Balancing subsidy with fare recovery primary cause
Commuters relying on York Region Transit can expect to pay a higher fare next semester. Starting January 1, 2013, YRT fares will increase.
According to a YRT press release, the price of cash fares will go up by 25 cents from $3.50 to $3.75 for one-zone rides and from $4.50 to $4.75 for two-zone rides. The price of all ticket books will increase by two dollars; all passes will increase in price by five dollars. The prices for Ride to GO cash fares and Ride to GO monthly stickers will remain unchanged.
“This is only the second fare increase since 2009,” says Richard Leary, general manager of York Region Transit. “We’re trying to be cautious about the need to increase fares, but there is also that subsidy balance we have to be cognisant of,” says Leary.
Currently, YRT generates 37 per cent of its operating costs from fares, and 63 per cent of its budget is subsidized by the government, Leary explains.
YRT is expecting its ridership to increase to 22.5 million in 2013, says Ken Turriff of YRT corporate communications.
In the short term, with the fare increases, YRT hopes to be able to fund 40 per cent of its operations through revenue, and reach 50 per cent in the long run, says Leary
Reaching a balance between revenue and government subsidy to fund operating costs, and compensating for the increase in ridership for 2013 are the main reasons for the fare increase, says Leary.
For the 2013 year, YRT also plans to reduce service on underperforming routes in order to cut costs, as well as expand “Dial-a-Ride” and on-request ride service, which operates on select routes during certain hours.
For 2013, YRT plans to increase its efficiencies and establish a grid network while improving the overall reliability of its system, says Leary.
By Munirul-Haq Raza, Staff Writer
