 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Susan Ruttan, Edmonton Journal
. v5 L1 r- p3 V; NPublished: Friday, March 30, 2007
9 W2 k/ e' x5 K. G1 W0 b1 o. a$ I
2 t, ]; a$ c3 x1 DThe cost of a monthly transit pass could jump by $15 if city council endorses a proposed new transit fare policy.) k) n7 i4 K% Z# k
2 O# I" c: h+ \0 v6 H' T1 j
That policy would use the cost of an adult transit ticket, currently $2.50, to set all other fares charged by Edmonton Transit.$ s$ ~8 s; E$ w# T5 }1 D1 o$ d1 h1 C. C2 t1 o
' q+ k6 z& o" q' Q
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 $59 monthly adult pass untouched.
6 ]4 t) P/ w4 P' K9 V- q3 e
: I L6 P j% F; GIn the new formula, any increase in the adult cash fare would trigger increases in all other fares.* J$ d3 ~* J- u* v" @
3 h# d7 L, B7 r: V0 x8 h1 O
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 $74, about the same price as a monthly pass in St. Albert, Strathcona County and Calgary.4 Y x! s1 m# K& a& q
+ x* J+ u6 ]/ V6 t8 p& ^7 }3 Q; C
“Currently our cash fares and month passes are priced below comparable organizations,” said Patricia Waisman, director of business development for Edmonton Transit.
' v+ D7 o( j" X$ U% m) v1 \5 j2 u* Y6 n7 M4 @
The new system of all fares being based on the basic fare would help to correct that, she said.
, ~- `5 L$ P9 _0 Y% o) _+ ?
# V; H- E2 H4 s5 o$ O& p* U% [' UWaisman 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.
5 s& l8 h% i) ~) X. p1 M3 m/ g5 M3 g( c4 N F0 s# k2 N6 O
The proposed change acts on a recommendation of the city auditor David Wiun.2 U* E$ h+ Z. M
8 n; Q$ J1 y8 b) U* S. x$ gIn 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. |
|