By Thia James

Calls to change transit system grow louder

Dec 2, 2014 | 5:56 AM

After a recent report sounded the alarm about the financial unsustainability of Prince Albert Transit in its current form, members of city council are backing calls for the system’s review.

The report, written by City staffer Renee Horn, recommended a 25-cent increase to single adult, youth and seniors’ fares, as well as price increases for the 10-ride passes. It also suggested that administration compile a long-term transit strategy looking at the efficiency and future sustainability of transit in Prince Albert.

“It’s not sustainable and it’s not working. You know, the transit system doesn’t work,” said Mayor Greg Dionne after Monday’s executive committee meeting.

“As I said, we’re going to have to break a few eggs to fix this omelette,” he added.

For Dionne, part of the problem is that residents can’t take the bus to Prince Albert Raiders games or evening concerts and shows. He said the transit system is leaving a lot of the city’s disabled and seniors housebound.

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“And I do believe there’s a better way to do it and some people say, and I agree with it, that we have to look at the private sector to start delivering some of these services,” Dionne said.

The City has consistently been subsidizing at least half of the cost to keep the transit system going. In 2015, it is expected to cover 59 per cent of the cost. This year, the City is expected to fund 58 per cent of the cost. Last year, the City subsidized 69 per cent of the cost to operate Prince Albert Transit.

Dionne said that he has some “personal” ideas for how a privately run system would work and he said it would be cheaper than the model that is in place now.

“And the service will be unbelievable,” he said.

“The service, you’ll be able to go home when you want to, you’ll be able to leave your home when you want to. And the service will be cheaper. So, it’s going to accomplish two things: it’s going to cut our subsidies – and our taxpayers will be happy because we’re not subsidizing it — and our users are going to be happy because they’re actually going to be able to use the service when they want to.”

The City is looking to conduct the transit review in 2015 as the current contract with First Canada ends. First Canada owns and maintains the Prince Albert Transit buses.

Acting public works director Wes Hicks told the executive committee that the proposed transit increase would take effect on Jan. 1, and would be applied to the last year of the present contract with First Canada. Over the next six months, the City would review the entire transit system, he said.

The review would not only cover rates, but the size of buses, routes, service times, and maintenance.

“Whether we should continue as is or a completely different type of transportation system,” Hicks said. “Maybe telebuses, maybe short buses, whatever it might be. We want to be completely open, and we would probably ask to have some transportation experts come in and assist us in that and compare it to other cities of our size.”

Telebuses travel on scheduled routes, but riders can call ahead to book a pickup. The City of Regina operated a telebus service decades ago. The service operated in the 1970s and was discontinued in the 1980s. 

After the transit review is conducted in Prince Albert, administration plans to bring a proposal forward for how to proceed before the current contract with First Canada ends. Hicks said the City can implement the proposal against whatever the new contract is.

The executive committee recommended the transit fare increases and that administration proceed with preparing the long-term transit strategy, but not before councillors weighed in on the transit issue.

Coun. Rick Orr expressed his concerns over the level at which taxpayers are subsidizing transit service. He said that the City’s contribution of $810,503 in 2014 means that each ride costs taxpayers $138.43.

“There’s got to be a better way,” Orr said.

When pressed by Coun. Charlene Miller about what that better way entails, he said there has to be a review.

“We’ve got to figure out how we can do this more cost effective and provide better service for the citizens that need it.”

But Coun. Martin Ring is unsure the City knows what the needs of the transit service’s customers are – and what they’re looking for. He said the City needs to ask whether the customers are looking for the cheapest or the most convenient ride out there. He too, echoed calls for a review.

“We cannot continue to operate it the way it is,” he said. “We’ve put so much pressure on some other departments, when I think of community services in particular, where we’re talking about subsidized facilities trying to get it upwards of the 65 or 66 per cent return and we’re operating at 41 per cent [for transit]… It’s so wrong in so many ways.”

Council will make a final decision on the proposed transit fare increase and proceeding with the service review at next Monday’s meeting.

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames