Presumably Metrolinx is taking the lead on this. Progress is painfully slow.
But municipalities ought to make some effort to, as the Mayor of Burlington said recently, find a rational way to set transit rates.
On some levels the City of Burlington has made an effort to develop a rational policy. At least they have to the extent they’ve gone and found expertise to help them plan.
Take a look at the 1998 Transit White Paper informed by IBI consultants; lots to say in this report re establishing a fare structure.
Or the 2006-15 Transit Service Review authored by another consultant (iTrans) in 2006. It ran 189 pages and right there on pages 67 through 71 there is a rational plan to establish fares.
Important aspects of these reports were ignored by Council and yet another consultant was hired in 2011. At that time I was told by a Councillor that Dilllon consultants weren’t like the previous two consultants. No siree. They would bring a business-like approach and not simply respond to a public who just keep demanding more service that really isn’t affordable.
Well, Dillon did a fair bit of work on The Route Ahead. But they didn’t finish the job. Perhaps their plan for rational fare structure wasn’t what Councillors wanted either.
