11-14-2014, 01:13 PM
I expect the goal to get towards a higher recovery rate is to be able to justify future expansion. Since the Province got out of subsidizing operating funding in the mid-1990s, the Region has been responsible for covering its operations. The Ontario government reportedly recently mused about returning to funding transit operating costs, then clarified what they meant. Either way, the conversation is starting.
Here's an interesting table of global fare box recovery rates. The TTC is listed at 73% and GO Transit is listed at 78%.
On the subject, here is some commentary about fare box recovery rates from John McGrath. There are were a few points that jumped out at me.
And later:
The fact is that any public service that is not cost-neutral, or makes more money than it spends, will be a drain on funds for other parts of the public purse. I agree that our public services should not turn a profit, that's what taxes are for. Provided the Region continues towards its goal of bringing transit to every area of the region, personally, I don't mind continuing to subsidize it.
Here's an interesting table of global fare box recovery rates. The TTC is listed at 73% and GO Transit is listed at 78%.
On the subject, here is some commentary about fare box recovery rates from John McGrath. There are were a few points that jumped out at me.
Quote:What it most resembles, actually, is the Bob Moses vision of city-building: the use of state power and private capital to transform “blighted” places. While this plan plausibly serves a place called “Finch”, it almost certainly wouldn’t serve anyone currently living there. Indeed, in most places the plan explicitly requires people to be moved out, by selling their homes or other properties to our hypothetical subway-development corporation.(emphasis mine)
This is what putting the technological cart before the city-building horse gets you: instead of building transit to serve the city we have, you’re effectively rebuilding the city to serve the transit you’ve decided you want, ex ante and for no technical reason.
And later:
Quote:This is probably why the vast majority of the world’s transit systems don’t make a cent of profit: because we don’t want them to. Instead, we want transit to serve a bunch of different purposes, not all of them cost-effective.
The fact is that any public service that is not cost-neutral, or makes more money than it spends, will be a drain on funds for other parts of the public purse. I agree that our public services should not turn a profit, that's what taxes are for. Provided the Region continues towards its goal of bringing transit to every area of the region, personally, I don't mind continuing to subsidize it.