Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) directors have voted in favour of changing bus fare prices.
At a Jan. 30 infrastructure services committee, directors voted for SCRD staff to work with BC Transit to reduce student and senior monthly passes to $30 from $42. Regular monthly passes cost $60.
They also voted to make bus transfers a thing of the past, with the side effect of causing fares to double in price for some riders.
SCRD staff have been directed to work with BC Transit to implement the changes for as early as April 2020.
These changes would see commuters given the option of purchasing a $2 bus ticket if they are headed in one direction and riding a single route. Otherwise, they can purchase a day pass that provides unlimited rides in one day.
Included in the change is the discontinuation of transfers and the reduction in cost of the day pass to $4 from $5. The day pass will no longer be available for pre-sale.
While the change could mean more convenience for those taking return trips, for riders going one way on more than one route – getting from West Sechelt to the Langdale ferry terminal, for example – the cost of their trips will double from $2 to $4.
Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) staff and BC Transit justified the change since only three per cent of the annual ridership use transfers. “It is anticipated that the vast majority of all transfers are made by residents who are making the return trip on the same day and hence only several thousand trips by residents per year would be impacted by the change,” says the report, which was presented at the Jan. 30 infrastructure services committee meeting.
SCRD staff also said the change would make transactions easier for bus drivers and could reduce how many “potentially confrontational discussions” take place between drivers and passengers.
During the meeting, Sechelt director Darnelda Siegers said more smaller routes are expected to be added to the bus system as it matures, and “if we do away with transfers, that in my view would be detrimental to the plans.”
Staff replied that “it totally fits in our concept of expanding feeder routes,” since it would be more consumer friendly and easier for drivers, and would only make a difference for residents heading to the ferry who start on a feeder route.
Siegers suggested the data wasn’t available to know that for sure. Infrastructure services general manager Remko Rosenboomsaid they could look into drivers manually collecting that information.
