Transit rolling out study of Penticton service

Bruce Walkinshaw - Penticton Western News Published: December 30, 2010 6:00 PM 
Penticton’s transit users will not be hit with a 25-cent increase in the cost to ride the city’s buses, as least not until a study on local transit service is completed next year.  Council voted 4-2 last week not to increase the fares despite, according to the councillors who wanted the rate change, a 48 per cent increase (roughly $200,000) in annual operating costs. The study, to be conducted by BC Transit, will look at ridership trends, routes, times and fares.  “I don’t think anyone would disagree that transit service in this community is not as good as it ought to be,” said Coun. Garry Litke. “We see empty buses rolling around town. We see two or three buses appear at the same place or time and we wonder why?”  “The study needs to increase the efficiencies of our new fleet.”  Litke said he does not believe a fare increase would be appropriate as it would negatively affect people who likely cannot afford it. “We want to keep our population mobile,” said Litke. “It is quite often students, seniors and those who are mobile challenged who depend on our transit system to get from point A to point B.”  He said a fare increase would also work against the city’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  “BC Transit indicates that every time the fares go up ridership goes down, and that is exactly the opposite of what we want to see. We want to see increased ridership on our transit system, not decrease it,” said Litke. “This council has already adopted a commitment to a climate action charter which is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, and 56 per cent of our carbon emissions come from vehicles. “If we increase our transit fares and force people back into their vehicles, we will be moving in a direction that is contrary to what we have already agreed is a good climate action initiative. We need to get people out of their cars and into the buses.”

Only councillors Mike Pearce and Dan Albas voted to raise transit fares.  “We have a whole bunch of pretty new (buses) because of the provincial government policy of bringing them all here for the Olympics and then downloading them on municipalities,” said Pearce. “Our operating costs have increased ... I think we should be recovering these expenses.”  But Mayor Dan Ashton said he would like to see what the transit study comes up with before adjusting fares.  “I hope that the citizenry of Penticton, when this study does come forward, jumps on board, no pun intended, and has a look at how we can make our transit system better for not only the users that are using it right now, but for the users that hopefully will use it in the future and make a difference on the subsidy levels,” said Ashton. “If that transit study isn’t up to what it should be then I have no problem asking ... council to bring back a recommendation for a fare increase that will offset the adjustments that may or may not be required.”