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
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
'Oppenheimer' finally premieres in Japan to mixed reactions and high emotions
'Oppenheimer' finally premiered Friday in the nation where two cities were obliterated 79 years ago by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film. Japanese filmgoers' reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional.