COMPARING BUS FARES
I've had people from other parts of the country get on my bus. It is always interesting to me to compare service and fares from other places.
Our base fare is $1.50 during non-rush hours and on weekends and $2.00 during rush hours. That includes a transfer for 2 and a half hours in which you can go in any direction on local buses (express is 50 cents extra) or you can transfer to/from the train.
We do have reduced fares for senior citizens and kids 6-12 years old. They only pay 50 cents during non-rush hours but have to pay a whole fare during rush hour. Kids 5 and under are free with a paid fare. (limit 3 per paid fare)
People with limited mobility and the proper I.D. to show it pay 50 cents all the time.
I would be interested in knowing how all this compares with fares elsewhere. Do you get transfers? How late and how often do your buses run? Are you satisfied with the service you get or what changes would you make?
I don't know if he still visits, but I had a visitor to this site from Australia who said he only had TWO bus routes where he lives. I know I won't be looking to move there anytime soon! Stuff like that is interesting to me, though. I'd appreciate your comments.
Our base fare is $1.50 during non-rush hours and on weekends and $2.00 during rush hours. That includes a transfer for 2 and a half hours in which you can go in any direction on local buses (express is 50 cents extra) or you can transfer to/from the train.
We do have reduced fares for senior citizens and kids 6-12 years old. They only pay 50 cents during non-rush hours but have to pay a whole fare during rush hour. Kids 5 and under are free with a paid fare. (limit 3 per paid fare)
People with limited mobility and the proper I.D. to show it pay 50 cents all the time.
I would be interested in knowing how all this compares with fares elsewhere. Do you get transfers? How late and how often do your buses run? Are you satisfied with the service you get or what changes would you make?
I don't know if he still visits, but I had a visitor to this site from Australia who said he only had TWO bus routes where he lives. I know I won't be looking to move there anytime soon! Stuff like that is interesting to me, though. I'd appreciate your comments.
posted by Jeanne Ree at 8:02 PM
4 Comments:
Hi,
I'm from the third largest city in Finland, a place called Turku.
Fares: we pay 2 euro daytime, 3 € between 11pm and 4 am, and that includes a 2 hour transfer. Kids from 7 to 14 pay 1€, or 2 € nighttime. If you have a buscard, you get away abit cheaper. Kids under 7 are free, so also war veterans.
The routes are well planned and you get most everywhere in the city without big trouble. The buses run depending on route, from once every 10 minutes to once every 30 minutes during rush hour. It's enough, even if some buses might get quite full.
How long they run? That depends on day and route. Normally the slowest routes stop running at about 10 pm, and the busiest at midnight. On weekends (friday and saturday) there are a few diffrent nightroutes for people going out partying, but here is the only thing I would like to change. The buses run only once every 30 minutes, which might be enough, but the last busses starts a 2:30 am from downtown, but the nightclubs stay open until 4am.
I'm actually quite happy with the service.
What a great idea!! Free rides for Veterans! We should do that in this country. It is a great way to show your appreciation for their sacrifices. I LOVE that idea.
I can relate to the poor planning with the buses quitting before the bars close. That happens here too. Not good. I would think that would put more drunk drivers on the road since the bus is not an option.
Thanks for your comment...I really do appreciate it!
In Albuquerque (in December of 2007):
Adult: $1.00
Bus Pass with unlimited rides and transfers: $20.00/month
Student (age 5 through high school): 35 cents
Student bus pass: $7.00/month
“Honored Citizen” (= 62 or older, mobility impaired – you apply for a pass with a doctor’s note; Medicare card holder): 35 cents
Children under 5 w an adult: free
More than one child under age 5, or child boarding with a customer who is paying an honored citizen or student fare: 35 cents
Although the current mayoral administration is committed to public transit and has made a lot of improvements in the bus service here, there are still a lot of shortcomings in terms of routes and schedules. For example, service to and from the airport starts at a 7 a.m. arrival and stops around 9 p.m., cuts back to once an hour on Saturday, and is not provided on Sunday.
The city is somewhat torn: it wants to expand service, but the idea of using the bus for anything more than work is just not there in the citizenry consciousness yet. Obviously, the possibility has to be there first, but it’s expensive providing the possibility with a lot of unused, empty buses.
I myself drive weekends because the round of errands I do takes me two hours by car. I plotted out the same rounds using weekend bus service, and it would take me 6 hours to do the same things – assuming both me and the bus stayed on schedule!
redorgreen, thanks for your info.
Do your seniors/mobility riders have to show an ID?
Your system seems a lot simpler. Are the fares the same at all times? (no rush hour?)
I would love if we could simplify our fares and make it harder to cheat. I don't see it happening any time soon, unfortunately.
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