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Susan Ruttan, Edmonton Journal
; H* p5 _6 J; L4 p# L7 WPublished: Friday, March 30, 2007 H- j, u- H% j: A# e
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The cost of a monthly transit pass could jump by $15 if city council endorses a proposed new transit fare policy.6 B) m$ m3 Y6 i+ N) k7 h! b
s$ H$ |- x1 @9 HThat policy would use the cost of an adult transit ticket, currently $2.50, to set all other fares charged by Edmonton Transit.' N& x5 A0 G' |
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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.: W4 ?' m0 f2 b
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In the new formula, any increase in the adult cash fare would trigger increases in all other fares., P7 T: Q5 X7 [" A; ^! d/ c
; x" h' D5 [% P- a# @+ fIt’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 $74, about the same price as a monthly pass in St. Albert, Strathcona County and Calgary.
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“Currently our cash fares and month passes are priced below comparable organizations,” said Patricia Waisman, director of business development for Edmonton Transit.
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The new system of all fares being based on the basic fare would help to correct that, she said.
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Waisman said the “multiplier” in the formula, the average 54 trips a month, varies from city to city. In Toronto the multiplier would be a bigger number, in Lethbridge a smaller number.% h8 {1 n/ F( @/ D$ J0 O
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The proposed change acts on a recommendation of the city auditor David Wiun.
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0 |6 g, Z' |6 i5 G% A! tIn 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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