4TheRcrd Mag.

I remember reading, way back, that Translink was planning a six percent (6%) fare increase earlier this year, and I thought hey, that’s reasonable, it’s just a bit over inflation, that’s reasonable, considering a fare increase takes place around 2-3 years. But wait! Now I hear something different, wow, not only a whopping 10%. It’s 11% now, not six. Six, or ten were certainly not enough!? Let’s take another percentage point and tuck it away under our pension plans, retirement packages for our Translink CEO’s, why don’t we!

I’m inclined to believe — as most of my readers’ common sense will suggest in their feedback — that such a fare increase will only hurt the low-income contingency of bus riders! I think 25c per ride can definitely add up, considering that most people who rely on the bus take at least two trips a day, on average at least 40-something trips per month. If these stats are correct, (they are from Tranlink themselves), this will amount to at least $10 more fare cost per month. That’s $10 bucks people just don’t have. Especially given that welfare, to use only one comparative example, is certainly NOT going up 11 percent this year!

I think this fare increase is yet another example where we pass the buck to the working people, for things like new buses, Olympics, wider highways, and the like — those who don’t benefit from most of these things, except from transit, which they rely on the most. I suggest y’all read this very very interesting report: It’s the May 2007 study done by Stuart Murray of the B.C. Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives stating that transit, obviously, IS a large expense for low-income families. They conclude that “the annual cost of fare passes ranges from $828 to $1,560 per year per individual,” and that an 11% increase in such average annual costs of fare passes would range from: from $91.08 to $171.60. Nearly 200 dollars a year a low-income family doesn’t have!

Furthermore, did y’all know that Translink also announced that, in addition to Skytrain, Transit Police (Skypigs) and BC Transit Security, Transit Police will now be patrolling buses, Seabus, and West Coast Express, and, get this!, they will be handing out $175.00 ‘Fare Evasion’ tickets.

I’d like to hear what y’all have to say about all this!

Image Credit, BEYOND ROBSON FLICKR GROUP Member: Petenator40s.