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“Brad West, the chair of the TransLink Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation, tells BC Today host Michelle Eliot that he likes the idea, but it’s not currently realistic.”
Yes it is. It’s a decision that is made to not fund transit enough for it to be free. It’s a decision that is made that for some reason transit has to “make a profit”.
Transit funding needs to hit $1 billion by taxing the rich such as RBC and Loblaws.
TransLink budget is about $2.4 billion. About $700 million comes from fares.
Yes
I avoid busses because I get anxious about paying for them. I don’t use them enough to justify buying a monthly/yearly pass but I don’t think they take cash? Tried walking on one time and the bus driver just seemed kind of annoyed when I offered to pay cash, not knowing how much it cost, and they just told me to go sit down so I got a free ride anyways. They don’t exactly have time to explain how it works while driving. I would use them more if they were free.
You can buy a fare card. You preload some cash, and tap to pay. It deducts the trip. No expiry on the card, so you don’t have to worry about monthly or yearly pass fees.
Still sucks though, since you need to carry the card around for the one time you may need to use it. And it’s another step for people to go through who are just visiting the province to use the buses rather than just handing over a loonie or something
More recently the Canadian bus sysrems have added contactless card payment, so you can use your debit or visa/MC or a phone or watch device linked to your account, as payment
Assuming it is Translink busses, with the compass system you can simply tap your debit or credit card to pay. Hold it on the reader and look for the green checkmark and then move in.
Yeah it would reduce situations like these that could potentially slow down the service. The bus drivers want everyone to get to work on time.
Maybe
I’d clarify that things like public transit being self-funding is neoliberal bullshit and it should at most cost a token fee. But I think there is a level of safety you gain from having a token cost to ride transit - if something costs anything people are more likely to follow rules and enforcement gets a lot easier… when something has no cost people start acting weirdly entitled to the service.
Keeping it as an exchange for service (even if that fee is 25c and waived for folks with disabilities or financial difficulties) would probably keep it feeling safer.
I’d clarify that things like public transit being self-funding is neoliberal bullshit and it should at most cost a token fee. But I think there is a level of safety you gain from having a token cost to ride transit - if something costs anything people are more likely to follow rules and enforcement gets a lot easier… when something has no cost people start acting weirdly entitled to the service.
That is a classist way of thinking as the people who need it most are those are living on the streets. We should not abandon these folks because some people like you dont like their kind. We dont need more unnecessary barriers that will keep transit out of reach for those who need it the most like indigenous people, transgender people, immigrants, women, neuro divergent people. As they’re less likely to have housing well paying jobs or just time we dont need a barrier that will keep transit out of reach for them. The Public Transit should operate like the library.
people start acting weirdly entitled to the service.
Everyone has the right to freedom and healthcare, I wouldn’t call them entitled when we have rich people in this province behind the Pattison Food Group price gauging everyone when so many people are having trouble paying their bills.
Ha its funny you act like this is a problem because car drivers often act like they’re entitled to all the road and do not want to share with cyclists or pedestrians.
