Ride Free on Calgary Transit...oh and by the way....

[jar_e]

http://www.gov.calgary.ab.ca/citybea..._151058_4834_0

To ensure Calgarians have a safe transportation alternative
on New Year’s Eve (Thursday, December 31), Calgary Transit
will provide free service on all CTrains and buses after 6:00
p.m. to the end of service. There will be a regular weekday
level of service on New Year’s Eve and a Sunday level of
service on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2010.

The following fares will increase [on January 1, 2010]:

• adult cash/single ticket from $2.50 to $2.75
• adult monthly pass from $83.00 to $85.25
• adult ticket books of 10 from $23.00 to $24.00
• adult day pass from $7.50 to $8.25

[ken0042]

That's good- too bad they don't offer service past 11:00 on many routes.

Looked into it the last time I was going to be drinking > walking distance from my house. Last bus was going to get me home before the New Year.

[Incinerator]

more proof that there are no free lunch...lol, they get you right back the next day!

[MJM]

Originally Posted by jar_e

http://www.gov.calgary.ab.ca/citybea..._151058_4834_0

My god. $2.75 for a ticket now. The yearly increases are getting bloody ridiculous.

Myself and my wife take one car to work downtown everyday. We pay $10.00 to park. The reason we drive is simply economic. It now costs us $14 to take public transit and park and ride. We actually pay $20 less a week to drive than take public transit. Great message the city is sending there

I actually feel really bad for the people that have to take transit out of economic necessity. It's getting kind of steep.

I'm usually the one advocating that you should pay for the services you use, but I think $2.50 was more than a fair price for public transit (unless they want to go to a tier'd system like they have in Vancouver).

[Clarkey]

For me $2.75 is a fair cost to get me downtown from suburbia.

My beef is with the $3.00 to park in a compact spot in suburbia (where's the toll booths on crowchild trail?). The only benefit of this charge is that it ensures I'll have a spot when I get there.

[Puppet Guy]

I could deal with the increased rates if it would translate to more regular service than hourly. I'd like for once to get home from work in less than 90 minutes.

[CrusaderPi]

Originally Posted by Puppet Guy

I could deal with the increased rates if it would translate to more regular service than hourly. I'd like for once to get home from work in less than 90 minutes.

I'm not sure you should be blaming Calgary Transit for the distance between your home and your job.

[MJM]

Originally Posted by Clarkey

For me $2.75 is a fair cost to get me downtown from suburbia.

My beef is with the $3.00 to park in a compact spot in suburbia (where's the toll booths on crowchild trail?). The only benefit of this charge is that it ensures I'll have a spot when I get there.

I think $3 bucks would be a fair cost to get to and from Suburbia as well (and I live in Suburbia), but when they start adding parking and ride fees it's ridiculous.

I just don't get why we don't go to a tier'd system like they have in Vancouver. Someone that takes the train from downtown to SAIT, shouldn't be paying $2.75.

If they made belt-line travel $2 bucks, and suburbia travel $3 bucks, everyone would be happy.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Clarkey

For me $2.75 is a fair cost to get me downtown from suburbia.

If that's a fair price for you, how much should I pay to ride a bus from 17th ave and 14th street to the dome?

*edit damn you, MJM. Wait, I agree.

[MJM]

Originally Posted by CrusaderPi

I'm not sure you should be blaming Calgary Transit for the distance between your home and your job.

One thing you can blame Calgary transit is the amount of designated bus stops they have. There's no need to have a stop every block unless the bus is a designated route for people in wheelchairs/physical difficulties.

That's an argument for another thread.

[Reggie Dunlop]

If people can't afford the fare, they should key the bus or vandalize the shelter. That'll sure show 'em!!!

[lambeburger]

Calgary Transit can fata themselves in their fat fataing asses. This is getting ridiculous. They expect us to pay more and more each year and their machines still won't give change or take bills and their service is ridiculously unreliable.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by lambeburger

Calgary Transit can fata themselves in their fat fataing asses. This is getting ridiculous. They expect us to pay more and more each year and their machines still won't give change or take bills and their service is ridiculously unreliable.

Can you buy a ticket on calgary transit via text yet? That was the coolest thing in a few places I've traveled to. You just send a text and it replies with a ticket. 1 euro to ride the metro or bus anywhere in Rome.

Oh yeah, and quoted because I agree that not giving change or taking bills is a major PITA.

[Sample00]

ahh the benefits of living in small town alberta. We have no transit systems except for a Senior's Bus which fortunately, I am not old enough to take yet. However it does pick up our seniors right at their door.
And it takes me a grand total of 3 minutes to get to work! 5 minutes if I have to drop the kids off at school.
its one part of Calgary that I don't miss. The commute you guys have to make is insane!

[shermanator]

These yearly rate increases for passes / tickets are just to deal with inflation (at least the monthly increases are at inflationary levels), so I would expect the increases to keep coming. Want better transfer service as a result of the increase? Expect to pay more taxes. Don't want to pay more taxes to buy more trains / build more lines, etc? Expect the same unreliable service. Catch-22 situation

Park and Ride? It's a cash grab, but I'm not going to dive into that debate. Stations don't make change for bills? Very painful.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Oh yeah, and quoted because I agree that not giving change or taking bills is a major PITA.

Or my personal favourite- you cannot pay $3 to ride the train. I was running late once and had to grab a train. One was just pulling into the station as I hit the platform. I hit "Adult fare" and started plopping in loonies. It kept rejecting my last one. Tried another coin, rejection. Some guy came up and handed me 2 quarters and said "it won't let you overpay." I gave him my loonie, grabbed my ticket, and fortunately somebody else was holding the door.

[RW99]

I'm noticing that my January pass doesn't show the price. The ones for 2009 had $83 on them. I'm hoping that was for tax purposes as I wasn't saving the receipts.

But what about this year? Do I have to keep the receipt for every monthly pass purchase?

[REDVAN]

A few of my friends never buy the fares, and are professionals downtown... so more enforcement would be a good idea.

[MRCboicgy]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Or my personal favourite- you cannot pay $3 to ride the train. I was running late once and had to grab a train. One was just pulling into the station as I hit the platform. I hit "Adult fare" and started plopping in loonies. It kept rejecting my last one. Tried another coin, rejection. Some guy came up and handed me 2 quarters and said "it won't let you overpay." I gave him my loonie, grabbed my ticket, and fortunately somebody else was holding the door.

This is where Edmonton has us. I was up there this year and their transit machines are pretty intelligent. They give change, let you buy round trip tickets, etc. Sure their train goes nowhere, but at least they spent a dime on machines that are decent.

Honestly, why the eff do we not have machines that take debit/credit?

[Ashartus]

Originally Posted by RW99

I'm noticing that my January pass doesn't show the price. The ones for 2009 had $83 on them. I'm hoping that was for tax purposes as I wasn't saving the receipts.

But what about this year? Do I have to keep the receipt for every monthly pass purchase?

I contacted Calgary Transit about that last year. Basically, they told me they order the passes for January/February before the price is finalized, so they don't show the price and you have to keep your receipts. By March or so they should be showing the price on the pass itself.