Calgary city council has greenlit a series of public transit fare increases set to take effect in 2026, a move that will see the cost of a single-use bus or CTrain ticket rise to $4. The decision came during a tight vote on Monday as part of the city's ongoing 2026 budget deliberations.
Narrow Vote Approves Fare Adjustments
The pivotal amendment, put forward by Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot, passed by a narrow margin of 8-7. It increases the current single-ticket price of $3.80 by 20 cents in 2026. This adjustment exceeds the originally budgeted increase to $3.90, which represented a 2.86 per cent hike.
The fare changes are not limited to single tickets. Council also approved increases for monthly passes. The adult monthly pass will jump from $118 to $126, and the youth monthly pass will rise from $86 to $92. These figures are also higher than the previously planned amounts of $122 and $89, respectively.
Revenue for Service Improvements Cited as Rationale
Councillor Chabot argued that the increases are intended to fund better transit services. He cited a study suggesting that fare hikes can potentially boost ridership if the additional revenue is directly reinvested into improving the system. “Yes, it’s an increase in fares but we can look at how we can increase safety, security, cleanliness . . . to provide some sort of increased level of service to justify the increase,” Chabot stated during the deliberations.
According to his calculations, the user fee adjustments are projected to generate an additional $4 million in transit revenue for the city in 2026. It is important to note that these fare increases are contingent on the final approval of the overall 2026 municipal budget.
Other Transit Proposals Fail, Free Fare Zone Debated
The transit fare vote was one of more than 30 amendments council considered for the 2026 budget. Two other transit-related proposals from Chabot were narrowly defeated. One sought to eliminate the long-standing free fare zone for the downtown LRT, and the other aimed to end free transit for children aged 12 and under—a policy established by the previous council in 2023.
Calgary Transit director Sharon Fleming noted that the free fare zone has existed since the CTrain's launch in 1981. She acknowledged that while it is a historic feature, it presents challenges for fare enforcement by peace officers and can contribute to public safety concerns on the downtown transit network.
The budget debates, which included this flurry of amendments, continued into Tuesday as council works to finalize the city's financial plan for 2026.
