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Susan Ruttan, Edmonton Journal
1 ~- }7 E( Z% x( e* }$ w* k7 uPublished: Friday, March 30, 2007
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8 O+ E( ~9 w. n2 f b) w/ lThe cost of a monthly transit pass could jump by $15 if city council endorses a proposed new transit fare policy.
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That policy would use the cost of an adult transit ticket, currently $2.50, to set all other fares charged by Edmonton Transit.! C( o: l! j; b l. c) A0 f
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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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- y3 s' K% A7 a& _# g+ \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 $74, about the same price as a monthly pass in St. Albert, Strathcona County and Calgary.
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“Currently our cash fares and month passes are priced below comparable organizations,” said Patricia Waisman, director of business development for Edmonton Transit./ A$ f& g* b6 i: l) y @8 r
- W( c) a% Q8 B; o) GThe new system of all fares being based on the basic fare would help to correct that, she said.
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, f! z% T6 _! C( oWaisman 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.: ^- O- M$ w2 x2 \
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The proposed change acts on a recommendation of the city auditor David Wiun.
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In 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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