Hamilton Fair Fares Rally & Motion Results!

June 11th, 2025— Hamilton ACORN held a Fair Fares Rally in front of City Hall, alongside the rest of the Hamilton Accessible Transit Coalition (HATC) for the upcoming General Issues Committee meeting to gather support for an improved bus fare program.

The idea of a complementary fare program was brought forth by the Accessibility Committee for Persons with Disabilities (ACPD). This improved fare program would complement the current Fare Assist pilot program run by the City of Hamilton. The current Fare Assist Program provides a 30% discount on Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) buses for passengers with a household income below the Low-Income Measure.

The program has been under heavy scrutiny since the Fare Assist pilot program replaced Hamilton’s ‘voluntary pay’ system in 2024. Under voluntary pay, disabled riders with mobility aids or CNIB cards were able to choose to ride HSR buses for free. The voluntary pay program, which was easily accessible to those who relied on it, was criticized by city councillor Brad Clark who stated that the program could be taken advantage of by individuals “pretending to use a walker to ride for free.” This argument alone stigmatized thousands of vulnerable people living on fixed/low-income who need free access to buses to survive; using hypotheticals to undermine the legitimacy of a functioning program is ignorant to the real lives of those who struggle on fixed and low income.

Now, riders who qualify for Fare Assist pay 70% of fare costs despite being on fixed or low-income already. To qualify for the Fare Assist program, individuals who meet program criteria are required to submit proof of income or provide a notice of assessment and fill out an extensive application. This application causes accessibility issues for individuals who struggle to navigate it because of difficulties with providing proof of income or physical/technological inaccessibility.

At both the rally and GIC meeting, HATC demanded that City staff:

1. Explore a new complementary program for disabled riders under the Low Income Measure.
2. Consult widely with disabled people, students, and institutions for the program.
3. Launch a pilot project, modelled after Fare Assist, with a clear timeline.

Hamilton ACORN and community members delegated to council about how the Fare Assist pilot program fails them, and how a complementary program focused on better meeting the needs of disabled and fixed/low-income riders would be highly beneficial.

Co-chair of Hamilton ACORN’s Stoney Creek Chapter, Hojay Byfield, stated:

“Right now, far too many disabled residents are being pushed to the margins by a transit system that isn’t built with their realities in mind … it’s not enough for the buses to have ramps or low floors … even a few dollars a ride can become a serious barrier. This isn’t just about convenience. It’s about access, dignity, and being able to participate in everyday life. No one should have to choose between getting groceries and getting to the doctor. No one should be cut off from their community because they can’t afford the fare … This isn’t a radical idea. It’s a necessary one.”

City councillors debated the feasibility of a complementary program post-delegations for nearly an hour, bringing to light ways a new pilot program could undermine the integrity of HSR’s Fare Assist pilot program report to come out in Q1 2026. However, many councillors undermined the importance of including the voices of those most affected by these programs in the conversations about the success of these programs. Ward 13 councillor Alex Wilson eloquently stated:

“I think there’s been a real difficulty in having conversations about this from folks who feel like the new Fare Assist program has taken away access from them specifically … they are looking for more dialogue that just isn’t happening.”

Despite debate, councillor Brad Clark pushed a revised motion forward to “remove the committee’s report and defer it to consideration by HSR staff” to include in the Fare Assist pilot report. The revised motion passed unanimously, 14-0. While we anxiously await the report from HSR staff, we will continue to campaign in support of a complementary fare program in Hamilton that better supports fixed and low-income riders, and subsequently support many disabled and elderly riders in Hamilton as well.