Saskatoon council to consider targeted bus fare hikes

A three-tiered approach to increasing Saskatoon bus fares would raise more revenue, but also discourage more people from hopping aboard, a city hall report says.

Under the proposal recommended by city hall administration heading into Tuesday’s budget talks, low-income bus passes would stay frozen, while the cost of passes for those who rely on transit would rise by about five per cent.

But the costs of single-use tickets, cash and adult passes for occasional riders would jump by about 10 per cent.

Based on current ridership, this approach would raise about $870,000 in revenue, but an expected decline in riders due to the price jump would subtract $348,000 for an estimated net gain of $522,000 next year and $550,000 in 2027.

“Fare increases always end up with fewer people riding,” Robert Clipperton, spokesman for the Bus Riders of Saskatoon transit lobby group, said in an interview Monday.

“It can also increase fare evasion. And we were hoping the whole problem with fare evasion that we hear about would be addressed to some extent by something in the overall fee structure.”

City bureaucrats also considered an across-the-board five per cent increase for fares that have remained static since 2014. But that option is projected to result in lower net revenue increases of $323,000 next year and $327,000 in 2027, and is also expected to result in fewer riders.

City officials also looked at leaving fares alone and at a complex system with a sliding scale of payment based on income. But that latter option would have required a new “costly” bureaucracy to verify riders’ income and would result in a net loss of $131,000 next year.

City hall compared Saskatoon bus fares with 23 other Canadian cities without light rail transit systems.

Saskatoon’s fares ranked as the lowest among cities of similar size or larger (308,626 people). 

Only cities with less than half of Saskatoon’s population charged less than the $83 for a Saskatoon Transit monthly adult pass, and the $3 single-use fare is tied with several cities for the second lowest. 

The $2.50 cost for a single electronic ticket in Saskatoon is lower than any other city.

The $29 price for a monthly seniors pass is also the lowest, less than half the price than in some cities with less than half the population of Saskatoon.

Clipperton said a fare increase was expected, but he criticized the short time for engagement with riders and residents.