More fare enforcement coming in summer

The city is eyeing a return to frontdoor boarding on buses this summer alongside plans to step up fare enforcement in June.

Ridership on Calgary’s public transit system has been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A report released Monday says the number of people riding the Ctrain is down 92 per cent, while key bus routes have 80 per cent fewer riders.

Between March 12 — just before the Calgary declared a state of local emergency — and May 17, the city has taken a financial hit of more than $50 million, factoring in both revenue losses and expenses such as overtime and extra cleaning supplies. That’s been offset with about $10 million in savings from layoffs and transit route reductions.

The report also forecasts Calgary’s financial gap growing by another $13 million, making a $158-million shortfall by the end of 2020 a best-case scenario.

Doug Morgan, the city’s acting general manager of transportation, said the city is at a “turning point” to start doing more to make sure people pay when they board a bus or Ctrain. Buses have essentially been operating on an honour system, as riders are allowed to board through the back doors to minimize close contact with drivers.

Morgan said the city is looking at a return to front-door boarding in July, and Mayor Naheed Nenshi said any move from the city depends on COVID -19 transmission rates in the coming weeks.

The city will also be watching whether the use of masks or face coverings in public spaces is more widely adopted.

“We have heard from the province that they strongly recommend the use of face coverings in any crowded environment, particularly on public transit,” Nenshi said.

Canadian municipalities, including Calgary, have seen some of their biggest losses from the lack of transit revenue during the pandemic, and they’re looking for support from the provincial and federal governments.

Nenshi said he hopes to see more fare collection from “slightly more normal operations” returning to transit.

“But it’s not going to be nearly enough,” he said. “We have to wait for the ridership to come back.”