New Calgary transit fees.

[Bobblehead]

A new $3 fee to park at park and ride lots.
Transit passes going up to $90.
Instead of the budgeted 18 additional transit cops, there will only be 9 (which apparently saves $950,000! Do these transit cops earn $100K+ per year?)

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/...5-56213c06f84b


I'm sure those fees will entice people to leave their cars at home and take transit.

[MissTeeks]

Sadly, I have no other way to get to work than the bus so I have to pay these crappy increases.

[habernac]

more $$$$, same crappy service. I'll stick to my bicycle.

[Boblobla]

I will be doing my part to help raise the price of oil again and continue driving my truck to work from Ranchlands to Sundance every day.

[tvp2003]

Monthly passes are going up to $90, but spread out over 3 years. So I'm guessing $5 bucks a year ($80 starting in 2009).

The parking fee, which will take effect Jan. 1, will result in a $3 daily charge for anyone parking at one of the 33 park-and-ride lots across the city.
Parking in any of the 14,000 stalls has been free until now, but that will change next year in a move city officials said was needed to pay for better security and cleanliness at transit stations.

This is a huge hit... at 20 work days per month, that means an extra $60 per month for people who park and ride to work everyday! Factor in the $5 increase on the monthly pass, and your monthly expense just went from $75 to $140... almost double!

[fredr123]

"At the same time, adult monthly transit fares will jump from $75 to $90 a month by 2011 through three incremental hikes."

Glad to see it's not jumping up $15 right away.

[Russic]

At least we won't see the $90 transit pass until 2011. The article mentions that the jump will be incremental, I wonder what next years pass will cost?

To be honest I don't totally mind the $3 charge to park. As it stands now at my ctrain stop if you aren't there by 6:30 there's no point to even try and park. Perhaps this will give me a slight chance at getting a spot now.

The money has to come from somewhere I suppose. That savings amount is rather odd though.

edit: I really don't share the same view as most regarding the quality. I don't mind Calgary Transit at all. The city has exploded with people over the past decade and I think they're doing pretty well all things considered.

[Dedly]

I don't even park and ride but that $3 a day, up from $0, is brutal. That's a huge deterrant to using transit.

It's going from:
$75 a month
To:
$90 a month + ~20 days * $3/day = $150

...double the cost to park and ride on the packed train system? Wheee

Edit: bah, beaten!

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

This is a huge hit... at 20 work days per month, that means an extra $60 per month for people who park and ride to work everyday! Factor in the $5 increase on the monthly pass, and your monthly expense just went from $75 to $140... almost double!

It is a big increase. Sucks for those that rely on it.

However, there seems to be a strong contingent on CP (and elsewhere) that doesn't like to pay for services to the sprawling communities because they never ever use them. Charging the park and ride users for using the park and ride lots should be in line with that philosophy, no? I'm not suggesting you were in one camp or another but just pointing out that this is the kind of fee increase that a lot of people would seemingly support.

[Khel]

Why would they charge for the park and ride lots? Way to entice people to take transit.

Next step, paying for parking at the LRT stations.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

A new $3 fee to park at park and ride lots.
Transit passes going up to $90.
Instead of the budgeted 18 additional transit cops, there will only be 9 (which apparently saves $950,000! Do these transit cops earn $100K+ per year?)

Screw buying a pass or tickets then, just ride it for free and take advantage of the 'honor system.' Now with half the cops there to enforce it. $3 for parking just means your tickets now have been reduced to $1.50 each way.

Not saying I advocate actually doing this, but the incentive to do this and the legitimacy of City Council over this budget fiasco points to a lot less ridership and a lot less paying riders among that ridership translating to a lot less 'extra revenue' than what was envisioned. The city is sometimes hilarious in their stupidity.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Instead of the budgeted 18 additional transit cops, there will only be 9 (which apparently saves $950,000! Do these transit cops earn $100K+ per year?)

What about:
"$480,000 by not hiring four people in parks"

I know there are more costs than salary included in that number like benefits and equipment but $120,000/person seems excessive to essentially cut grass...

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by Khel

Why would they charge for the park and ride lots? Way to entice people to take transit.

Next step, paying for parking at the LRT stations.

The parking at LRT stations are considered park and ride lots, aren't they?

Calgary's 33 Park and Ride lots: http://www.calgarytransit.com/html/park_n_ride.html

[Bobblehead]

Maybe they are raising transit fees to convince people to walk and use the new pedestrian bridges.

[FurnaceFace]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Do these transit cops earn $100K+ per year?

No, but with benefits, vacation, sick days, and other overhead their fully loaded rate is easily 100k.

There is a rule of thumb where you take an employee's salary and divide by 1000 to get what they would actually cost the employer. Multiple by full time hours (2080) and you get their actual cost.

Or, just go to this calculator and play http://www.artlogic.com/resources/em...ator/index.php. It's more IT focused obviously, but the principle is the same as there will be training costs for cops and equipment costs would likely be higher than a knowledge worker.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Khel

Next step, paying for parking at the LRT stations.

Isn't that what the Park & Ride lots are?

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

transit's stuck. They charge nothing compared to the costs, and the service is crappy. If they increase the prices people will be even less happy to pay for the crappy service. If they don't, the service gets crappier.

If the city allowed some kind of free enterprise we'd probably be ok. They could fill the gaps.

[Pagal4321]

I'm pretty pissed off right now. I use the Park & Ride lots everyday, and now I'll be trying to find alternatives.

$150 bucks a month to take the TRAIN? And here I'm complaining about $75 a month.

Wonder how this will work though, will they set up toll booths at the entrances, or offer monthly passes? Whatever they do, they will create even bigger traffic jams outside of these lots (I'm thinking specifically of Breantwood).

Anyone selling any parking spots downtown?

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by FurnaceFace

No, but with benefits, vacation, sick days, and other overhead their fully loaded rate is easily 100k.

There is a rule of thumb where you take an employee's salary and divide by 1000 to get what they would actually cost the employer. Multiple by full time hours (2080) and you get their actual cost.

Or, just go to this calculator and play http://www.artlogic.com/resources/em...ator/index.php. It's more IT focused obviously, but the principle is the same as there will be training costs for cops and equipment costs would likely be higher than a knowledge worker.

Wow, that means my employer think I am costing them over $150k - WOW - I still feel poor. How is it exactly that ancillary costs should more than double the persons salary?

The city must have a sweet pension or something because I know my position doesnt cost that much - at least in the private sector.

[The Ditch]

I still think a better way to deal with this is to put up toll booths so that the people driving in from Cochrane, Airdrie, etc. foot their bill and don't penalize the people living in Calgary.