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Susan Ruttan, Edmonton Journal
. q B5 q3 X5 s D% [Published: Friday, March 30, 20078 W" t2 _# [9 K0 a' S1 t, S
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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 $59 monthly adult pass untouched.$ L; m0 L5 Q& ~2 T4 {" j6 n
: E% o6 |0 }0 O3 O# [# j5 aIn the new formula, any increase in the adult cash fare would trigger increases in all other fares., ]2 y: Z* k% o& R7 H/ F
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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 $74, about the same price as a monthly pass in St. Albert, Strathcona County and Calgary.
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“Currently our cash fares and month passes are priced below comparable organizations,” said Patricia Waisman, director of business development for Edmonton Transit.
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The new system of all fares being based on the basic fare would help to correct that, she said.
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Waisman said the “multiplier” in the formula, the average 54 trips a month, varies from city to city. In Toronto the multiplier would be a bigger number, in Lethbridge a smaller number.
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! f- Z/ g! q- D5 s& O; Z% z4 MThe proposed change acts on a recommendation of the city auditor David Wiun.+ ]$ _9 f3 M/ o6 i9 G' S
+ w$ u8 M6 k, G: A; `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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