 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Susan Ruttan, Edmonton Journal
% I) f9 r4 {* sPublished: Friday, March 30, 2007
- q8 {# Y$ w `% i0 S7 q8 Z# J# b1 j' Y( U) m4 {# v4 H
The cost of a monthly transit pass could jump by $15 if city council endorses a proposed new transit fare policy.( h9 s. p/ S3 E6 u7 c
, @9 P! L+ S$ R0 m6 KThat policy would use the cost of an adult transit ticket, currently $2.50, to set all other fares charged by Edmonton Transit.! }; h1 S; @% T! G6 ?
2 H9 ?3 l4 D' J7 n2 \9 J
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 $59 monthly adult pass untouched.$ V% |6 o; W7 Y E9 z
$ c0 i* w2 n3 |
In the new formula, any increase in the adult cash fare would trigger increases in all other fares.3 @7 S% T4 o$ R/ J" W% O
6 R- Q7 |# V: q1 q8 g! Q1 S) JIt’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 $74, about the same price as a monthly pass in St. Albert, Strathcona County and Calgary.' y! @! t% U( b; h/ p, L
J$ j* N: Z# c( n5 ~# Y, l( Z“Currently our cash fares and month passes are priced below comparable organizations,” said Patricia Waisman, director of business development for Edmonton Transit.
! G# |/ j8 Y" j9 ]% e
$ A8 V, w- I/ x4 vThe new system of all fares being based on the basic fare would help to correct that, she said./ U& V. v! a5 I ^+ I- [ ]3 |3 H5 y
+ w/ ?2 `7 w, o5 O
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.
6 }2 R4 a5 q1 M/ A1 q. e# x5 f( t) ^
The proposed change acts on a recommendation of the city auditor David Wiun.( T, m5 s3 X/ M' L
! V- M2 j$ D OIn 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. |
|