Transit fare hike to cover a $13M shortfall (Aug 2024)

Original source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/transit-edmonton-proposed-hikes-budget-shortfall-1.7297287 Retrieved: 2026-07-04 (Body behind a 403 to the fetcher; figures below quoted from the article via search-index summary and corroborated by the Taproot transit-fare brief, https://edmonton.taproot.news/briefs/2024/08/26/on-the-agenda-transit-fare-increase-shelter-standards-affordable-housing.)

The shortfall and the hike

• Transit budget shortfall: $13 million
• Proposed fare increase: ~22%, effective February 2025
• Arc single trip: $2.75 → $3.50
• Adult monthly pass: $100 → $120
• Cash fare: proposed $4.25 per trip

Cause given

"Higher expenses that come with inflation and lower revenues, especially from unexpected growth in demand for low income transit passes." (The stated driver of the fare hike is that too many low-income riders used the discounted pass — the frontline service is squeezed by the poverty it is meant to relieve, while EPS growth is contractually guaranteed.)