Some transit riders in Campbell River are getting good news when it comes to how much the city bus system costs them to use, after the city gave its approval to BC Transit on the fare changes coming into effect next April. Other users, however, will need to change how they use the system in order to take advantage of the coming rate decreases.
For example, the current cash rate for a single trip is $2 for adults and college students, but $1.75 for students and seniors. The fare review has made all cash fares $2 as of April 1 of next year, so seniors and students will be paying $0.25 more per trip if they continue to use cash as they enter the bus.
However, monthly passes are going up $3 for adults – from $52 to $55 per month – but going down for college students from $44 to $35 and for seniors from $42 to $35 per month.
Day passes for all riders will be set at $4 per day, which is the current rate for students and seniors, but $.50 lower for adults.
Unfortunately for non-post-secondary students, changes to the semester pass rate is going up significantly, from $85 per semester to $115. Post-secondary students’ semester rate, however, is going down to that same $115 from $135.
The last fare was done in 2012 and are typically done every five years, but last year marked a major overhaul of the local transit system, so the fare review was delayed.
Transit users who are seeing price increases in their preferred way of paying for the bus can take some solace in the fact that city council approved Option 1 of the two they were presented with, because Option 2 increases were much steeper.
For example, Option 2 would have seen seniors and students paying significantly more for a monthly pass instead of receiving a decrease. A semester pass for all students, under Option 2, would have seen the fares go up to $150 per semester, which would have been an increase of $15 for college students – instead of the reduction they will be receiving – and an increase of $65 per semester for non-post-secondary students.
The city was only given one option for the fare changes to the HandyDART services, however. Thankfully for users of the system, rates are going down.
Rides on the system will decrease $0.50 from the current $2.50 to the same $2 rate that cash users will be paying on the conventional bus system.
miked@campbellrivermirror.com
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