Brandon to reduce transit service on Sundays, holidays

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This article was published 23/01/2018 (3165 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON — Putting the brakes on Brandon Transit service forces the least fortunate to pay up, says a city councillor.

“Any cuts to transit affect those that are either on modest means in our community — modest incomes such as students, seniors, the working poor or the unemployed — or those that cannot afford a vehicle or cannot drive,” said Coun. Jan Chaboyer.

Brandon city council decided Saturday, in the midst of its budget deliberations, to reduce bus service by two hours on Sundays and no longer operate on the six statutory holidays when most local retail outlets are closed.

The changes will take effect April 1.

Coun. Shawn Berry proposed the two motions, which curried enough favour as the city grapples with a $230,000 budget shortfall caused by the province ending its long-standing 50-50 cost-sharing formula to fund transit in the province.

This is the second consecutive year where the provincial grant ($2.034 million) is frozen at 2016 levels.

In 2017, Brandon adjusted by eliminating underused routes. This year, the city expects to save $18,750 by cutting service hours on Sundays, $45,000 by cancelling bus service and related overtime on the stat holidays when ridership is lowest, and an additional sum due to a few route modifications introduced in January.

A further breakdown on how the city will account for the funding shortfall was not available Monday.

The president of the union representing Brandon’s bus operators pointed a finger at the provincial government.

“Our population, our services should keep up with the population growth and make life better, especially, for the low-income people that rely on the bus service,” Aleem Chaudhary, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, said Monday.

Brandon University Students’ Union president Nick Brown agreed the service reduction will hurt students.

“This is just the current government continually attacking the people they’re supposed to be representing,” he said.

Chaboyer was one of three councillors, alongside Couns. Lonnie Patterson and Kris Desjarlais, to speak out Saturday against cutting bus service. They are also the three councillors on the city’s anti-poverty committee.

At budget deliberations, Patterson said the savings a household’s tax bill will notice by slimming down Sunday service is almost negligible, but forcing low-income residents to pay a taxi fare over a bus fare cannot be discounted.

“We are shifting that burden on those it’s going to challenge the most,” she said.

Berry initially proposed halting bus service Sundays at 6 p.m. (rather than its current 8 p.m.), but Carla Richardson, director of transportation service, said ending service at 7 p.m., while starting an hour later at 9 a.m., made the most sense based on ridership.

“We have to find a way to be fair to all taxpayers,” Berry said in support of the revised motion, referring to transit as “heavily subsidized” already.

Richardson noted the city offered 5,400 rides on Sundays after 6 p.m. in 2017, down from 6,000 fares the year prior.

She said Brandon Transit maintained its minimum 7.5 rides per hour standard on all stat holidays, except New Year’s Day.

In addition to the first day of the year, it’s expected service will be eliminated on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Canada Day, Labour Day and Christmas Day.

Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest referred to the changes as “service tweaks (rather) than outright cuts.” The city once had no Sunday service, he said.

Chrest felt tightening the budget was tough, but necessary.

“We’re trying to save in areas… that would have the least impact on the least amount of people,” he said.

Total ridership dropped from 1,020,764 rides in 2016 to 965,327 in the past year.

— Brandon Sun