By Sarah Stone

Local man upset over transit fare decision

Mar 18, 2014 | 5:41 AM

A Prince Albert man is voicing his frustrations over a possible increase to transit bus fares in the city.

Patrick Fairbairn said it’s “ludicrous” that there are no funds in this year’s budget to cover extended bus service—and yet there is a proposal for a fare increase to cover the costs of paying the bus service provider more.

The Prince Albert budget committee is looking at the increase as way to soften the blow of a more than $113,000 rise in the transit contract with First Canada. Administration will bring a report to council in the next cycle looking into the fare increase.

“I’m very disappointed, but I’ll be very honest with you I didn’t expect any changes,” Fairbairn said. “The [budget committee] has their heads so far up in the clouds or somewhere that they just don’t get it. We the taxpayers deserve to have good bus service and we haven’t got it and we made our pitch for that increase in service and then they have the gall to turn around and suggest a bus fare increase.”

Fairbairn has been actively pushing for the need of increased bus services in the city—specifically extended hours of operation. He had previously acquired about 316 signatures on a petition to achieve this.

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He didn’t get what he wanted but said he’s not done yet. Fairbairn said a protest may be planned in the future against the increase without additional services.

“I’m going to sit down with some people and try and come up with a solution—maybe a different approach,” he said, going as far as to calling some people on council “turkeys” for not listening to the concerns of the people.

“These people figure they can just do what they darn well please and get away with it but they keep forgetting that there will be another election day coming up.”

sstone@panow.com

On Twitter: @sarahstone84