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Susan Ruttan, Edmonton Journal( w5 ?' B0 M0 S' g+ Y! s+ I& ]7 S( c
Published: Friday, March 30, 2007% ]: J3 V5 } Y7 {5 `2 Y# o
! G* C1 `* \) O& j9 ~+ ]' _The cost of a monthly transit pass could jump by $15 if city council endorses a proposed new transit fare policy.2 j3 l k. C4 }* _
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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.6 [. p/ {- a: W) x0 `
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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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In the new formula, any increase in the adult cash fare would trigger increases in all other fares.) k+ s& z+ K- I6 Y- T# o" s1 W+ ], O+ b
: g( w: `/ t6 \, N2 ~) j# B' W# uIt’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.7 ^/ i# [1 W' N' i
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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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* P0 \1 E7 D+ |- iThe new system of all fares being based on the basic fare would help to correct that, she said.
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+ f1 k% J9 T8 EWaisman 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.+ U/ H' A' D p5 _0 R2 J
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The proposed change acts on a recommendation of the city auditor David Wiun.
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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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