Earlier this month, Calgary’s infrastructure and planning committee recommended ending the downtown Free Fare Zone — a section of the CTrain line where riders can travel without buying a ticket. That proposal goes to council for a vote on May 26.
Council should vote to end the service, because it effectively relies on a subsidy from paying transit users and taxpayers while encouraging the wasteful use of transit resources.
It’s important to recognize that the zone is not actually free. Trips taken within the zone still increase ridership, which requires Calgary Transit to run more trains, hire more staff and do more station upkeep. When riders pay nothing for these trips, those costs don’t disappear — they merely shift to others.
According to the city, charging fares for rides within the zone would generate about $5 million annually. That foregone revenue matters, but it’s likely not a full measure of the true cost of providing rides in the Free Fare Zone. Across the whole transit system, fares only covered 28.5 per cent of Calgary Transit’s operating costs in 2025. Calgarians, through their taxes, foot most of the bill, to the tune of $216 per person in 2025.
These “free” rides are a great deal for those who live and work downtown and benefit from the service. For everyone else, it looks like a poorly targeted subsidy for one particular type of downtown travel.
The problem is not only that the Free Fare Zone is unfair, but “free” trips also encourage wasteful use. A Calgarian who might otherwise walk a few downtown blocks may hop on the CTrain simply because it’s “free.” But that trip still adds costs to the system. Charging a fare would encourage riders to use the CTrain only when they truly value the service, which would help reduce crowding and costs.
As the status of the Free Fare Zone is debated, Calgarians will likely hear from advocates who claim that it is integral to Calgary’s economy. For example, a spokesperson for Tourism Calgary suggested that the “decision before council is whether to trade roughly $5 million in revenue for a convention and visitor economy that generates hundreds of millions annually for Calgary businesses, workers and tax revenue.”
Calgarians should be skeptical of such claims. Downtown businesses clearly support the Free Fare Zone, but any business would benefit if someone else paid for the travel of its employees and customers — that’s not proof that the zone is necessary for these businesses, nor that it provides benefits that exceed the costs imposed on other transit users and taxpayers.
It’s true that charging a fare for previously “free” CTrain trips downtown will likely deter some travel and commerce. But it’s highly unlikely that ending fare-free trips on one type of transportation, in one part of the city, would imperil Calgary’s broader economic dynamism.
Everywhere else in the city, we expect tourists, event-goers and shoppers to pay their own way for transportation. Local businesses outside the downtown get by without “free” CTrain trips for their employees and customers. And those Calgarians who ultimately decide some downtown CTrain trips aren’t worth the cost of a transit fare won’t suddenly become hermits — they’ll likely redirect their spending to other Calgary businesses.
