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Members of the transit commission hammered OC Transpo officials on Monday about the bus service’s projected $11.5-million deficit this year.
The sizeable shortfall is blamed on high maintenance and insurance settlement costs, combined with lower-than-expected fare revenues.
Finding unspent dollars on current capital projects and squeezing new contracts for more savings has turned up $7.7 million that can be applied to the deficit, but the remainder could come out of next year’s capital budget — a scenario that didn’t sit well with some commissioners.
Meanwhile, transit services general manager John Manconi has instituted a spending freeze and cut five management positions.
“Everything is on the table. We understand we work for you and the taxpayer,” he told the commission.
But ridership continues to be a problem. The 2015 budget was based on a forecasted 97.3 million customer trips — 200,000 more trips than last year — yet those additional riders don’t appear to be materializing.
“We’re flat on ridership,” Manconi said.
Employment, weather and gas prices have long been seen as the key, consistent factors that influence transit ridership in Ottawa, but some are beginning to wonder if other factors such as the rise of tele-commuting, increased cycling infrastructure and the location of job sites outside of areas traditionally well-served by transit may also be factors.
“As you take measures to improve peoples’ quality of life, whether that’s bringing jobs closer to where they live, whether that’s building bike lanes or making pedestrian safety a priority, people are making different choices in how they get to and from work,” said transit commission chairman Stephen Blais.
Ridership levels are also slumping in Vancouver, Montreal and across the river in Gatineau, Manconi said.
Still, some commissioners say the price of riding the bus may be one reason for OC Transpo’s failure to attract more riders. They urged officials to keep fares as low as possible, especially over the next couple of years as the system undergoes significant challenges due to the ongoing construction of the Confederation Line.
“No one’s getting pay increases out there,” said François Malo, one of the public members of the commission.
The city, however, has been consistent since 2011, when council approved the light-rail affordability framework which identified that fares would have to go up by a minimum of 2.5 per cent every year in order to pay for LRT, Blais said.
Added Manconi: “You can either raise taxes, you can increase fares or you provide less service … you need to keep up with the costs of providing the transit service.”
mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/mpearson78
查看原文...
The sizeable shortfall is blamed on high maintenance and insurance settlement costs, combined with lower-than-expected fare revenues.
Finding unspent dollars on current capital projects and squeezing new contracts for more savings has turned up $7.7 million that can be applied to the deficit, but the remainder could come out of next year’s capital budget — a scenario that didn’t sit well with some commissioners.
Meanwhile, transit services general manager John Manconi has instituted a spending freeze and cut five management positions.
“Everything is on the table. We understand we work for you and the taxpayer,” he told the commission.
But ridership continues to be a problem. The 2015 budget was based on a forecasted 97.3 million customer trips — 200,000 more trips than last year — yet those additional riders don’t appear to be materializing.
“We’re flat on ridership,” Manconi said.
Employment, weather and gas prices have long been seen as the key, consistent factors that influence transit ridership in Ottawa, but some are beginning to wonder if other factors such as the rise of tele-commuting, increased cycling infrastructure and the location of job sites outside of areas traditionally well-served by transit may also be factors.
“As you take measures to improve peoples’ quality of life, whether that’s bringing jobs closer to where they live, whether that’s building bike lanes or making pedestrian safety a priority, people are making different choices in how they get to and from work,” said transit commission chairman Stephen Blais.
Ridership levels are also slumping in Vancouver, Montreal and across the river in Gatineau, Manconi said.
Still, some commissioners say the price of riding the bus may be one reason for OC Transpo’s failure to attract more riders. They urged officials to keep fares as low as possible, especially over the next couple of years as the system undergoes significant challenges due to the ongoing construction of the Confederation Line.
“No one’s getting pay increases out there,” said François Malo, one of the public members of the commission.
The city, however, has been consistent since 2011, when council approved the light-rail affordability framework which identified that fares would have to go up by a minimum of 2.5 per cent every year in order to pay for LRT, Blais said.
Added Manconi: “You can either raise taxes, you can increase fares or you provide less service … you need to keep up with the costs of providing the transit service.”
mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/mpearson78
查看原文...
