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THURSDAY
Thursday, May 20, 2014 X Volume 27 No. 58
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WEAPONS HAUL FOR RCMP Kamloops Mounties say they have put a dent in the Tournament Capital’s drug trade with their bust of a gang-affiliated drug ring that resulted in the seizure of drugs, electronics and a lot of guns. Turn to page A5 for the full story. Andrea Klassen/KTW
Bus-fare evasion costs city $48,000 per year By Andrea Klassen STAFF REPORTER
andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
Kamloops transit riders are more likely to pay for their bus rides than their counterparts in other cities across the province, but lost fares still cost the city about $48,000 a year, or about $4,000 per month. BC Transit spokeswoman Meribeth Burton said the average transit system loses about four per cent of its revenue per month to fare avoidance, either from people who refuse to pay or who
pay less than full fare. In Kamloops, fare evasion costs the city about 1.3 per cent of its revenue, with passengers underpaying or refusing to pay most often on routes 1, 3 and 9, which are also the city’s busiest routes. Burton said BC Transit’s policy is to “inform, not enforce” bus-fare rates. If a passenger doesn’t pay the full amount, or does not pay at all, the driver will enter that information by pushing a button on the fare box and
let the rider onboard. “The No. 1 cause of operatorcustomer conflict is fares,” Burton said. “So, we encourage our operators to simply let the person know the fares are $2.25 or, if it’s the seniors’ discount, to inform of the correct fare. “To educate, but not to put themselves at risk or even start an unpleasant conflict — that is our policy.” Burton said Kamloops’ rate of fare evasion is “really low,” noting BC Transit encourages cities
to offer flat rates for cash fares, instead of the two-tiered system Kamloops uses, and to push riders toward monthly passes and prepaid tickets to try to keep conflicts to a minimum. Because data entered at the fare box is imprecise, Burton said, it’s difficult to determine whether the money the city is losing is coming from people who are refusing to pay at all or from those who are a quarter or a dime short of their fare. But, she said, abuse of bus transfers likely plays a role.
In Kamloops, a transfer expires 90 minutes after a rider gets off the bus. “People tend to abuse transfers and use them four hours later or hold on to them and try to use them the following day,” Burton said. Last year, transit fares brought in $3.7 million in revenue, which stays with the city. City council will look at increasing the cost of a bus ride next year, as it prepares to roll out another 6,0000-hour service expansion and add more buses to its fleet.
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