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Susan Ruttan, Edmonton Journal
2 I* m6 c) a) h& X3 F9 H0 w2 dPublished: Friday, March 30, 2007) Y. H* r! t7 W/ W
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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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5 @# E" A# f5 m2 lIn the new formula, any increase in the adult cash fare would trigger increases in all other fares.
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/ Z A2 E5 a5 D% a1 m8 iIt’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 $74, about the same price as a monthly pass in St. Albert, Strathcona County and Calgary.1 [8 K2 x1 F3 |1 K8 I" \, Y
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“Currently our cash fares and month passes are priced below comparable organizations,” said Patricia Waisman, director of business development for Edmonton Transit.. C; p' q8 j0 B' {5 J Y" \
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The new system of all fares being based on the basic fare would help to correct that, she said.2 B( o' F" j- z& ?$ f1 [: n5 R
" [' Q( N; L$ c% o% o, {. _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.
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5 G/ }) R; _5 P T/ b/ k2 f/ O, TThe proposed change acts on a recommendation of the city auditor David Wiun.$ l' \: ]) c/ Y6 H, f& J3 c) {; L
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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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