 per cent subsidy to the City to cover costs, resulting in a net zero revenue loss for Brampton, according to recent council documents.

Brampton is paying the Region a one-time fee of $85,000 to support the development of an online portal to store resident information once the program launches.

The ATP is part of Peel’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. According to the United Way of Peel Region, for the first time ever, more than half of Peel’s neighbourhoods are considered low-income – in 1980, it was two per cent, and as of 2015, it’s 52 per cent – so this program might help a lot of people in Brampton.

There’s now an online application process through a portal where residents will have to meet low-income measures to be eligible for the major discount. Click here to access to the portal.

What do you think of this new program?

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