Projet Montreal mayoral hopeful Valerie Plante announced measures on Tuesday aimed at making public transit in the city more affordable.
Plante met the media at city hall along with the party's transport critic, Craig Sauvé. They say if Plante is elected, they would introduce what's called a social fare, which would see those living under the poverty line pay a fare that's 40 per cent cheaper. Eventually, she would also make transit free for children under 12, and seniors over 65.
All this would cost the city around $110 million — money it says could be drawn from existing public funds at the federal and provincial levels to promote transit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"At the provincial level, we have a green fund, so there's a few millions of dollars waiting to be used," Plante says. "For us this is the best measure that we could use to reduce greenhouse gases."
The party says mayor Coderre promised a social fare back in 2013, but never followed up, and is also making the promise again this year.
"In 2013, there was a debate on transport and the mayor promised that there was going to be a social tariff in the mandate. And then a year later — after he’s elected — he denied he even promised it,” Sauvé said. “So he promised a social tariff, he then denied a social tariff afterward and is now re-promising it again. It’s like, fool us once, shame on you, fool us twice, shame on us."