[bru-info] Fw: Bus Riders Demand Action on High Fares - for Immediate Release

[bru-info at lists.resist.ca]

**July 18, 2005**


***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***


Bus Riders Demand Immediate Action to Lower Fares

New survey to hold TransLink directors accountable for high fares


This Wednesday, July 20th at 9am the Bus Riders Union will be out in force at the TransLink Board meeting. Organizers from the Bus Riders Union will be presenting further support for the campaign, 'Lower the Fares Now, For Community Health and Social Justice'. BRU organizers will be joined by allies, including the Hospital Employees Union, the Vancouver Richmond Mental Health Network, the Vancouver Status of Women, Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture and Co-op Radio, who are among the 10 organizations, collectively representing over 100,000 people, that have endorsed the Bus Riders Union campaign for lower fares now.


"Bus riders have the weight of justice and reason on our side. It simply makes sense to lower fares. That's what we're arguing to the TransLink Board, and we expect action", explains Zailda Chan, BRU organizer. This Wednesday, the BRU is launching a new survey to hold individual TransLink board members accountable for their decisions. This hardhitting survey will be distributed to all board members. Board members will have two weeks (until August 2) to answer bus rider questions such as, "Do you think expensive transit effects the health and wellbeing of Transit Dependent communities? If so how?" and "Are you willing to vote in favor of a motion to lower fares back to 2004 levels?". The BRU will widely publicize their response (or lack of response) with bus riders.


Chan explains further, "Transit dependent people should be at the centre of public transit. The survey questions will hold TransLink accountable for the impact of high fares and poor bus service on our communities. If 1.74 billion dollars can be found for the RAV Line, which will benefit the business community we believe TransLink has a moral imperative to commit 41 million dollars to lower fares back to 2004 levels to alleviate poverty among bus riders". 


Recently the Federal government promised a share of fuel tax to municipalities and TransLink announced the possibility of increasing parking taxes. With this increase in revenue, many people have noted that TransLink has the funding to lower fares, and all that is required is political will. Transit dependent people are the most severely affected by high fares and poor service and are majority women and disproportionately people of colour. Transit dependent people overwhelmingly rely upon the bus and TransLink's own statistics show that 79% of all trips are made on the bus, yet funding prioritized for expensive infrastructure projects like the $1.74 billion RAV Skytrain line, rather than lower fares.


Media contacts:

Zailda Chan: 604-215-2775 (BRU office)

Jennifer Efting: 604-255-4745 (cel)




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