It is futile to resist the idea that Corner Brook Transit is on its last legs unless something radical happens. Subtle adjustments are not going to change the subsidy per ride numbers, which are the most important thing. Maybe even more important than the gross amount of the subsidy.

After all, public transit is a cost to taxpayers, not a source of revenue.

So why not go free?

Prior to a recent trial, the city was subsidizing rides to the tune of $6 a rider. The max a person could pay was $2.50 for ride, less if they had a pass or a discount.

On Saturdays, that subsidy could be as much as $10 a ride!

I believe there is nothing the city can do to make the transit system better while it continues to charge people. The routes are perpetually awkward and lengthy. You could actually walk from Point A to Point B faster in many cases.

Going free would be the single best marketing ploy the city could offer. In fact, if it installed significant mobile marketing, it could be a revenue source and potentially cut money from the regular transit marketing budget.

The city has run free days before, but they can't really be used as a measure since it takes a long time for such things to sink in to the public consciousness.

Think about it like this: Based on the 2010-2011 numbers used in the city's presentation to council Monday night (@ 68,000 riders) it would have cost the city an extra $170,000 to forgo the user revenue. That is based on $2.50 per ride and we know that with passes the actually revenue is less.

Compared that to the almost comparable amount the city spent on the trial period's extended hours and NextBus system.
Of course extending the hours would have come out of pocket. That in addition to the lost revenue would have made the city's subsidy peak at about $650,000 - $700,000.

But was a bold venture.

Great idea. I don't understand why mobile marketing hasn't been introduced in Corner Brook already. It doesn't make any sense to me that such an easy source of revenue isn't being utilized yet.

Oh yeah, and you was save any and all costs that go into passes and fee collection, though you would still want someway to track usage.

City of Quebec has a great system using 16 passenger electric buses running a continuous circuit, hop on, hop on in the city centre…$3 per day to operate the buses…(plus labour)...

^That sounds like an environmentally friendly and efficient service. Free or no, though, nobody will ride if the routes aren't improved-- drastically, like you said.

Rae, I see a TV screen on the bus.

Charles, I wrote about a continuous loop in a blog post after the infamous transit summit. Two intersecting loops actually.

The routes are the biggest issue. I work with people who mostly don't have cars and heavily rely on public transportation. I often see them by-passing bus stops and walking to wherever they need to.go with their kids. Cabs for groceries, etc. The bus system is failing people but they'll lose what small headway was made because they don't use something that is broken.

I have been to many big and small cities all over, we always use public transit because it is convenient, efficient and low cost…we seem to forget sometimes that it is meant to be a public "service", and not a "for profit" business…

Also, a website with this level of transparency would help.

i see Robert had some interesting comments in today's paper...may be ti me to speak to other successful operators in other communities to lern some lessons??/

...and I should really watch my typing before I hit send :-)