this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2024
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[–] Butterbee 13 points 1 month ago

"Brad West, the chair of the TransLink Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation, tells BC Today host Michelle Eliot that he likes the idea, but it's not currently realistic."

Yes it is. It's a decision that is made to not fund transit enough for it to be free. It's a decision that is made that for some reason transit has to "make a profit".

[–] Sunshine@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 month ago

Transit funding needs to hit $1 billion by taxing the rich such as RBC and Loblaws.

[–] tacosanonymous@lemm.ee 11 points 1 month ago
[–] Ulrich_the_Old@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It is working well in Luxembourg where all public transit is free to the user. The cure for traffic problems is cheap available mass transit. It is the only cure. Building more highways only increases traffic.

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 month ago

Well I'd be more inclined to bike if there were more and safer bike lanes.

[–] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

I avoid busses because I get anxious about paying for them. I don't use them enough to justify buying a monthly/yearly pass but I don't think they take cash? Tried walking on one time and the bus driver just seemed kind of annoyed when I offered to pay cash, not knowing how much it cost, and they just told me to go sit down so I got a free ride anyways. They don't exactly have time to explain how it works while driving. I would use them more if they were free.

[–] stealth_cookies@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 month ago

Assuming it is Translink busses, with the compass system you can simply tap your debit or credit card to pay. Hold it on the reader and look for the green checkmark and then move in.

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You can buy a fare card. You preload some cash, and tap to pay. It deducts the trip. No expiry on the card, so you don't have to worry about monthly or yearly pass fees.

[–] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Still sucks though, since you need to carry the card around for the one time you may need to use it. And it's another step for people to go through who are just visiting the province to use the buses rather than just handing over a loonie or something

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 month ago

More recently the Canadian bus sysrems have added contactless card payment, so you can use your debit or visa/MC or a phone or watch device linked to your account, as payment

[–] Sunshine@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago

Yeah it would reduce situations like these that could potentially slow down the service. The bus drivers want everyone to get to work on time.