Speaking of fares, I wonder if Calgary Transit would ever adopt a zone or distance-based system? I think that you'd get a few more people utilizing transit for short trips if the cost was variable. Digital ticketing makes it more possible than before, assuming that the old school machines can be programmed to use those extra buttons as well.
I went from Banff Trail to Brentwood while my car was getting an oil change, and while the dealership provided the tickets as a courtesy, that trip is hardly worth nearly $8 return. If I was paying for it myself, I wouldn't have bothered, which would've meant that I wouldn't have visited those businesses in Brentwood and spent some of my money there.
I can go from Tuscany to Somerset for the same price as going from Tuscany to Crowfoot. I understand that the system is based on getting downtown from the 'burbs and to hell with anyone else, but people might use it more if they could pay a reduced fare for short trips.
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