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Susan Ruttan, Edmonton Journal! z5 E6 ~( D2 ~
Published: Friday, March 30, 2007 t; j) h/ q6 o6 ^
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The cost of a monthly transit pass could jump by $15 if city council endorses a proposed new transit fare policy.! u' _( }1 y8 [1 L
) c' B4 u1 M( I. o% k Q! BThat policy would use the cost of an adult transit ticket, currently $2.50, to set all other fares charged by Edmonton Transit.
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( D- s4 F1 Y$ ?It would end the random system of fare increases being approved each year by city council. Council in December voted to raise the adult ticket by 25 cents, but left the $59 monthly adult pass untouched.
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In the new formula, any increase in the adult cash fare would trigger increases in all other fares.
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It’s proposed that the adult monthly pass would cost 55 per cent of the cost of a cash fare, assuming an average transit rider takes 54 trips a month. That works out to $74, about the same price as a monthly pass in St. Albert, Strathcona County and Calgary.4 A0 W1 t3 A& N4 F/ c" W
8 f+ Y& b+ k3 n8 B' ]' U1 M“Currently our cash fares and month passes are priced below comparable organizations,” said Patricia Waisman, director of business development for Edmonton Transit.% M& P5 S/ k6 c: X
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The new system of all fares being based on the basic fare would help to correct that, she said.
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Waisman said the “multiplier” in the formula, the average 54 trips a month, varies from city to city. In Toronto the multiplier would be a bigger number, in Lethbridge a smaller number.
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The proposed change acts on a recommendation of the city auditor David Wiun.
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/ n/ ]! c' u# k; b0 W! K+ eIn a recent report, he said Edmonton’s transit passes and cash fares are 11 to 14 per cent below that of comparable cities. The result is that Edmonton taxpayers must pay a greater share of transit’s budget than in those other cities, he said. |
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