Dig a little deeper to ride the bus in September

Prince Rupert City council has examined the costs of running its transit system and with expenses jumping 24,000 dollars in the last two years; council felt that they could no longer hold the line on fare increases.

With the cost of fuel rising and an expected increase in labour costs to come as well, council outlined some new fare guidelines set to come into effect in September.

When you go to hop on the bus September first, you’ll be digging a little deeper into your pocket as adult fares will rise from $1.25 to $1.50, while seniors will be paying an extra quarter as well with their fares increasing to $1.25.

Monthly and daily passes will also be increased on September 1, with the adult passes rising by six dollars to $38.00. Seniors and students will have to budget an extra five dollars a month for a pass as their passes rise to $30 a month.

Daily passes for adults and college student’s rise to $3.75 while seniors and school age riders will need an extra quarter to meet the new $2.75 fare.

The Northern View provided some background on the increases with a story posted on their website on Tuesday night.

Council passes increase to bus fares
By Shaun Thomas
The Northern View
Published: July 08, 2008 9:00 PM
Updated: July 08, 2008 10:09 PM

While the rider count has continued to climb aboard Prince Rupert's transit system the cost to operate the service has grown even faster, and that prompted council to pass an increase in fares during the July 8 council meeting.

Citing a jump in operational costs from $219,000 in 2005 to $243,000 in 2007, with costs expected to increase in 2008 with fuel and wage increases, adult fares will increase from $1.25 to $1.50, while senior and student fares will increase from $1.00 to $1.25.

A monthly adult pass will increase from $32.00 to $38.00, and monthly passes for seniors and students, including college students, will increase from $25 to $30. Day passes for adults and college students will increase from $3.00 to $3.75, while seniors and school age riders will pay $2.75 for a day pass compared to the current $2.50.

The increase, which comes into effect on September 1, puts the Prince Rupert fares in line with those in Powell River, which increased its transit fares this January.

Look for more on this story in the July 16 issue of The Northern View.