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Susan Ruttan, Edmonton Journal
! M1 n4 i5 d# a, i8 I, _Published: Friday, March 30, 2007
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The 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 $59 monthly adult pass untouched.
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; b8 a/ S4 a2 j- v/ m6 K8 T6 M8 IIn the new formula, any increase in the adult cash fare would trigger increases in all other fares.) u7 S; N8 W# O& T) q# E9 E9 X
' ~7 a) w1 a6 y$ L/ M/ HIt’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 $74, about the same price as a monthly pass in St. Albert, Strathcona County and Calgary.; Q, v3 m+ h8 H: h$ J; d& z7 o
0 ]. h- ~% c& f2 i1 _“Currently our cash fares and month passes are priced below comparable organizations,” said Patricia Waisman, director of business development for Edmonton Transit.1 ]5 J, P( @8 s/ C+ B& m8 }1 Z
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The new system of all fares being based on the basic fare would help to correct that, she said.$ |4 r& |5 P @+ K; z1 K
5 T+ l8 V8 E9 r# DWaisman 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.
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! U$ ]5 }' t" [# i: mThe proposed change acts on a recommendation of the city auditor David Wiun.. E+ O w" V l' p$ o
/ I, b+ t" X D* Z& RIn 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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