Saskatoon City Administration is reviewing its Transit fares. 

Mike Jordan, Chief Public Policy and Government Relations Officer, compiled a comprehensive report on the matter, exploring the City’s options if it were to change its fares in conjunction with the rollout of the Link Bus Rapid Transit System. 

He adds that Transit fares have remained stagnant at roughly $3.78 since 2016, a period during which inflation has eroded their real value by 23 per cent.

Jordan explains that currently, fees are categorized mainly by age, but a potential reform might charge based on income. 

 “We can create income thresholds where, if you’re income threshold is become this amount and this amount, you get a certain subsidy. If your income threshold is, say, above the poverty line, then you don’t get a subsidy. You pay the full fare.”

He adds that Saskatoon’s current fare prices are consistently lower than the average of 23 other Canadian cities, so a price increase wouldn’t be unreasonable, however; a balance must be found between maintaining ridership levels and increasing costs.  

Bus Riders of Saskatoon spokesman Robert Clipperton says he’s known about the potential fee increase for nine years, but the City has yet to conduct any public engagement on the topic. 

“We hope the City looks deeper than the bottom line, so our fare structure is both equitable and sustainable. We fear that a hastily and only partially informed decision by Council in November could lead to an increase in fare evasion, a drop in ridership, and in turn, a drop in revenue.”