OC Transpo’s Customer Service Centres (CSC) were closed to the public on March 17, 2020, following the declaration by the Province of Ontario of a state of emergency in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result, OC Transpo has not been able to process renewals and new applications for the EquiPass, Community Pass, and Access Pass discounted fares, which normally require customers whose applications are approved to visit a CSC to have the discount set on their Presto card. Customers are currently unable to apply for the Community Pass or Access Pass, as applications for these discounted fares are normally only accepted in-person at the CSCs. Customers can continue to mail in applications for the EquiPass, however, approved applicants are unable to have the discount set on their Presto card due to the closure of the CSCs.
With the continued provincial state of emergency and with City facilities anticipated to be closed at least until June 30, staff are making temporary changes to the process for renewals and new applications in order to provide customers with continued access to the discounted fares during this period.
Customers whose eligibility for the EquiPass or Community Pass has expired or is expiring between February 1 and July 31, 2020, and who have not already renewed their discount, will have their eligibility extended until August 15, 2020. (This excludes EquiPass renewal applications that were already processed and not approved and for which the applicant has received a letter indicating their ineligibility.) The expiration date of the discount encoded on the cards will be extended automatically. Customers will need to tap their Presto card on a bus or at a fare gate or query their card at a ticket machine or at a participating Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws, or Real Canadian Superstore location in order to have the revised expiration date written electronically to the card. Access Pass holders who require a renewal to their discount during the CSC closures are asked to contact OC Transpo directly to make individual arrangements.
New applications for the EquiPass, Community Pass, or Access Pass will be handled by mail until further notice. A customer whose application is approved will receive by mail a new Presto card with the discount set on the card or will have the discount applied to their ParaPay account. The expiry date for the discount will be set as per the normal process, and will be indicated on the approval letter.
Credits on Presto and ParaPay accounts will be provided to any customers whose discounts have expired and have paid higher fares as a result.
Details on these changes will be communicated to customers starting in the coming week through various channels, including notices to affected customers and stakeholders, social media updates, and octranspo.com.