Quote:
Originally Posted by FlameCity
Calgary's low-income transit pass to drop to $40
New pass price adds $380,000 to city budget
CALGARY - City council is cutting the rate of a low-income monthly transit pass, even though a hike was scheduled for next year.
The low-income pass was supposed to go from $41.50 up to $45. It will now be dropped to $40.
By dropping the low-income pass, council has now added roughly $380,000 to the city budget.
Aldermen made the decision Wednesday during budget deliberations.
A regular monthly pass is due to increase from $85.25 up to $90, and council decided not to change that plan.
It was also noted during budget discussions that broader fare review is underway that should be ready by May.
All this comes as council on Monday decided not to cut Calgary Transit service hours, even though administration had recommended just that to help deal with a $47.4 million deficit
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Maybe we could make up the money by increasing the fee for seniors who aren't low income to take transit. Currently a seniors pass for anyone over 65 (NOT just low income) is $35 per year, or $2.92 per month. I have no issue with low income seniors getting the discount (they only pay $15 per year) but there's no reason well-off seniors can't pay the same amount as low income people under age 65. Even with this reduction a well-off senior pays 93% less than a low income person, which seems ridiculous.