Edmonton city staff said Tuesday the city should increase transit fares—but the mayor isn’t yet on board with the idea. Currently, an ETS fare is $3.25. Purchasing an adult monthly pass costs $97.00. Post-secondary and youth student monthly passes cost $88.50 and $75, respectively. However, the 2019-2022 operating budget proposes a $0.25 increase every year for three years. If implemented, a single fare would cost $4 in 2021. The extra quarters would go a long way: The City estimates it would collect an extra $700,000 from just the first increase in 2019. But Mayor Don Iveson says the public expects a better service for higher fares. “They want to see improvements in the transit system before they would pay more, because they have the same concerns that I have about our transit systems: efficiency, effectiveness, timeliness,” the mayor said. “All things that we aim to fix with the bus network redesign.” The network redesign is scheduled to happen in 2020. Also that year, the south LRT is expected to come online and buses are supposed to receive a smart-fare system that will allow riders to pay with cards. “I am convinced that we can build a more efficient transit system with the buses and the dollars that are in place today. That will attract more riders that, in turn, will bring in more revenue,” Iveson said. The budget’s proposals weren’t limited to single fares. City staff also recommended the following increases by 2021: With files from Jeremy Thompson
