Quote:
Originally Posted by Zassk
My concern with this is that the U-Pass is already nearly bankrupting TransLink, and is preventing it from rolling out the U-Pass to more institutions. How can TransLink cope if a SmartCard system results in a lower fare per passenger for everyone, not just students?
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I would like to see your evidence that the U-Pass is bankrupting Translink.
The 2005 review by Urban Systems noted that TransLink incurs additional costs of $4.6 million a year to support the U-Pass programs at SFU and UBC. U-Pass, because of the volume of students, especially those with U-Passes that don't use transit, almost breaks even.
I believe the Province even wants to institute an province wide Upass program for all students, taking a lot of the funding burden off of local authorities.
If anything is Bankrupting us, it's the use of single zone monthly passes by people in CoV. They get the best, most frequent service, and pay the least, and in return for paying the least, after 6:30pm they can go anywhere they want on the system. Commuters from the burbs then have to pay more to keep service running, and get less reliable service, which results in people not wanting to pay. Who, in their right mind, would pay more than what someone else does and get WORSE service for the extra? It's like if Taco Bell charged 100% more for their food than the McDonald's across the street.
By making those who CAN pay to use transit pay per use, you get a better financial modeling of the system. Services that people don't want to pay for aren't subsidized. Services that are popular see more money entering through them. And by lower the travel price per trip, you encourage people who don't use transit to use transit more often for casual use. Right now a lot of people drive to work because they actually have to. Outside of business, they still don't take transit because our system is VERY expensive for casual users. If we could get more people to take transit if they are going shopping, or to a show, it would make a huge difference.
I support subsidizing the Upass to the extent it is at, because many students are burdened with debt. It has also been shown that recent grads (those under the U-pass) have been more likely to continue using transit than those from before the U-pass (or where it isn't). It's like giving away the first hit of meth for free, you get a lifetime buyer afterwards.