The provincial government made itself a target for the flak it’s receiving for doing away with a $45/year bus pass for the disabled.
For the first time in nine years, the province did boost disability benefits by $77 per month. But those who want to keep their bus pass will get to keep just a third of that hike, because they will now have to shell out $52 each month for transit.
It’s understandable that advocates for the disabled are upset about the move, since those who want to keep their bus pass will reap just $25 each month – a sum that does little to help keep up with ever-escalating costs.
The government says altering the bus pass program was done in the name of fairness for those who don’t use transit.
But equality is rarely best served by taking away assistance for those who need a bit of extra help.
Thousands of disabled people rely on transit to access programs, visit family and friends, and get to work.
Ramping up the cost of a bus pass by more than 1,300 per cent annually will likely deter some from moving around town. That is good neither for the individuals concerned, nor for society at large, which benefits when all its members feel included and have opportunity to contribute.
For the province, the costs of the pass are minimal, as the $20 million price tag for the BC Bus Pass program is minuscule in terms of a multi-billion-dollar budget.
If the province is concerned about equity for those in rural areas who can’t take the bus, it might want to consider how it can help those men and women, rather than withdraw a benefit for others.
The government’s efforts would be better spent ensuring disability benefits keep up with rising costs, rather than, as one advocate put it, giving with one hand and taking away with the other.
