[bru-info] Bus Riders Speak Out Against Proposed Fare Increase

[bru-info at lists.resist.ca]

Bus Riders Speak Out Against Proposed Fare Increase

On Friday, November 19, 2004, bus riders are organizing to make their voices heard at the monthly TransLink board meeting, to be held at 9am in Surrey City Hall. Bus riders will make delegations to the TransLink board to voice their opposition to the proposed unjust fare hike, and to appeal to TransLink board members to vote down the motion at the next meeting in December. 

"Bus riders already face attacks in other areas of our lives that include cuts to social services, rising rent prices, poorer and poorer health care service and lower wages," notes Kirat Kaur, an organizer with the Bus Riders Union. "Now we are being faced with the prospect of having our bus fares increased for the third time in five years. When transit-dependent bus riders are forced to make difficult decisions between being able to get to where we need to go and paying for food, rent and other necessities, this is a direct attack on our human right to mobility."

Transit-dependent people rely on the bus because we cannot afford a car, our family shares a car, or because of age or disability. We are majority women and disproportionately people of colour. TransLink's move to increase our bus fares means that we will be even more constrained in our ability to access work, school, social services and meaningful participation in our communities. Meanwhile, we are still left with an inadequate transit system, with long waits, overcrowded buses that are often not wheelchair- and stroller-accessible and an aging bus fleet in sore need of replacement.

While TransLink continues to insist that a fare increase is necessary to ensure better transit service, bus riders know that there really is no funding crunch at TransLink. It is a matter of misplaced priorities. Instead of pouring $1.35 billion into an unnecessary Richmond-Airport-Vancouver Skytrain mega-project based on an arbitrary Olympics timeline, TransLink should be using that money to keep fares affordable and improve the bus system. As a public service, transit should function to serve the needs of the transit-dependent, and not to serve the interests of big business and corporations such as Bombardier.

The Bus Riders Union, with over 550 members and thousands of supporters, is a grassroots organization fighting for more buses and lower fares. At Friday's TransLink board meeting, bus riders and representatives from community groups will be making delegations to TransLink. The meeting will be held at 9am at Surrey City Hall (14245 56th Ave). The Bus Riders Union encourages all who are concerned about the possible fare increase to speak out against it. For more information about making a delegation or attending the meeting, you can contact the Bus Riders Union at (604) 215-2775. We may be able to provide limited carpooling.

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