Regional Transportation Commissioner wants your input on fare increases
If you hadn’t heard yet, TransLink’s Regional Transportation Commissioner is seeking feedback on the proposed fare increases for April 2010.
Visit the Commission’s website to find out how to share your feedback on the proposed YVR AddFare and the proposed fare increases.
If you’re curious, the Regional Transportation Commissioner plays an independent advisory and approval role in our governance structure. Here’s a diagram showing how his role relates to the Board and others.
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Invisible Summer — November 23, 2009 @ 1:49 pm
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By Kaelendra, November 18, 2009 @ 1:39 pm
Fare increases are a bit amusing really… It amounts to how much money people have and what their time is worth to them as well as for a lot of people what it’s worth to be packed in like a sardeine… For many the price is pretty much mazes out including me.
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By Gordon, November 18, 2009 @ 2:01 pm
If all the fair increrases that th e mayors have okayed throughout the 10 year plan come into effect we will end up with a 1 zone fair
will be $3.50 which is a significant increase in price for no increase in service.
The Mayor’s Council should consider raising the Property Tax take from 3.1% to 6 -6.5%. This may bring the government to the table and maybe allow Translink to bring in some of the financing vehicles that they want.
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By Langdon, November 18, 2009 @ 2:04 pm
We have become ATM’s of the government… and we can’t complain… Why not try to save some money first?
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By Jhenifer Pabillano, November 18, 2009 @ 2:46 pm
Well, make sure you guys send your comments over to the Commissioner!
Incidentally, you might be interested to know that we aren’t alone in proposing a fare increase for next year. As I wrote in Monday’s post, many transit systems across Canada are looking at fare increases right now.
For example, fare hikes are proposed (or approved) in Edmonton, Saskatoon, Victoria, Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, and more. Calgary isn’t raising fares, but will see cuts in service and loss of full-time staff positions.
On the other side of the border, lobby group Transportation For America has a report called Stranded at the Station, which looks at the grisly transit stats for American transit systems too. Apparently 90 per cent of U.S. transit systems have raised fares or cut service in the past year – eep!
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By zack, November 18, 2009 @ 4:51 pm
I’m not a fan of fare increases either, but I got a quick question would the Canada Line YVR Addfare affect pass holders of all 3-Zones too?
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By Jhenifer Pabillano, November 18, 2009 @ 5:00 pm
I don’t know the answer to that one. It doesn’t look like it’s on the Commissioner’s website either. I’ll inquire and see what I can find.
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By amc, November 18, 2009 @ 8:56 pm
zack: From what I understand, the YVR Add fare is a separate zone in it’s own right, so regardless of if you have a 1,2 or 3 zone pass, you will still pay to use the Skytrain to the airport! (I believe employees at the airport are exempt from this fee).
I don’t agree with the add fare, but will pay it for the convenience. It would be nice if we had the option of taking the bus from the old loop in if one wanted to.
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By scott, November 21, 2009 @ 10:01 pm
Won’t it make more sense to increase properties taxes and drop transit fares altogether?
It would encourage more people to take transit as they are paying for it regardless as to whether they use it or not? It would reduce or eliminate the need to enforce fares, The silly ticket machines could be removed from the buses and skytrain stations.
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By ;-), November 23, 2009 @ 7:12 am
I like to see a new reduced 30 minute fair for the Seabus, or for people who need to hop across a zone. Easy to offer with the electronic ticket machines today, but not practical 10 years ago with the paper transfer. I think this will increase ridership.
While I wait to hear how they plan to collect the Canada Line YVR surcharge (it would be easier to charge when people exit the YVR station), I wonder if we can run the Richmond segment at a 2:1 ratio, we would be able to attract ridership (that 8 to 20 minute wait is a killer) with minimal additional cost.
The media is promoting the new FREE-Line service…..
http://www.news1130.com/more.jsp?content=20091123_092334_6000
This really doesn’t sound fair to increase fares on my route, but not collect on another.
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By Jhenifer Pabillano, November 23, 2009 @ 9:21 am
Scott:
I guess it would just be tough to implement that solution.People can be very sensitive to even small increases in property taxes. The other thing is that since most people drive cars in our region, it’s tough to convince them to fund transit that they’re not taking, even though they do benefit from the system that’s in place. So it’s definitely a valid idea, but certainly there are large challenges to putting it through, which is perhaps why such an idea hasn’t been put forward as much.
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By Jhenifer Pabillano, November 23, 2009 @ 4:25 pm
;-):
Just for a bit of info on three-door boarding on our system: it’s not done on all routes, and we only board through the back doors on articulated buses and only at designated stops where we know a majority of customers have high prepaid fares – like at Broadway Station, UBC, Production Station and SFU (U-Passes).
The other feature of these stops is that they are located at a start terminus or end terminus meaning there is little to no boardings and alightings happening through the back doors, it’s one or the other i.e. either everyone is getting off the bus or everyone is getting on the bus.
And in the end, three-door boarding in these contexts does provide us with significant improvements to service and it can even save us some money (ie: we don’t have to add another vehicle to the route if the time saved from boarding also shortens the time between buses).
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By Sungsu, November 24, 2009 @ 12:15 am
Jhenifer, doesn’t the 99 B-Line have all-door boarding at all its stops?
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By Jhenifer Pabillano, November 24, 2009 @ 8:40 am
Sungsu:
The 99 B-Line actually has three door boarding, not all door boarding. The planner explaining this to me made it very clear that we don’t have all door boarding on the system, and said it is an important distinction because it shows that we only board through back doors on articulated buses. Which is why you don’t see people board regular-sized buses through the back doors.
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By ;-), November 24, 2009 @ 8:56 am
Jhenifer do you mean all articulated buses, or just the BLines?
While statistics in the past have justified enforcement levels. FreeLine media promotions may change this.
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By Jhenifer Pabillano, November 24, 2009 @ 8:59 am
;-):
Only articulated buses on specific routes (like the B-Lines) have three-door boarding.
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By Cash-Limited Transit Rider, December 26, 2009 @ 10:14 pm
I heard that there may be an extra fare that must be paid to ride the skytrain to YVR, has this been finalized?
If so, will this take effect starting on January 1, 2010?
(I just called Transit Information and they told me that any YVR skytrain fare increase will NOT take place until after the Olympics…)
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By ;-), December 27, 2009 @ 4:02 pm
This must be new information. Everything that I have specifies the YVR addfare begins January 1st. The YVR AddFare will be charged coming and going to Sea Island.
With just 4 days to go, I wonder how it is to be collected and enforced. I asked one of the attendants yesterday and he didn’t know. Ideally anyone entering and leaving YVR station should be paying and collected.
Here’s another thought. If I get on at the Marine Drive station to the airport… I will be expected to pay the YVR AddFare. However do I pay for a one zone fare, or a two zone fare? That is Vancouver is Zone 1, Bridgeport station is Zone 2.
I think I need to pay for a 2 zone, plus YVR AddFare. Or am I wrong?
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By ;-), December 27, 2009 @ 8:06 pm
Ok…. Ran into another Canada Line attendant this evening. She confirm Cash’s statement that the AddFare will be post Olympics. The attendant also confirms this will be on top of the two zone fare.
If ridership is an issue, what about sending two trains to Lulu island for every one train to Sea Island?
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By Jhenifer Pabillano, January 4, 2010 @ 11:49 am
Yes, it seems that the YVR AddFare isn’t happening on January 1, 2010, as I’m sure you’ve noticed! I hadn’t heard an exact date for its implementation though. I’ll ask and see if there are any rumblings that I’ve missed.
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