OC Transpo is developing options for a new monthly pass that will appeal specifically to hybrid workers in an attempt to woo more riders back to public transit, general manager Renée Amilcar said.

During a meeting of the city's transit commission Thursday, Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill asked Amilcar whether a partial subscription pass would be made available to customers who only need to commute part-time now that federal workers are mandated to return to the office for a certain number of days per week.

"If we know for a fact that a number of these public servants are coming back two to three times a week in many cases, for them that decision metric to go to a monthly pass … doesn't exist, and as a result they are going to take the choice to take a car," Hill said.

"We are working on that," Amilcar replied. "Will come back to the transit commission [with] a few options."

In December, OC Transpo's ridership levels were at 62 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, according to a presentation delivered to the transit commission Thursday. Ridership has remained relatively stable in recent months, hovering around 60 per cent since September.

That's still well below both the national average and OC Transpo's target for 2022 of 82 per cent, however.

Even without a new hybrid pass, Amilcar said she's optimistic January numbers will show a noticeable bump in ridership. The federal government's push to bring public servants back to the office after more than two years of remote working began Jan. 16 and is set to culminate on March 31.

Along with proposing new pass options, OC Transpo is launching a new ad campaign directed at federal workers to help them navigate the transit system and plan trips, she said. The campaign will last several months.