Navigating between regional transit systems with one single bus pass could soon be on the table for St. Albertans, pending imminent decisions in the new year from Edmonton-area municipal governments.
Thirteen municipalities, including Edmonton and St. Albert, are currently in the process of reviewing a business case for an integrated transit system. That report is set to be publicly released by the end of January.
St. Albert city councillor Wes Brodhead, who sits on the Regional Transit Services Commission (RTSC) investigating a regional system, said the report runs in excess of 300 pages and will include the dollar and cent figures for municipalities interested in signing on.
Since all discussions leading up to this point have been in camera, Brodhead was unable to comment on specifics until the report is made public. But he said it will include a financial business case, all the background information supporting the plan and stakeholder input.
When asked if he believes there is a strong business case for a regional system, Brodhead said he “wouldn't be here if (he) didn't think it was a strong business case."
Initially the report was expected in October, but Brodhead said the commission needed additional time to “tidy up the numbers.”
“It was a hugely collaborative effort to get as far as we did. And I gotta tell you that administrations from 13 municipalities worked hard,” he said.
Brodhead said the benefit of a regional system is finding efficiencies in reaping “economics of scale” and reducing redundancies.
“What we want to be able to do is provide an opportunity or an alternative that people want to take, because it gets them where they need to go in a reasonable fashion without undue systemic barriers creating difficulties in the trip itself,” he said.
Not everyone is so optimistic about the prospect of a regional transit system, however.
St. Albert Coun. Sheena Hughes has been skeptical of the idea and said in an interview she is still waiting to see how regionalizing transit will benefit St. Albert.
“Everyone keeps telling me that we just kick the ball further down the road, and we'll show you then. So now we're at the end of the road for decision-making and I'm still waiting to see exactly how this is in St. Albert's best interest,” she said.
Part of her concern is future costs, which she said are uncertain until a few years down the road, and losing autonomy around those costs, in addition to service levels.
“Once you jump in, you lose a lot of ability, you lose your ability to control your own cost to your own services ... there is no divorce agreement,” she said, comparing a regional transit system to entering a marriage with no ability to divorce later if things do not work out.
After the report is made public, it will be debated and voted on by each of the 13 municipalities. If it’s a positive vote, Brodhead said there will likely be a public information campaign to help people understand what is happening.
