Last night at the Council meeting, a member implied that the public transportation system should be more “user-pay”.
This is very curious. What exactly does the public transportation system include? Obviously, of course, busses, trains and all the costs of operating and maintaining them. But what about roads, bridges and tunnels? And who are the users anyway?
If White Rock were to advocate for a user pay transportation system, then we should accept road tolling throughout the region for all users, not just those riding Translink busses.
When you think of the transportation system as including roads, sidewalks and bike paths, it becomes obvious that everyone benefits from a comprehensive transportation system. Some people use one mode more than others. Everyone uses the different modes in a different combination. Everyone benefits from having all modes being available, even if it’s just because when other people are on the bus or riding a bicycle, they’re not contributing to more traffic congestion.
So if we all benefit and we’re all users of the transportation system, then we all should pay. If bus riders are expected to pay more of a cost of providing that service, then I’ll suggest that car drivers be expected to pay more of a cost of providing the road network and all its requisite services.