Budget cuts — it’s that time of year. Imagine my surprise when I saw that the transit system is once again on the chopping block. “Nope,” I said to myself, “I’m not going to get mad.” If I got mad, I’d say things like: 1. Take away the bus service on Saturday for one year and then “reassess”? Do you think the people who ride the bus are really stupid? 2. Discontinue the transit system completely except for the paratransit? Really!!! What were you thinking? 3. Do you understand how paratransit works? 4. Did you forget to do any homework about bus fares? 5. What do you mean the transit system was discontinued on Saturdays during the pandemic? 6. 30 minute routes? Preposterous!!! 7. Lowering bus fares to encourage increased ridership? Where did that come from?
Nope, I’m not going to go there. Not right now, anyways. Instead, I will try to explain why I feel so frustrated. Our governments, be it federal, provincial, or municipal, fall somewhere between plutocracies and Kakistocracies. (Which is a government by the least suitable or competent citizens of a state.) I think our municipal government leans heavily towards a Kakistocracy.
We all carry a certain amount of prejudice, precipitated by the assumption that everyone should live and think as we do. What do I mean by this? In our culture, our lives have become very busy. (Got to get home, get this kid to soccer, that kid to piano practice, etc.) A motor vehicle has become a need rather than a desire. It can also be a status symbol. The newer, the bigger, the more expensive the vehicle, the more the image of security is given to our status. Vehicles are also very convenient, especially when time becomes a factor. So it is little wonder that the majority of us do not understand why anyone would rely on public transport!
Well, I’m going to tell you!
1. Not everyone can afford a car, the licencing or the maintenance that upkeep involves. 2. Due to age, health, employment, and/or economic situation, some people rely on the service. 3. People such as myself choose to use the transit service.
I will admit that I’m not beyond requesting a car ride when it would be more convenient. On the whole, the advantages outweigh any “tantrums” I can throw. (I’ll get into this a little later.)
I am very concerned that some of these personal biases are interfering with any decision that is being made in regards to city transit. The council treats it like a pest that needs to be eradicated rather than looking at ways to promote the service.
Now I can’t resist. Let’s have a look at my list. There is no doubt that fewer people rode the bus between March and September during the pandemic. Figures don’t lie, but they can be manipulated. How many people realize that during that time, the bus service was cut by at least three hours a day? Those hours just happened to be hours that riders used to get to and from work or to doctors’ appointments. Perhaps these are the people who used dial-a-bus. As diversified services and schools were closed, it would only be fair to give the council/management credit. Older people and vulnerable citizens stayed home out of caution surrounding COVID-19. What is disturbing is that the council has decided to manipulate the numbers to show a decline in ridership. Never once was less service mentioned as the reason why.
Recently, a comment detailed in another local media outlet stated that the fare was decreased from $3 to $1.25 in order to increase ridership. The cost never reached $3.00 for a ride. The fare was $2.50, which included a transfer if needed. At the time of the so-called decrease, the transfers were discontinued as a cost-saving measure.
Currently, the rider pays $1.25 to get on the bus, and another $1.25 if they transfer to another bus. The cost to the rider is exactly the same as it was before the fare was changed if they need to transfer. Now you can see how figures can be skewed, especially when no homework was done ahead of time. Increase ridership, I think not. Eradicate the pest — well, maybe a little poison to start. Now, the rider will pay $4.50 ($0.50 less than double the cost) for the same ride.
Okay, let’s tackle the Saturday service that was discussed in a recent council meeting. I can tell you this — recent articles and councillors stated that during the pandemic, the service was discontinued. Well, we are still locked in that same pandemic, and the bus is running. As for dial-a-bus, I choose not to use it because I prefer the certainty of the regular bus service. They stated they would try to discontinue Saturday service for a year, and then reassess. Anyone who rides the bus knows that this means this is code for it’s “gone for good.” More poison to kill the pest!
I quote the councillor directly: “I hate to say it, but when the pandemic happened in March and April, we should have possibly looked at maybe stopping transit completely except for the paratransit and see how it went.” That councillor might as well have said “Let them eat cake!” A person who never rides the bus will never understand the necessity of the service, let alone the harm done by discontinuing it during the first pandemic in 100 years. In another article, the transit system was described as an essential service by the mayor. Let’s go with that idea.
My concern now is that the “pest” is now very ill. If the regular bus service is cancelled, then how long will it be before the council decides to finish the job (the final dose of poison) and cancel the paratransit service?
To the mayor and council, I would like to say this: Talk to your employees. The management (transit) is bound by budget restraints. (Talk to all of the drivers, not just a chosen few). I’m sure that each driver can give you a better perspective as to what will work and how to improve the service.
The assumptions that were made by city council about ridership are speculative at best. I, for one, have never seen a city councillor ride a city bus. If they rode the bus, maybe they would understand why a bus can appear empty when it goes by a councillor’s house. Having one or two people doesn't mean that they are the only ones who used it on that route. I have heard that complaint too, so I’ll do a little scenario. I will use the Atha E - Atha W route as an example.
When I get on the bus I get on at Atha and 14th West. Another person gets on at 9th Ave, but gets off at the Co-op. At that stop, three more board the bus. Next, the bus stops downtown. One person gets off, and three more get on. The bus goes up 1st Ave W, and turns right on Caribou Street. Someone gets off the bus at Rexall Drugstore. The bus then travels to the mall, where two people get off and two more get on. Then it goes to Superstore, where everyone but me and one other person get off. The bus continues to the hospital, where the last person (other than myself) gets off. The bus then travels on the way and turns right onto Highland Road. As it approaches the traffic lights, I often see four or more people waiting to board at the Walmart stop. Anyone traveling along Highland Road or on Thatcher Drive could think that no one was ever on the bus but me. Please remember that everyone who got off the bus to shop will get back on again to go home.
The bus is sometimes busier than described here. Sometimes it is not as busy, but it is very seldom empty. One other thing, people who use the bus weekdays for work also use it to shop for themselves on Saturdays.
A good thing that the city did during the early stages of the pandemic was to supply free rides. Their motivation was not to increase ridership as was implied, but to protect the drivers and passengers. A plan was in place to keep both drivers and passengers a respectable distance apart. Now that protection for drivers is in place and masks are mandatory, prices are back to normal.
I carry a bus pass, as do many others. It is not beyond me to “pout and stomp around” when a car ride is not available to me. That said, a bus pass is a lot cheaper than maintaining a vehicle.
Riding the bus presents me with a couple of other advantages. I never have to work my schedule around someone else’s. I know when the bus will be at the corner and budget my time accordingly. Yet another advantage is the relaxation time while I’m on the bus. No matter how hectic a day is, once I’m on the bus I know that I have anywhere from 10-40 minutes to relax. By taking the bus, I also reduce my carbon footprint, which has been discussed a lot these days by all governments. (Not my carbon footprint specifically!)
Speaking of reducing the carbon footprint, did the city not receive millions of dollars in federal funding to subsidize and purchase new buses? For this money, the city leadership is supposed to find ways to encourage people to ride the bus. It is now doing exactly the opposite. They did offer free rides for one week when the busses were first put into service. The thing that stands out to me is that this was not encouragement. Instead, it became all about eradicating the pest —slowly, painfully, by eliminating Saturday service.
A fully fleshed-out public transit service would help the city deal with the persistent problem of downtown parking. It brings shoppers to the core area who might not otherwise have the ability to get downtown. Saturday is also the biggest shopping day of the week. Eliminating the service on Saturday goes against all the efforts of the downtown business improvement district to shop and support local small businesses. The Chamber of Commerce and businesses in general are asking citizens to support small and local businesses, especially during this pandemic. You can’t shop if you can’t get to the store.
Just a footnote: I would like to ask the city manager if he is absolutely certain that the busses were not running on Saturday? He misstated that people found other ways to get around in Moose Jaw. Many just stayed home. Many rode the bus that he says was not running. Where does he get the data that states students just prefer to walk in the summertime? Is it possible that schools are out and people are on holidays? What about the effects of the pandemic on ridership? Those facts are important. What I read was no more than manipulation of the statistics.
Now, here’s my observations on subsidies: 1. People pay taxes — even those who indirectly pay through rent to landlords. 2. For those taxes, the city supplies services. 3. Each service gets a portion of taxpayer’s money. 4. The transit system is one of those essential services, and we, the citizens, pay for it. 5. The riders subsidize the city through their taxes and the fares that they pay.
If the federal government intends to offer assistance for public transport, (as it has done in the past,) why on earth would the council make these ridiculous decisions now?
Could it be because they are in negotiations with the transit drivers?
One more thing: It is important to remember we are still in a pandemic. It is going to affect the ridership for some time. What does one mean when the quote “post-pandemic”?
In summary: Government is put in place to service all the citizens, not just the privileged. Everyone pays taxes. Council works for all the citizens of Moose Jaw. The city has a responsibility to maintain this essential service. Find ways to improve it, not eradicate it. Let’s see if they can put some of that healthy pay raise the mayor and council just got to work.
-- Fran Millar
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
