Regina citizen coalition hopes it’s not to late to halt transit fare hikes

With Valentine’s Day nearly here, advocates for public transit hope Regina City Council has a change of heart.

A group opposed to the 10 per cent fare hike approved during budget deliberations made a presentation Friday in the foyer of City Hall. The supporting bylaw for the increase still needs third reading and a vote, which is expected at the Feb. 25 meeting.

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Ward 8 councillor Shanon Zachidniak, who opposes the increase, told reporters it would add $585,000 in revenue if passed, equivalent to $4.44/year on the tax bill of an average home. She said if it didn’t pass, the missing revenue would come out of reserves – unless an offset was found.

“Residents are clearly telling us that this is not the way to save money on the mill rate,” Zachidniak said. She told reporters cost recovery for transit is comparable to or better than other cities.

“We’re solving a problem that doesn’t need to be solved here, and this change was both proposed and approved without any consultation for transit riders.”

Among the group who spoke was Regina Board of Education trustee Ted Jaleta, who said the board has concerns about the fare hike.

“For many of our students, public transit is not convenient. It is only way they can get to school,” he said. “They do not have alternative transportation options. Without affordable transit, attendance, punctuality, credit attainment, and ultimately, graduation, are directly affected.”

The cost of fares weighs on the mind of Atticus Kolody-Watt of Better Bus Youth.

“Being low income, $2.75 each ride is a lot, especially when I was running two jobs after school and having to take care of my sisters after school,” Kolody-Watt said. “So totalling up those rides in a day is a lot more than just $2.75 for someone like me.”

Inflation cited by supporter of fare increase

In an interview, ward 4 councillor Mark Burton justified the increase as small when compared to the rate of inflation. He said everyone is having to shoulder the load.

“I would argue that we’ve raised the rates at the pool, we’ve raised the rates at the field house, we’ve raised the rates at the rinks. Everybody else is getting these raises,” he said.

“This is very much a just keeping up, not even keeping up, just barely keeping up with some of the increases in expenses.”

In a statement, the city said administration would not comment until after council’s vote. If it passes, the rate hikes will take effect April 1.