Calgary Transit is poised to receive a funding boost in next year's proposed budget, but city council heard Friday that more money will be needed to further increase service and frequency.
Officials from Calgary Transit were at City Hall on Friday for the fifth day of budget negotiations, which are scheduled to extend into next week.
The agency's net operating budget will increase to $417 million next year, with an additional $59 million allocated to the service in 2026 in both operating and capital budgets.
“Calgary's transit system right now is too much bread and not enough butter,” Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas told reporters. “We have to attack it in different ways.”
The new funding includes $14 million in permanent funding to increase frequency on key bus routes, the first tranche to support the RouteAhead transit strategy.
The strategy, which will take 10 years to implement, aims to provide service frequencies every 10 minutes, for at least 15 hours a day, seven days a week.
“This budget is a good first step in our 10-year plan to provide the fast, frequent service that Calgary residents have been asking for,” said Sharon Fleming, director of Calgary Transit.
While the funding will help address frequency issues on major routes on Calgary's core transit network, Fleming said it will not impact the “core network” of public transit, which consists primarily of local bus routes.
Ward 4 Count. DJ Kelly told reporters that while he was pleased to see increased funding for public transport, he was “disappointed” that it would not lead to improved local routes.
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“It’s all about reliability and efficiency,” Kelly said. “If that bus isn't there when you look for it, it won't make much difference to you in terms of your trip or likelihood of using Calgary Transit.”
Fleming said the transit service is “a little bit behind” when it comes to the necessary funding called for in the RouteAhead strategy.
The $14 million included in the budget is $1 million less than the amount recommended annually to fund RouteAhead, and the proposed budget does not include $45 million to increase the city's bus fleet to improve service levels; the figure needed annually for the next decade.
“We hope that future budgets will include the purchase of buses,” Fleming said. “It’s difficult for us to develop the service without increasing the number of vehicles.”
The council has some tough decisions to make, as do some, like District 10. Andre Chabot said they would like to see cost savings.
Chabot told reporters he would be interested in eliminating the downtown free ride zone after TD pulled out as a naming rights sponsor, as well as cutting back the free ride policy for children under 12 on public transit, which he said costs the city $10 million a year.
The budget proposes $25 million in one-time funding from reserves to fund the low-income transit pass, bringing the total cost of the program to more than $50 million.
“Right now we're investing $58 million a year in a low-income transit pass and only getting $6 million back from the province, which should ultimately be the province's responsibility,” he said.
“Other provinces are providing funding beyond income support to support the transit system.”
A chart presented to council during Friday's meeting showed provincial funding contributes to Vancouver spending $798 per capita on transit and Toronto spending $772. By comparison, Calgary spends $261.
“The provincial governments of British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec provide direct operational support to transit agencies for day-to-day services,” said David Cooper, director of Leading Mobility. “Alberta is increasingly becoming an outlier as the province of Manitoba delivers as well.”
Farkas told reporters he would like to support other government orders to help improve transit services, while suggesting he wants to see a further increase in transit revenue.
“If anything, I think we need to continue to invest not only in improving the frequency and reliability of service for transit users, but also in safety,” he said.
Next year, transit fares for adults are proposed to increase by 2.6 percent, or another 10 cents.
However, Chabot said he wants to see the adult fare increased to $4 to help raise revenue.
Chabot said 35 per cent of Calgary Transit's funding comes from fares and 65 per cent comes from property taxes.
“It will bring in additional revenue,” Chabot said. “If someone wants to improve the level of service, then increase funding to pay for it. User payment system.”
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