Edmonton transit cash fares could soar to $4 in 2022
Edmonton transit could soon have one of the most expensive cash fares in Canada, as the cost for a single trip is set to increase to $4 in February next year.
Transit fares are decided as part of the city's four-year base operating budget. In 2018, city council decided that fares would climb to $4 by 2022 to cover rising cost pressure like fuel, labour, and power. Other fare products, including monthly bus passes, are set to increase by two per cent.
The adult monthly bus pass price would rank seventh in Canada compared to other transit providers, just behind Vancouver and Winnipeg.
MORE BARRIERS TO TRANSIT
Transit advocate Carter Gorzitza says the fare increases will negatively impact ridership, especially after the bus network redesign changes.
"It'll make ours one of the most expensive transit systems in the country, which is pretty absurd," Gorzitza said.
As a member of Free Transit Edmonton, Gorzitza believes the fare increase will create further barriers to accessing public transit.
"Increasing fares does decrease ridership in the city, which is not something the system needs to be facing right now," Gorzitza added.
The city predicts that transit will earn $13 million less than projected pre-pandemic due to lower ridership levels. City administration says it is not expecting pre-pandemic ridership levels to recover until fall 2022.
"We are still at the tail end of the pandemic," said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi. "There has been a lot of hardship on Edmontonians. I don't think this is the time to be looking at raising transit fares."
According to the city, a $4 fare would bring in an extra $1.5 million in 2022.
"We have to recognize, it's not going to make us money," said Andrew Knack, Ward Nakota Isga councillor.
TIME TO APPROPRIATELY RESOURCE ETS: KNACK
Knack believes the city should not raise transit fares further until the long-promised smart fare system is fully operational. In his view, the city should increase the overall transit budget to help drive improvements for the system — something he says hasn't happened his entire eight years on council.
"Let's resource it appropriately," Knack added. "Let's not always do it on the backs of those who are potentially in the hardest economic situation."
Currently, the cash fare is $3.50, but the previous city council decided to postpone any price increases for two years in a row due to the pandemic and delays in implementing the Arc Card smart fare system. Council decided to draw funds from city reserves to make up the difference.
The electronic payment system will feature a discounted-single trip fare of $3 to incentivize users to switch from cash. Once brought online, the system would allow transit users to load money onto their online account and use the card to board buses or the LRTs.
As of this fall, post-secondary students are the only users of the Arc Card. The city says it is working towards launching the platform for all adult users throughout 2022 in phases.
Budget deliberations are scheduled to continue at city hall on Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Asking rent prices up 9.3% across Canada, Ontario sees only decline: report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canada's longstanding blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma was harmful and discriminatory, Canadian Blood Services acknowledged on Friday, in issuing an apology to the LGBTQ2S+ community.