Guelph Transit changing to 20 minute schedule

On July 6th, 2008, Guelph Transit will switch over to the much anticipated 20 minute bus schedule. After almost a year of a slow, inconvenient and frustrating 40 minute schedule, Guelph will be making many transit users smile - until they find out about the increase in property taxes and signigicant fare hikes.

On Tuesday, June 17th, the Guelph Tribune published an article about the new 20 minute service, saying that the new schedule has increased "property taxes by 0.66%" and riders "face significant fare increases."

Last week I wrote about the inconvenient schedule and unnecessary emissions from buses idling. Now, in order to have a schedule that can fit the overload of people during peak times onto a bus (within a 20 minute period,) riders must pay more. I understand that the few buses that were bought cost money, but we already pay $2.00 / ride or $58.00/ month for a bus pas.

In the Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge area, you can take a bus for $2.50 and go to any one of those 3 cities. If Guelph increases the fare to $2.50, how would this make sense? Am I missing something? Guelph is a lot smaller than those 3 cities, yet you can take a bus from Kitchener to Cambridge that will only take 20 or 25 minutes. Yes, the K-W area is bigger and would therefore have more riders, but Guelph buses don't go half the distance and don't have half the riders our neighbouring cities do.

I'm hoping that with the 20 minute service, the transit system will be able to attract more downtown workers to take the bus. However, if they don't, the rest of us who already take the bus to work are left with a higher fare, maybe even leading people to drive?? Who knows. I'm a five minute drive from downtown. It might not be cheaper to take the bus instead of my car. But I wouldn't do that, because it's impossible to park downtown and it's better for the environment. (I hope.)

For more detailed information about the schedule changes, read the Guelph Tribune article.