By Thia James

POLL: Low ridership plagues P.A. transit; fare hike planned

Nov 28, 2014 | 5:50 AM

Prince Albert Transit fares are set to rise on New Year’s Day, as the number of users remain at low levels.
 
If approved by council, single fares will increase by 25 cents per user – adult, youth and senior – and 10-ride passes will also increase anywhere from 25 cents to $2.25. The price of monthly passes would remain untouched.
 
The proposed increases come with a stern warning from administration: regular ridership on Prince Albert’s public transit is so low, and the buses are so underused the service is financially unsustainable. Executive assistant Renee Horn, in a report to the executive committee, wrote the buses are estimated to be operating with an average of 19 per cent of the seats filled.
 
“It is suggested that either each trip should cost more or, if the operating costs are not to be recovered through fares, additional revenue sources should be investigated in order to sustain the system,” Horn wrote.
 
Horn’s report also highlights the imbalance between full-priced fares and subsidized fares sold, with more riders purchasing the subsidized tickets. That gap has only widened since January 2013.
 
In 2013, 55 per cent of riders purchased a discounted fare and 45 per cent purchased a full-price fare. So far in 2014, 60 per cent of riders purchased a discounted fare, and 40 per cent bought a full-price ticket, representing a five per cent decrease in full-price ticket sales.
 
“Because transit is so heavily subsidized it makes it difficult to tell who would use it if they had to pay the full cost,” Horn wrote.
 
And it’s not just the types of tickets sold that has the City concerned:  it’s the size of the mostly empty buses too.
 
Prince Albert Transit has five 38-seat buses and six 23-seat shuttles. Horn concluded that the buses may be too large in relation to the number of people using them.
 
“According to the number of seats in relation to the number of passengers, on average, 81 [per cent] of the seats are left unoccupied per day. That equates to approximately seven people using the transit service (per trip, per bus),” she wrote.
 
If council moves ahead with the proposed fare increase for 2015, the system could recover 41 per cent of its costs. The City is projecting expenses of more than $1.4 million, but rider-generated revenue of only $588,750. The City would cover the shortfall of $845,530.
 
However, the City’s share of the transit costs have been decreasing over the last few years. In 2013, the City’s subsidy covered 69 per cent of the cost of the transit service. In 2014, the City is expected to cover 58 per cent of the cost to run Prince Albert Transit.
 
Along with a recommendation to raise fares, administration is calling for the creation of a long-term transit strategy in 2015, ahead of the next budget cycle.
 
Prince Albert Transit fares increased in 2014, with 25-cent fare increases to single tickets, as well.
 
A final decision from council is expected on Dec. 8.
 
tjames@panow.com
 
On Twitter: @thiajames