YRT/Viva fare change approved, effective January 1, 2008

 

Fare change to support ongoing growth and improvement of services

 

 

 

NEWMARKET – York Regional Council today approved a YRT/Viva fare change, effective January 1, 2008.  The fare change will offset increasing service delivery costs, as well as support ongoing growth and improvement of YRT/Viva services.

 

Last month, Regional Council asked transit staff to re-evaluate proposed ticket and pass increases for seniors, students and children.  Today’s decision held the line on the following categories:

 

·         Student Tickets and Monthly Passes

·         Senior/Child Tickets and Monthly Passes

·         Ride to GO Tickets and Monthly Stickers

 

Discounted monthly passes and groups of 10 tickets continue to be an economical choice for transit riders. The additional 15.25 per cent federal transit tax credit provides an even greater discount for Monthly Pass users.

 

York Region undertakes a fare review annually to ensure that YRT/Viva remains competitive in the marketplace while recovering costs associated with rising service delivery costs and ongoing transit investments.  YRT/Viva service continues to grow rapidly, with 10 per cent annual ridership increases since 2001.  To maintain a high quality of existing service and improve future service, a reasonable cost recovery strategy is required.

 

The approved YRT/Viva fare change takes into account a number of different factors, including current service contractor rates, gas prices, consistency with other GTA transit system fares, cost recovery targets and the opportunity to discount fares for regular transit customers.

 

The following table details the approved January 1, 2008 YRT/Viva fare changes:

 

	One-zone Prices		Two-zone Prices
Fare Category	Current	Effective Jan. 1, 2008	Current	Effective Jan. 1, 2008	% Increase
All Cash	$2.75	$3.00	$3.75	$4.00	9.1
Express Cash	$3.00	$3.25	n/a	n/a	8.3
Adult Tickets (Book of 10)	$23.00	$24.00	$33.00	$34.00	4.3
Student Tickets (Book of 10)	$17.00	$17.00	$27.00	$27.00	n/a
Senior/Child Tickets (Book of 10)	$14.00	$14.00	$24.00	$24.00	n/a
Express Tickets (Book of 10)	$27.50	$30.00	n/a	n/a	9.1
Adult Monthly Pass	$85.00	$95.00	$130.00	$140.00	11.8
Student Monthly Pass	$65.00	$65.00	$110.00	$110.00	n/a
Senior/Child Monthly Pass	$42.00	$42.00	$74.00	$74.00	n/a
Express Monthly Pass	$100.00	$115.00	n/a	n/a	15
Ride to GO Ticket	$0.50	$0.50	n/a	n/a	n/a
Ride to GO Monthly Sticker	$20.00	$20.00	n/a	n/a	n/a
Weighted Average Increase					6.57%

For more information about YRT/Viva services, please visit the YRT/Viva website at www.yrt.ca, or call the Customer Service Centre at 1-866-MOVE-YRT (668-3978). 

 

For more information on The Regional Municipality of York, please visit www.york.ca

 

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