Murray Wood: Who's scary... and who's scary good?
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week, in a specia...
A new report from the City of Saskatoon shows bus ridership has gone up eight per cent, but riders aren’t the only people paying for the bus.
The report said the transit system is running a $1.3-million deficit.
Nearly flat revenue has made 2018 the fourth year in a row the program is losing money.
Jim McDonald, the city’s director of transit, said Friday that the extra riders aren’t making up for the deficit because people use smart money-saving initiatives.
“People see that there’s a deal in things like buying a monthly pass and using it more often,” he told 650 CKOM. “Also, our university U-Pass users pay a flat rate for 10 months of the year.”
The system’s deficit was paid for out of the city’s cash reserve.
McDonald said the city is now lowering bus revenue targets in response.
The report also cited the increase in gas prices, Saskatoon’s expanding geographical area and a new collective bargaining agreement with the Amalgamated Transit Union No. 615 as reasons for the lack of profit from buses.
