December 12, 2024
City Council approves a report from consultants Left Turn Right Turn that proposed more transit improvements instead of free transit. Their study showed riders would prefer service improvements over free fares.
Continuing service improvements and more free travel. Those are the near-term upsides of a year-long study of how eliminating fares would affect transit in Burlington. A summary of the study, by consultants Left Turn Right Turn, was released in November and was the subject of much discussion by city councillors at a meeting Dec. 2.
The study recommended against abolishing fares altogether, saying better service was a bigger priority for riders. It warned that suddenly eliminating all fares could drive up ridership so much that service could deteriorate. And it would put more pressure on a system that is already feeling the strain of a significant uptick in ridership and worsening traffic.
“The industry research … indicates that there are certainly new riders attracted to the system when you make it free,” said consultant Dennis Fletcher. “But there are more new riders attracted to the system when you make it better.”
At their Dec. 2 meeting, city councillors made it clear they wanted significant transit improvements. And they voted to use the information gathered by the study to help make decisions on which improvements are needed most. “I just don’t want it to be lost at all or just stay in the background,” Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns said.
Improvements baked in
The service upgrades will be baked into Burlington Transit’s next five-year plan, due to be presented to City Council in 2026. Improvements in 2025, including more buses and operators for more frequent service, have already been approved as part of the city’s budget process.
And there will likely be more free transit over the next year. Council approved a motion to examine a pilot project that would allow youth to ride free next summer. In the meantime, youth riders using Presto would ride free after 20 rides per month, instead of the current 40.
BFAST supported the conclusions of the transit study in its brief to Council.
“While we strongly support free transit for all, the LTRT Summary Report provides a strong rationale for a phased approach. We agree with their conclusion that adopting free transit without the necessary supports in place could lead to a deterioration in service quality and undesired outcomes,” the brief said.
Continuing focus on transit
“We believe it is important, however, that the City adopts a goal of making transit more accessible, and part of that will be a continuing focus on making transit more affordable and, finally, free for all.”
BFAST Steering Committee member Jim Young also expressed support on his own behalf. Extrapolating figures from the Toronto Board of Trade’s research, he estimated gridlock has “a staggering negative annual economic impact of $106.2 million in Burlington alone.”
The $6.2 million the city would forego in fare revenue would go directly into the pockets of mostly low-income riders, who would immediately spend the money to buy necessities in the community. “Using a generally accepted economic multiplier of 2.5 for new spending introduced at the lower end of the local economy, that would inject some $15.5 million annually into the city economy,” he said.