Fewer people are riding but revenue is up.
At the Aug. 20 city council meeting, new city manager Byron Johnson reported on the city’s transit system and presented an annual performance summary.
The report, based on the period between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012, found ridership in Quesnel has decreased by 10 per cent, from 73,014 in 2010/2011 while revenue has increased by 5 per cent.
“This is a good thing,” Johnson said.
“Although the ridership is down, the city is making more money.”
New equipment, which digitizes fare payment, has helped get more accurate revenue statistics.
“We are seeing greater accuracy in financial reporting since the introduction of the GFI farebox,” the report said.
Johnson mentioned ridership has been relatively flat province-wide.
“It is recognized that costs have decreased substantially and ridership has decreased, therefore BC Transit will be conducting a service review over the next several months,” the report stated.
“This will be a comprehensive review that involves city staff and other stakeholders in the community.
“Several informational presentations will be brought to council throughout the process.”
The report also shows Quesnel is doing well with costs affiliated with the transit system.
The operational cost per hour for Quesnel was $9.12, well below the tier average of $10.53.
The city saw a rise in operating costs, due, in part, to major cost drivers being fixed.
The total cost per ride rose from $11.47 in 2011/2012 compared to $7.12 the previous year, a 25.7 per cent increase.
Quesnel transit also saw a decrease in productivity, falling from 93 per cent in 2010/2011 to 91 per cent this year.
While the revenue has risen in Quesnel, the city also kept their costs to a minimum.
In the 2011/2012 budget, $900,213 was put aside for transit costs, of which $837,121 was used, leaving $63,090 or keeping the city seven per cent under budget.
In terms of revenue hours, the city has kept them mostly the same, with a slight decrease of point one per cent between the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 reports.
Quesnel’s BC Transit is funded by the city of Quesnel, the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) and BC Transit.
Although BC Transit and CRD fund part of the program, decisions about fares, routes and service are made by the city, based on reports such as the one presented by BC Transit to the city.
For information about the Quesnel transit system, including routes, fares and rider information, visit http://www.busonline.ca/regions/que/.
