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Susan Ruttan, Edmonton Journal
/ ~' g1 L* U- o; N# P" L# R8 ]Published: Friday, March 30, 20072 o5 e. l6 R( }% g! B
+ o# @% D/ z! d9 B3 t0 J2 G( ~The cost of a monthly transit pass could jump by $15 if city council endorses a proposed new transit fare policy./ H( a2 l J! {
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That policy would use the cost of an adult transit ticket, currently $2.50, to set all other fares charged by Edmonton Transit., x2 B. t8 l3 E0 H$ I( F+ l: f
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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.) j! C, |0 @/ T" y( K: ^& C# d
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In the new formula, any increase in the adult cash fare would trigger increases in all other fares.
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It’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 $74, about the same price as a monthly pass in St. Albert, Strathcona County and Calgary.& I0 j/ U3 V2 L% Q
& y4 C2 X9 b& D“Currently our cash fares and month passes are priced below comparable organizations,” said Patricia Waisman, director of business development for Edmonton Transit.
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The new system of all fares being based on the basic fare would help to correct that, she said.
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$ R1 n8 z% m* `; R5 nWaisman 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.# v2 Q% w8 E6 c9 R, J0 W2 V
7 U" o: T% T. V7 _$ D) x+ gThe proposed change acts on a recommendation of the city auditor David Wiun." o' K! w9 w; M+ w7 T) W& `5 Y2 l+ w
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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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