 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Susan Ruttan, Edmonton Journal" P7 ~. O# g1 S
Published: Friday, March 30, 2007# S+ h' `4 @- u$ P9 R' _
" l" Z( h7 r* ?* t4 ]
The cost of a monthly transit pass could jump by $15 if city council endorses a proposed new transit fare policy./ a1 {( \ c3 p
, u/ P" H8 g5 t5 u$ U) `; Y7 `: a
That policy would use the cost of an adult transit ticket, currently $2.50, to set all other fares charged by Edmonton Transit.
/ C" y$ j I" z# N+ h) ]6 i% }0 R. `7 f8 z! R: L
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 D6 ?6 t: O+ O. S
{6 H4 Y4 Y8 v+ _ @) Y# l
In the new formula, any increase in the adult cash fare would trigger increases in all other fares. ~& `4 [3 K, C+ M' T
7 Y- z/ c5 {3 T6 QIt’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.9 o; D. G+ q8 c
3 o8 y( a5 F) F“Currently our cash fares and month passes are priced below comparable organizations,” said Patricia Waisman, director of business development for Edmonton Transit.- {+ g9 s1 k* O/ F
/ c- _% o; L0 j1 L' d* f/ y, H/ G! O
The new system of all fares being based on the basic fare would help to correct that, she said.
$ w4 c" R1 A) d1 j- i1 x, G: i0 L6 v. J c' x! Y/ s. R5 a
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.% l' o; j! f4 X0 d0 s3 x
# z/ o- R4 p* R4 @" N: [8 j0 Z. YThe proposed change acts on a recommendation of the city auditor David Wiun.
# {$ ?/ Z& W( \1 e! R- L' X; m+ [: Z: `& Q$ z' u
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. |
|