The Great TransLink Rip-Off

Zwei doesn't have a problem with discounted bus passes, but they must be available to all. Having deep discounted bus passes available only to a select few is an insult to transit customer and an insult to the taxpayer, especially if TransLink is demanding more money from the regional taxpayer to fund its grand metro schemes because the transit authority claims it doesn't have the money.

This begs the question; "Is TransLink's chronic peak hour over crowding on its bus and metro routes caused by a mass of deep discounted transit passes?"

This is not a foolish or frivolous question, but an economic one; why should a small portion of regular transit customers get a heavily subsidized transit pass that is unavailable to the rest of us?

Zwei lives in South Delta, which TransLink operates three hourly or better bus routes that carry fewer than 20 people a day in total, why then doesn't TransLink offer deep discounted, $30.00 a month, transit passes to South Delta residents for "using capacity that otherwise would be going to waste"?

The transit rah-rah crowd, especially those who expect the taxpayer to pay their fare will be upset at any thought of them paying full fare, but why should certain segments of the population get a free ride on our regional transit system. This is especially true when the provincial government is mulling over adding a second gas tax to the region, to pay for TransLink's dated and ill-thought transit plans.

If TransLink is ever to get its financial house in order and actually operate a fiscally responsible transit system, it must take a serious look of offering deep discounted travel passes to select groups, lest full fare patrons of the transit system give up  in disgust and go back using the car instead.

Are cheap transit passes adding to TransLink's chronic overcrowding?


Metro taxpayers foot bill for transit passes

Burnaby Mountain residents get a free ride on transit after deal to boost ridership
 

Comments

One Response to “The Great TransLink Rip-Off”
  1. Dave 2 says:

    It is somewhat surprising, and annoying, to learn that those at the top of the mountain have been paying only $360/year, while those of us at the bottom of the mountain pay $1320/year to commute to Vancouver…. you and I don’t often agree Zwei, but this is BS… and I don’t buy this “unused capacity” argument, the 135 is usually jam packed eastbound in the PM peak, and the Millennium is just as crowded in the ‘off peak’ direction as it is in the peak direction, even on nights like tonight when SFU isn’t in session and the Canucks aren’t playing.

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