‘Contact your city councillor:’ Calgary mayor pushes for preservation of free fare zone
Posted May 21, 2026 7:57 am.
Last Updated May 21, 2026 7:09 pm.
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas is making it clear he wants the city’s Free Fare Zone to stay and is asking fellow residents to contact their councillors on the issue before it heads to debate at city council next week.
While commuting on the train Wednesday, Farkas said getting rid of the zone is the wrong move.
“Why would we want to make transit less convenient when we’re trying to get more people downtown? People have made long-term housing and business decisions around the Free Fare Zone,” he said.
The mayor says the zone helps people make quick trips downtown, employees get to meetings, seniors to appointments, and tourists into the core to check out local businesses.
“It helps make downtown safer, busier, and more connected,” Farkas added. “And let’s be honest about safety: if someone is causing disorder in transit, using drugs, threatening people, or making riders feel unsafe, we need to deal with that directly.
“That’s a public safety issue, and an unpaid fare is a completely separate issue.”
Farkas said the focus needs to be on addressing behaviour that makes transit feel unsafe, not creating new barriers for riders who are trying to get downtown.
The Free Fare Zone, stretching from Downtown West–Kerby to City Hall–Bow Valley College stations, was originally created in 1981 to boost accessibility and mobility in the city’s core. But after 45 years, the administration says Calgary has evolved, and the program may no longer meet the needs of a growing city.
Earlier this month, the Infrastructure and Planning Committee voted 7-4 to end the zone along 7 Avenue beginning Aug. 1.
The proposal still needs to be approved by city council before it can take effect.
A review by city administration cites safety concerns, financial pressures, and Calgary’s changing urban landscape as the key reasons behind the proposed change.
Council requested a now completed review that points to safety as the primary driver behind the recommendation. Officials argue that requiring fares would give peace officers clearer authority to address disorder on trains and platforms.
The report also notes that eliminating the zone could generate about $5 million annually for Calgary Transit.
Roughly 5.4 million trips occur within the zone each year, and administration estimates 1.8 million boardings could disappear if fares are introduced.
