An east-end candidate has stepped forward with a plan that could increase transit ridership.

Stephen Blais, who is running in Cumberland Ward, is suggesting OC Transpo express passes be transferable to spouses and children. He argues the majority of express pass users typically only use public transit to commute to and from work Monday through Friday.

By allowing commuters to share their passes with their children, there is an opportunity to reduce carpooling to teen activities by having young adults become public transit riders.

“I believe express pass users should get more value for their $114 per month pass by making it transferable to immediate family members,” Blais said in a statement. “By making these passes transferable, we will be encouraging our youth to embrace public transit as their preferred mode of transportation.”

Taking a shot at the incumbent, who has not yet officially declared whether he’ll run again or not, Blais noted that since 2004 Cumberland Coun. Rob Jellett and city council have increased express transit pass fares by 50 per cent while inflation has only been just over 11 per cent.

“Despite skyrocketing hikes to public transit prices, commuters have not seen improvements to public transit service,” Blais continued. “If city hall does not give commuters value for their money, we risk losing them to their vehicles.”

While the idea of transferable passes hasn’t yet come to Ottawa, it’s not a novel idea. Toronto’s Metropass, for example, can be shared among family and friends.

The TTC Metropass, which runs $121 for adults and does not include express fare, can be shared by those not using the transit system at the same time. In other words there’s no “pass back” allowed.

Innes Coun. Rainer Bloess, who sits on the transit committee, indicated the city should look at how to create a more flexible fare system that would encourage ridership. The city has done that in the past, he said, changing the community pass to meet the needs of residents on social assistance or with a disability.

A transferable pass or family bus pass, Bloess continued, would be one way to create incentives, but the city would first have to look at the financial impact.

“We’d need to do an in depth evaluation,” he said, adding the city wouldn’t want to lose revenue.