The future of Hamilton's public transit

[SteelTown]

The fare increase won't affect the poor or the disabled, as they'll be part of a new system that the city will subsidize their transit fare. That's going to soften the blow. I can see this fare increase happening.

[the dude]

$160M for brt...such a waste. i really don't think we'll have the opportunity to do this again. this is a one-shot deal and we're blowing it. well done.

[the dude]

man, what strikes me about this whole brt business is the fact that not only have they not studied the benefits of lrt but they've obviously not studied brt either. i recall reading that after peaking in the mid-90s OCTranspo's [ottawa] ridership has actually declined. that after a nearly $500M investment in brt. funny, they were conducting the same studies 30 years ago that we're doing today. we're so behind the times, man.

[raisethehammer]

man, I never thought I'd see the day where I'm ticked off at these guys for proposing to actually spend some real money on transit.

They're screwing it up!! for 160 million they could do the entire east/west corridor with modern LRT. frig's sake....Dude - it would be Hamilton if we weren't figuring out a way to 'screw everything up'.

[the dude]

i'd like to know how they're going to spend this money. it seems like such a massive outlay for buses. ottawa's huge expenditure was because they built the transitway. we're not doing anything that sexy.

so disappointed. and there will be no future investigation into lrt. i guarantee that.

losers.

[Berklon]

160M on BRT is a total waste of money.

If you want to dramatically increase the use of public transit in this city, LRT is the way to go. No matter what acronym you use, BRT = buses = poor man's transit.

[raisethehammer]

that's exactly how they view transit. That's why they're going to raise fares again but try to keep them lower for poor people.
They view transit as a welfare subsidy or something.
insane.

[DC83]

City staff recommend another bus fare hike

November 26, 2007
Dana Brown
The Hamilton Spectator
(Nov 26, 2007)

The cost of riding a bus could increase for the second time in less than a year.

City councillors will hear a staff recommendation today to raise transit fares by 15 cents. If the hike goes through, adult riders can expect to plunk $2.40 into the fare box. Also, ticket and DARTS prices will rise by 10 cents.

Adult monthly passes would increase $8, along with changes to the prices of other passes. The only fare not affected would be the seniors' annual bus pass.

The hike would take effect Jan. 1.

"Annual transit fee increases are a key factor in the transit industry towards ensuring the sustainability of transit programs," the staff reports says.

The increase is expected to generate an additional $1.8 million for the HSR and about $40,000 for DARTS.

About 60,000 riders use the HSR on any given weekday.

The report points out that Hamilton ranks 10 per cent to 15 per cent below the average and median fares of 14 other large Canadian cities.

Ward 6 Councillor Tom Jackson said he's leaning in favour of the increase because it is tied to service enhancements.

"... If there's going to be a fare increase, then at least we can see it's tied into proposed service enhancements and how that increase money would be used."

The reports says the extra cash is also needed to help with costs such as fleet insurance and fluctuating energy prices, while keeping the transit levy increase to a maximum of 3 per cent.

The last HSR fare hike was in June, when the cash fare went up 15 cents, ticket prices rose five cents and monthly passes increased by $6. The last DARTS fare increase was in 1996.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/287384

[Berklon]

I guess if they need a fare hike, then that's what they gotta do.

Normally I don't look at these things too kindly, especially so soon after the last fare hike, but after coming close to a strike - this doesn't look too bad.

I get a monthly pass that's tied into my GO pass - which is $15 a month. I consider that a good price, but I guess it would have to be a good price since the monthly GO pass to Toronto is already $285 I wonder if it'll increase to $20... it didn't increase the last fare hike and they didn't make any specific mention to it in the article.

[raisethehammer]

I'm so sick of this city. I want tolls put on every highway in this city covering 65% of the total cost of operating them. Transit riders get completely screwed in this city over and over.
So frustrating to live in such a backwards hicktown.
It's starts at the political level and works its way down. Like that moron who wrote a letter to the Spec last week complaining about cyclists zipping around everyone NOT PAYING ANY TAXES for the upkeep of roads. Why is Hamilton full of people so stupid??
Sadly, the answer lies in city hall. They encourage and promote such myths and lies in order to keep stealing money from us to pay for Desantis' infrastructure for the rest of our lives.
Brutal.
I can't figure out why so many students graduate from Mac and then immediately bolt town. They are the smart ones.

[DC83]

Ya, I'd normally be p.o'd about a hike... but considering the (almost) strike, I'm pretty much for it.

Plus I always buy my bus passes from Shoppers, so I end up getting 8500+ Optimum Points per year... just from buying something they don't really make money off of. So w/ this increase, I'd be making 9000+ Opt Pts.

So it's not a total loss.

[SteelTown]

The fare increase will pass because of four things, no increase for seniors (they have the time to bitch and moan), new program to subsidize transit for low income earners, almost had a strike and new service enhancements.

[raisethehammer]

it's just wrong to rape urban citizens of their tax dollars so the homebuilders have a way to make gobs of money and then rape those same citizens again for riding PUBLIC transit. Someone living on the poverty line in Hamilton covers 65% of the total costs of transit with their fares, and then also subidizes the wonks in Ancaster. Yet the wonks in Ancaster don't pay anything (or very little in some spots) for PUBLIC transit. This is like living in the Seinfeld bizaro-world. We subsidize private business and homebuilders to the tune of millions per year and get very little (in many case, no) public funds for public transit.
If I wasn't tied down here, I'd be gone in a heartbeat.

[the dude]

re: transit fare increase because...fluctuating energy prices. not much of an issue with lrt, eh? they wouldn't know that, though.

also, it's all well and good to subsidize public transit for the elderly, the disabled and the poor but those people aren't going anywhere. they must take public transit and will continue to do so. it's the riders who have a choice who will bugger off with increased transit fares. i don't think there's any excuse to do this again so soon after the previous increase.

i've fled from this city out of frustration in the past only to discover that most cities are the same. perhaps hamilton isn't as progressive as some others but there's no perfect city out there. montreal's great, but the culture of corruption and general laziness at the city and provincial levels are monumental. when i moved to ottawa i was shocked at how backward and conservative it was. i guess i was naive. they spend most of their time at city hall bickering and as a result do nothing. they recently elected as mayor a local businessman with no experience in politics. he couldn't even name the mayor of gatineau. also nixed the lrt plan they'd been working on for years and promised to freeze property taxes to get elected. the oldest trick in the book. anyway, i'm rambling. that's all.

[SteelTown]

Hamilton council OKs second bus fare hike of the year

November 26, 2007

Transit users will be doling out an extra 15 cents to ride the bus in January.

Councillors approved the fare hike 10-4 Monday, marking the second increase this year.

As of January, adult riders will pay $2.40 cash or $1.85 for a ticket.

Accessible transit will also increase 10 cents, while adult passes increase $8 a month.

Lynn Aquin implored council to reject the increase, saying bus fares already cut into her grocery budget.

“Very often two or three weeks can go by when I have no money at all.”

Mayor Fred Eisenberger said he supports the fare increase because it’s coupled with service expansions in Waterdown and on the Mountain.

“We need to ensure we get extra dollars into the system to enhance it.”

[DC83]

Keith area will get a bus route at last

November 27, 2007
NICOLE MacINTYRE
The Hamilton Spectator
(Nov 27, 2007)

Imagine you're a single mother on a fixed income living in Hamilton's Keith neighbourhood. On a winter day you need groceries. The bus stop is 1,000 metres away.

After your long and chilly journey, you need to take a taxi home from the store because it's too difficult to carry all your bags. A train stops traffic, so your $5 cab ride costs $7.

Brenda Johnson of Environment Hamilton asked councillors to envision that scenario yesterday as she joined Keith residents to fight for a bus route through their North End neighbourhood.

After hearing several passionate speeches about the desperate need for public transit in the low-income pocket, councillors agreed to add buses on Victoria Avenue and Wentworth Street North.

"What's best for my community is this bus," said Barb Teichmann, part of a local moms' group. "We're asking you to take a chance on us."

Environment Hamilton completed an extensive survey in the neighbourhood to demonstrate the need for the bus route that will start next year. The city aims to have transit routes within 400 metres of all homes.

Council approved the Keith enhancement in addition to two other new routes yesterday.

For the first time, Waterdown residents will have access to city buses.

A new route will travel from the village's core down to the Aldershot GO station and link riders to buses headed into Hamilton and downtown Burlington.

The city also added service to Rymal Road between Glancaster and Pritchard roads during peak weekday periods.

Transit staff expect any lost ridership because of a proposed fare increase, approved yesterday, to be offset by new users gained because of the new routes.

The city saw a slight increase in ridership this year despite an earlier fare increase.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/287908

[flar]

Wow, I can't believe the city is actually paying attention to Keith. That neighbourhood is among the most neglected in the city. And I've seen some improvements and renovations there in the last year too (the Twilight of the Industrial Age tours went through that area).

[SteelTown]

HSR staff accept the latest contract

November 27, 2007
MOHSIN ABBAS
The Hamilton Spectator

Hamilton Street Railway drivers, mechanics and support staff overwhelmingly accepted the latest contract offer from the city this morning, ending fears of a city-wide transit strike.

Workers voted 92 percent in favour of the deal.

Voting took place over 24 hours starting at 3 a.m. yesterday to accommodate the 600 union members' shift schedules. The results were announced this morning.

Overtime pay, washroom breaks, and longer-term contracts were among the issues on the table. The tentative agreement was reached at an all-day bargaining session earlier this month after union members voted in favour of a strike mandate.

On Nov. 16, Mayor Fred Eisenberger and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 107 president Budh Dhillon announced a tentative contract had been reached. Both union and the city bargaining teams endorsed the deal.

[raisethehammer]

the city is paying attention to Keith only because that neighbourhood has been forced to parade their poor citizens and single mothers through city council in order to share their plight in life.
Otherwise, I don't think council would give a rip.

[Jon Dalton]

Wow, I missed that last piece of news regarding BRT plans. Is it too late to stop this madness? $160 million is a waste. They could just use the GTTA quick win cash for signal priority equipment and make the right lanes of Main and King bus lanes. Right turns would be made from the next lane over. Alternatively the second to right lane would be the bus lane and the buses could have stop lights warning cars not to pass while the bus unloads, similar to the TTC streetcars. That system would be as fast as BRT without wasting money that would otherwise be left over for implementing a real solution. I personally think dedicated guideways and median platforms for buses are a joke, a mockery of the real thing. You see bus lanes all over world class cities, but they don't pretend it's a true rapid transit solution.