SooToday received the following open letter about Does Sault Transit give too many deep price reductions to bus-pass users?
Reduced bus fares, in the form of multi-ride and monthly bus passes, are being confused with discounts. It's an investment in community, not a discount.
Our community needs this investment. As a regular transit rider, I witness the benefits of this investment on a regular basis.
I am often riding along uniformed workers, heading to service-industry jobs. In years past, employers have struggled to attract workers to the industry due to the prevalence of lower wages. The last thing our labour market needs is another financial hurdle in the form of increased fares.
I also ride with people with disabilities. For some, community participation depends on accessible transportation.
I regularly ride along with students. As a parent of teens approaching their post-secondary years, the increasingly outsized costs of this stage of life do not need to be added to in the form of increased transportation costs.
Finally, our community's greenhouse gas emissions are headed in the wrong direction, in spite of our pledges and worsening climate emergency. We need to increase our ridership through incentives, not dissuade potential riders from leaving their vehicles at home. In fact, other communities in Ontario have made public transportation free to increase their ridership.
The current city council does a good job of seeing and acting in the interests of their constituents and future generations. I know they see the value of this strategic investment.
Tobin Kern
Sault Ste. Marie