Troubling transit situation

With transit already struggling, it might be easy to see why they mightn’t like what I have to say in this post.

I know that running a bus service must be expensive, with multi-million dollar buildings to support and so forth. It seems a shame to me that bus service has been cut in this city, reducing the liveability of Saint John.

Worse than that though, the Province is cutting transit pass subsidies for methadone patients.  This is a bad move, that should be reversed.  The savings are minimal and could lead to significant social costs.

However, if the Province does go ahead with this regressive move, the Transit Commissions (or city halls) in Saint John, Fredericton and Moncton need to step up and offer bus passes for free.

The incremental cost of an additional passenger on a bus is minuscule.  The cost of people being given free bus fare would only be the cost of a buss pas card (minimal), and the incremental fuel and wear and tear costs associated with a single human on a 20 tonne bus. 

I bet it is a mistake to assume that the transit authorities will lose out on a lot of revenues if they did give out these passes; one has to wonder if everyone who uses the transit subsidy would continue to ride the bus if it were an out of pocket expense.  If no, then this won’t even represent lost income.

Transit may not be profitable in NB scale cities.  I get that.  Still, if no one provides this transit option, the ride may not be taken and the important treatment may be missed.

I don’t claim to know a thing about opioid addictions or methadone treatment, but I can’t believe we as a society, would be willing to let people seeking treatment fall through the cracks because of the cost of a bus ride.