Can sprawling
Los Angeles teach us anything about transit? The documentary "The
Bus Riders Union," has played several times in Toronto, detailing
the fight by transit activists for better bus service in a city with
huge distances to cross. One L.A. group believes that building new
rail lines gobbles up money that could be better used to buy more
buses.
Bart Reed of
southern California's Transit Coalition has a different approach,
preferring better service on all modes -- buses, light rail, subway
and commuter rail. He feels one way to increase the frequency of
routes -- many circulate every 20 minutes or even hourly -- is a
predictable increase in fares. L.A. bus users have a much lower
average income than their counterparts in Toronto, and the
government subsidy for transit rides here is around 75% -- users
cover just one-fourth of operating costs.
Reed decries
the pressure to keep fares unchanged because "Something's got to
give -- so service cuts are what get implemented." He has visited
the GTA twice in recent months, and believes predictable, small
increases could also benefit TTC users, instead of sporadic –and
sudden – hikes. Could this result in increased service?
Despite what he
calls the "do or die cutbacks" of the 1990s, "Toronto has a higher
overall level of service than most other cities across North
America. It's fairly unique there." He proposes “a small but regular
fare increase over a period of ten years, where you know (the
transit agency) is going to get more revenue coming in, and the
riders are prepared that it’s going to be a nickel, dime or quarter
more per ride … every year. But when you have it always as
unpredictable, it makes it harder for the working poor.
“In Los Angeles
we didn’t raise the fares for 14 years and our monthly passes went
from $42 a month to $52 a month. (All figures in US dollars. 1 US
dollar equals around $1.15 Canadian currently.)
“Had we kept
the pressure of going up two dollars per year over five years … the
incremental increase produces less stress to the transit customers.
But politicians don’t necessarily understand this concept.
“So all of a
sudden … you hit the tipping point when we’re drastically short on
money, and you have to go fix the fares.” Sound familiar, TTC
riders? He continues, noting that last year L.A.’s metropolitan
transit agency ran a huge deficit, and had to “close the gap from
$40 million dollars (US). I hear right now that the gap in terms of
revenues versus expenses could be as much as $125 million this
year.”
He says the
choice is either “draconian service cuts” or “coming through with
increased revenues to allow the system to maintain its size,
strength and frequency and hours and span of service.”
Many transit
systems across the continent are suffering from budget shortfalls,
but not all go though painful and sudden fare hikes. Would small,
steady price increases help ease the TTC’s ongoing financial
uncertainty?