City of Ottawa to pay more under 10-year Presto deal with Metrolinx

A proposed 10-year deal hammered out with Metrolinx will see the City of Ottawa keep the Presto transit fare card until 2027 but also pay a larger fee to the provincial Crown agency behind the system.

The City of Ottawa has been paying two per cent of the cost ofeach Presto transaction to Metrolinx, a deal that had been set to expire in October before the city negotiated two one-month extensions.

Under terms of a new deal to go before the transit commission next week, the amount the city pays to Metrolinx will begin to rise in 2018, and by 2021 will be six per cent where it will stay until the agreement ends in 2027.

As part of the deal, Metrolinx would extend the current agreement until October of next year, when the ten-year deal would kick in.

Metrolinx has been negotiating deals with other municipalities such asHamilton. But Ottawa has fewer requirements than other municipalities in the province, since it owns the fare sytem devices and doesn't need Metrolinx to provide functions that allow for inter-municipal travel.

The city is also working to install and commission a new fare control system as part of getting the O-Train Confederation line in service.

In their report to the transit commission, staff indicated they also wanted to enter into a memorandum of understanding with Metrolinx, one that would see the citypay about $600,000 to Metrolinx to integrate the fare system with Presto.

The report is expected to be tabled on Monday, Dec. 5, when the transit commission will be asked to approve the agreement.