The Editor:
Re. "TransLink going to 'no charge' system just a stupid decision" (The Tri-City News, May 3)
This is in response to the letter writer who can't understand why TransLink decided to stop collecting fares on their buses.
I am a Transit bus operator working in Surrey. The decision was made that it was more important to keep drivers safe and provide an essential service without interruption.
Needless to say, drivers were feeling exposed out there and having masks and other protective gear would have been welcome, but getting a constant supply (more than 3,000 per day, every day) would have been a nightmare.
Rear door boarding and not collecting fares (the fare box is right beside the driver) was the immediate solution to keep employees as safe as possible. Social distancing measures were also taken to try to make it as safe as possible for the passengers, making every other seat not usable and no standees. This has the result of dropping the capacity of a conventional bus from 70 to just 17 passengers.
Whether collecting fares or not, the money taken in would have been extremely reduced from the norm. The SkyTrain has been collecting fares all along, so the vast majority of bus passengers are paying when they arrive at a SkyTrain station anyway.
The reason TransLink is haemorrhaging money is due to the reduced passenger loads and the reduction in TransLink taxes collected from gasoline sales, since most people aren't driving anywhere right now.
Until the TransLink layoffs happen on May 18, the date when close to 1,000 transit operators and 200 maintenance staff have received layoff notice, the transit authority has been paying full salaries for two months with extremely reduced revenue (passenger loads are down over 80%). Not collecting bus fares has very little to do with it.
If B.C. is going to declare transit an essential service, they should be prepared to pay extra to maintain it in this unprecedented situation.
Due to the imminent layoffs, our essential service is going to get more difficult for those who need it.
Guy Mountain, Surrey
