Grand River Transit

[Spokes]

Darn. Thanks

[Spokes]

Has anyone tried out the 903 flex program that GRT is running?

[trainspotter139]

According to the Budget Committee Agenda for the February 19th meeting:

Total GRT fare revenue in 2018 was $36.8 million, which was $2.7 million higher than the 2018 budget. The preliminary 2019 GRT fare revenue base budget has been increased by approximately $1.8 million to $35.8 million.  Incremental fare revenue of $3 million has been included in the ION Light Rail Transit 2019 operating budget, bringing total budgeted transit system revenue to $38.8 million.

Despite the increase in revenue in 2018, staff are recommending a 3% fare increase to be made effective Sept 1, 2019.

[panamaniac]

According to the Budget Committee Agenda for the February 19th meeting:

Total GRT fare revenue in 2018 was $36.8 million, which was $2.7 million higher than the 2018 budget. The preliminary 2019 GRT fare revenue base budget has been increased by approximately $1.8 million to $35.8 million.  Incremental fare revenue of $3 million has been included in the ION Light Rail Transit 2019 operating budget, bringing total budgeted transit system revenue to $38.8 million.

Despite the increase in revenue in 2018, staff are recommending a 3% fare increase to be made effective Sept 1, 2019.

Still progressing toward a target recovery rate?

[danbrotherston]

According to the Budget Committee Agenda for the February 19th meeting:


Despite the increase in revenue in 2018, staff are recommending a 3% fare increase to be made effective Sept 1, 2019.

Still progressing toward a target recovery rate?

"As reported in the February 6, 2019 Public Transit budget information paper, GRT customer price elasticity is generally such that a 1% change in price results in a 0.3% change in ridership. In an environment of service improvements, this decrease would be experienced simply as a minor reduction to the overall rate of ridership increase. Experience has also shown that elasticity may be higher when considering fare increases greater than 5%. "

So they're willing to sacrifice 1% of ridership....in a year of ridership growth...and low gas prices, low tax hikes, and flat parking fees, 

*sigh*...idiocy..."Experience has also shown that elasticity may be higher when considering fare increases greater than 5%."  I wonder if staff realize that people, unlike, umm...I dunno, staff logic, does not reset yearly...a 3% hike 3 years in a row is a 9% fare hike, double the amount that risks "increased elasticity"...

[KevinL]

Further to my farecard-reload inquiries, the P&W agenda indicates:

Four other Regional facilities are being prepared with Attended Add Value Machines (150 Main Street in Cambridge, 150 Frederick Street and 235 King Street in Kitchener and 99 Regina Street in Waterloo). Due to the physical size of the Attended Add Value machines and changes in operations and space available at many retail locations, the planned devices are not suitable for many retail outlets and an alternate device is being pursued.

Fare Vending Machines are also planned to be located at conventional transit terminals including Cambridge Centre Terminal, Ainslie Street Terminal. Installation of these devices is planned for the summer.

In my mind it would be good to have more vending machines at terminals like The Boardwalk, too. And I hope they find a retail solution before too many complaints from entrenched ticket- and pass-buyers stack up.

[plam]

News on the fare card

https://www.grt.ca/en/fares-passes/easyg...aunch.aspx

GRT’s new EasyGO fare card will be available starting March 1.

Finally! I've been scanning every once in a while for that. Thanks for posting!

Hmm. Paper tickets must be used up before the start of ION light rail. What does that mean about ION launch?

[Canard]

That's a very short overlap window, especially for occasional users like myself! They should at least offer a trade-in programme, where the value of the tickets can be loaded onto a card, if they're only going to give people a couple of months to use them up.

[plam]

That's a very short overlap window, especially for occasional users like myself!  They should at least offer a trade-in programme, where the value of the tickets can be loaded onto a card, if they're only going to give people a couple of months to use them up.

I mean, we hope it's a short window!

[danbrotherston]

That's a very short overlap window, especially for occasional users like myself!  They should at least offer a trade-in programme, where the value of the tickets can be loaded onto a card, if they're only going to give people a couple of months to use them up.

I mean, we hope it's a short window!

Took the words out of my mouth.

It totally agree though. I've got about two strips of tickets, but my riding is really bursty.  If it's a quiet time I might not use two strips in two months.

[Canard]

I mean, from memory I think the TTC had many years of overlap...

I guess they won't want people using the current design of GRT tickets on ION (since ticket-checking will be sporadic so you could arguably have a free ride by just hanging on to your ticket and using it again...), but I don't see any reason why they can't continue to accept them in the little tube-with-slot on busses for a year or two.

[KevinL]

They've been quite clear that there will be no exchange of ticket value, alas.

My suggestion: if you know you have tickets that won't get used before the deadline, donate them at a community agency (Working Centre, YWCA, etc) - they can easily find people who can use them.

[timc]

I thought they said before that tickets would be usable for six months after the fare cards were launched. Than again, six months from March is September.

[danbrotherston]

I thought they said before that tickets would be usable for six months after the fare cards were launched. Than again, six months from March is September.

Yeah, that kinda aligns with my fears about the LRT launch.

[KevinL]

I'd always heard 3 months, I'm quite sure.