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Susan Ruttan, Edmonton Journal
5 R2 O( ~( W2 m. }8 bPublished: Friday, March 30, 2007
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K" T: }6 v4 u+ `% vThe 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.
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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. N, H3 r! t, z. I: \# g
# v# a/ M6 i6 B/ t( B/ O3 G# }& O1 yIn the new formula, any increase in the adult cash fare would trigger increases in all other fares.6 |4 P' n9 h: \' b" K, K8 f. {/ I \
% c' ` `. c' j3 I2 s" y+ q% LIt’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. L! W2 _. d8 y) C C! T
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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.
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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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5 b( _" I4 f3 d0 S& KWaisman 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. P. C* Q. P3 |) d, Y5 o
; ]6 m: m9 ^! S5 u1 P1 @0 Q' A! TThe proposed change acts on a recommendation of the city auditor David Wiun.4 S. I- E/ a. ?/ l; u/ u5 R
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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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