2011 key for York transit
Region considers adding post-secondary fare
Big changes are coming for transit riders in the new year, not the least of which is the long-awaited Presto card.
Starting in mid-March the green card will allow York Region Transit and Viva riders to load up with 10-ride ticket purchases and board with a simple swipe.
The program is rolling out across the GTA and for YRT general manager Rick Leary, it's the linchpin for an innovative, integrated transit program.
He oversaw a similar rollout during his time in Boston's transit front office and he's excited about what it will mean here.
Staff are now installing Presto card readers on 450 buses and at Viva stations.
All Richmond Hill line GO stations and GO buses should also be on Presto by spring, allowing, users to move from one system to the other with one card.
When the system is launched, it will only offer the 10-ride tickets, but will soon grow to include monthly passes and other options.
After six to eight months monitoring the system, YRT will assess its impact on revenues and look at other fare options, including possible loyalty programs.
Keziah Garber already has one idea YRT could look at: introducing a discounted fare for post-secondary students.
The University of Toronto student said it takes her about 100 minutes to get from her Thornhill Woods home to the downtown campus each morning. She typically finds herself on a bus with people who have paid the same as her for a monthly pass, but, she notes, they are headed off to jobs where they will earn an income.
She wrote a letter to YRT noting, "I, on the other hand, pay the fare so that I can get to school, where I pay more money just to attend."
After years of lobbying by students, the TTC introduced a post-secondary Metropass in the summer.
A regular Metropass costs $121, while the post-secondary version goes for $99.
Introducing one is not a priority, but York transit will consider it, Mr. Leary said.
Meanwhile, the $250-million Presto system is already being used on some GO routes, but not without controversy, as the TTC announced it will go ahead with its own fare system.
While Presto is supposed to be a GTA system, the TTC has, by far, the biggest share of riders.
When it meets in December, TTC will consider proceeding with an RFP for an open payment system it argues is more advanced than Presto.
Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne has warned Toronto will have transit funding cut off if it goes it alone, but the transit commission has touted the benefits of an open payment system.
Already being tested on several North American transit systems, open payment allows residents to pay by swiping cellphones or credit cards, rather than a proprietary card riders reload.
Presto is already looking at next generation technology that will operate similarly, Ms Wynne announced last month.
Mr. Leary thinks things are headed in the right direction and wherever they end up, riders will enjoy the convenience of a single, customer-friendly card.
Coming out of the 2009 recession, YRT/Viva is at record ridership and Mr. Leary said 2010 is expected be the biggest year since local transit systems were amalgamated in 2001.
Final ridership numbers could approach 20 million, Mr. Leary said.
He couldn't say if a fare hike was likely, but a recent staff report suggested that may happen.
About 40 per cent of the transit budget comes from the fare box, the balance is subsidized by taxpayers. The region wants fare box revenues to increase to 50 per cent in the next few years.
Rapid transit bus lanes and new bus purchases have increased costs, making a 25-cent fare increase necessary, the region said.
Also new on the transit front was the unveiling, yesterday, of Viva's new articulated buses.
A contract with Nova Bus, a Quebec division of Volvo, will see 46 of the $1-million buses hit the streets in the next few years.
The cost is split between the federal, provincial and regional governments.
Attending the event in Markham were Newmarket-Aurora MP Lois Brown, Markham-Unionville MPP Michael Chan, York Region chairperson Bill Fisch and Metrolinx president Bruce McCuaig.
