From August 19 to 21, we hosted Para Transpo Talk events at Bowesville, Hurdman and Tunney’s Pasture stations, where we chatted about everything from the O-Train to My Para Transpo!
These events are designed to bring Para Transpo customers, their families, companions, and support persons together for meaningful discussions and updates with OC Transpo staff. If you weren’t able to join us this time, don’t worry, The Next Stop Blog is here to fill you in on the highlights of what was discussed.
Here’s a breakdown of what was covered during the event:
Combining O-Train with Para Transpo
This month’s events theme focused on showcasing the O-Train system and how it can complement Para Transpo trips. By hosting Para Transpo Talk at O-Train stations, our team was able to take customers on personalized tours of the O-Train to point out level boarding, the cooperative seating areas, the audio and visual next stop announcements, and plan where a rider could locate their mobility device when riding.
Several participants let us know that they felt more confident and better informed about how to incorporate travel on the O-Train into their routines!
Fare information
During the events we heard many questions about fares. Current fare information can be found on our website on the following pages:
A few topics we discussed were:
- Rural and urban areas of Ottawa: These boundaries are determined by Ottawa City Council. You can see a map of these areas here.
- Presto: If you are eligible for a discounted fare, a Presto card is your best choice of payment. You can choose to set a monthly pass, or load money to pay per ride. Rural fares are not covered by monthly passes or discounted fares.
- Fare capping: Fare capping is a feature that limits the amount of money you are charged per month to the price of a monthly pass. This means you can pay per ride, and once your fares add up to the cost of a monthly pass, the rest of your trips that month are free.
Para Transpo fleet updates
We brought along our new six and seven-metre minibuses for customers to see in person. In total, we’ll be receiving 6 six-metre minibuses and 76 seven-metre minibuses for use with Para Transpo service.
The six-metre minibus has:
- up to seven ambulatory seats, and
- up to two wheelchair spots.
The seven-metre minibus has:
- up to ten ambulatory seats, and
- up to three wheelchair spots.
Support with My Para Transpo
Staff assisted customers in registering for and navigating My Para Transpo, demonstrating how simple and convenient self-service options can be for everyday trip planning.
Organizations who book Para Transpo trips on behalf of clients can use a special version of My Para Transpo. This version allows booking and managing trips for multiple clients with a single login. For more information, contact OC Transpo Customer Service.
We had a great time answering questions this time and look forward to continuing these important conversations and improving the experience for all our Para Transpo customers.
