Nelson Council Likes Transit Group’s Innovative Bus Proposal

By Bill Metcalfe

Barry Nelson says the Fair/Fare plan would have Nelson homeowners paying $60 annually in a parcel tax to cover the transit system. But that would not actually be a tax increase because it would replace the current annual payment on the transit deficit (just under $300,000) that homeowners now pay, which currently amounts to $62 per person. The plan would also include an increase in business license fees.

As part of the plan, each individual homeowner, for an extra cash payment of $40 a year, would receive a bus pass, which currently costs $600. Additional people in the home would receive a pass for $100. Businesses would receive a bus pass at no cost.

Barry Nelson  presented the plan to City Council on March 1 on behalf of the Nelson Transit Group, a citizens' organization. He cited examples of other cities where such a plan has increased bus ridership by hundreds of percent.

"Fare/Fair is win/win"

What we are proposing here,” said Nelson, “is a different method of paying for the current deficit of the operating system for Nelson transit but the difference gives back to each individual a benefit of $600 which to me, as a person who rides the bus, is something I would jump on with both feet.” 

“In other words, for a small cash payment you get an annual bus pass 500% cheaper,” he said.

“Fair/Fare is a win/win,” said Nelson, as he presented a detailed financial analysis to council members. His figures provoked a lot of interested head-nodding around the table. City Council is in lengthy discussions these days leading up the development of this year’s budget.

A bus stop 5 blocks from every house

Nelson told council that his group’s goals include giving 98% of Nelson’s population access to bus stops no more than five blocks from their residence (one block for senior facilities, three blocks for high density housing). He said another goal is to eventually ensure that there is bus service in Nelson 365 days of the year with a 20-minute turnaround time from all areas of Nelson to downtown.

The group presented maps showing its re-design of bus routes in Nelson to conform with the 5-block goal described above. There were murmurs of approval around the table and a number of interested questions about details. 

Dooley likes group's leadership role

Council made no decisions about Fair/Fare-- it was presented so they could consider it as part of their budget discussions. 

After the meeting, Mayor John Dooley said he was pleased to see the proposal. “Previously, when people came forward, they wanted us to retain the status quo. That was not on my radar screen because I knew the status quo was not working.  And consequently they took a leadership role. They realized that if we are going to make any headway around transit they would have to be able to come to council with solutions rather than work with the same old structure.”

Would this be a community priority?

Asked if he thinks Council would back the proposal, Dooley said, “The first thing that comes to mind is, would this be something the community would see as a priority for a parcel tax? Because we have other areas we could impose parcel taxes. But the financial plan that has been put forward here today, I think it has a lot of merit for sure. It will be entirely up to council and staff to analyse it to see if it is worth bringing out to the community and asking them to support it.

Getting people on the bus

“Everything is on the table at budget time," said Dooley,  "and if there is an opportunity to introduce a new model here that will better serve the community and get people onto the bus, well, I think we should look at it.”