
Operating Budget: $0

Capital Budget: $0

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Operating Cost

Capital Cost

Information

	Communicating disruptions, construction and other delays		$0 Million
This will give you a quick response crew of two people who can go to the scene of a disruption (e.g. a collision) and communicate about the delay in real-time. When they are not at the scene, they will work on communicating other disruptions like planned construction.

	Real-time arrival signs for buses		$3.375 Million
Customers really like the real-time displays for CTrains. When all buses are equipped with GPS, you can provide similar signs for buses at CTrain stations and other major bus loops. You will pay the capital cost for two years.

	Schedules at bus stops		$0.23 Million
Bus schedules are changed four times a year. You have 5,650 stops so ensuring that each has the right schedule(s) in a timely fashion is resource intensive. Will you do this or rely on other approaches (teleride, smart phones etc)?

	WIFI		$1.5 Million
Customers often ask for WIFI on buses and trains. Do you want to provide this or use funds in other ways?

CTrain Reliability - Fewer Delays

	CTrain repairs and upgrades		$47.3 Million
You can help CTrain reliability by replacing 82 of the old train cars that break down three times more often and adding 10 more crossovers so trains can get by each other more easily. Upgrades to the power and tracks will also help. Even at this price it will take you 10 years! (Remember that track work has a temporary downside: construction disruptions.)

Bus Reliability - Fewer Delays

	Standby buses		$3.2 Million
If you add two buses to each quadrant, they can jump into service if there is a problem – although it will still take time for them to get where they need to be and, if downtown, traffic conditions can still slow them down.

	Schedule adjustments		$0 Million
Making small adjustments to schedules will help with bus reliability and is one part of a scheduler's job. This allows you to add three more schedulers.

	Another garage		$10 Million
Currently about 120 buses park outside every night. While this is okay in the summer, some buses won’t start in the winter. Adding another garage will allow you to park 150 buses inside and help with bus reliability. You’ll pay the capital cost for 10 years.

Buildings and Other Improvements

	Air conditioning on buses		$7.75 Million
The cost of this includes modifying half the existing fleet while purchasing new buses with the A/C option included (much cheaper than modifying older buses). It will take several years to have A/C in 100% of buses and will be paid off over four years.

Bathrooms		$0	$0
People want and need bathrooms. They are more expensive than you might think – they need very regular maintenance and security even if they are self-cleaning. Will you add self-cleaning bathrooms?

Bus shelters		$0	$0
At the moment, about 1,400 (25 percent) of the 5,650 bus stops have shelters.

Parking (number of spots)		$0	$0
Calgary Transit currently has about 15,000 parking stalls with large lots like Anderson Station having 1,750 spots. Do you want to add more? If so, how much? (A parking garage would be about 10 times more.)

Parking fees (reserved parking)		$0	$0
Some customers think parking at transit facilities should be free and others think it should cost more than it does today. What do you think?

	Bike racks on buses		$3.5 Million
One bike rack extends the length of a bus by 18” - you would need storage for 50 more buses or accept that some buses will not start in the winter (causing service delays) unless you can find another solution. This option includes 1/3 of a garage and you will need to make the capital payment for 10 years.

	Cleanliness		$0 Million
CTrains and buses are cleaned every night when they go back to the garage and stations are also cleaned daily. Periodically everything gets a ‘deep’ clean as well. Do you want to double the frequency of deep cleans (cleaning gum off sidewalks, cleaning glass, etc.)?

Amount of Service (Including Hours)

	Suburban buses		$11 Million
Bus routes in suburban communities (e.g. Evanston or Cranston) get people to a CTrain or a major bus route like the #1 or #3. There are fewer riders per hour than in the inner-city so they are less cost efficient. Would you put more service here even if it’s more costly? You’ll spend the same next year too.

	Inner-city buses		$9.8 Million
The inner-city (e.g. Tuxedo) tends to have more people who ride buses so the service is more cost efficient. Will you add service here where there is demand and it is more cost effective? You’ll spend the same next year too.

	Late night service		$0 Million
Late-night service is valued by people who are trying to get home safely from evening events, bars or work. Due to very low use (compared to day-time service), it is expensive to operate. Do you think it’s worth the cost?

	Reduced crowding		$6 Million
To reduce crowding you will need more and bigger buses. In the event of an accident or other issue, crowding may still be unavoidable. (There are CTrains on 7 Avenue every 2-3 minutes. It would not be safe to add more, but future four-car trains will help.) It will take five years to pay for the buses.

	Cross-town service		$5 Million
You can add a new route like the 72/73 or increase the amount of buses on existing routes so that the buses come more often. Both cost about the same. You’ll pay for the new buses and other infrastructure for five years.

Fares

Free fares (vs user paid)
It costs about $330 million a year to operate Calgary Transit. About half of this comes from fares and half from property taxes. You can make it free (increase property taxes), make users pay for the full cost, or something in between. What do you think the balance should be?

	Free fare zone extension		$0 Million
Extending the free fare zone to Stampede Station may help people get to events, festivals and conferences.

	Free fares for seniors		$0 Million
Seniors pay $55 a year to take transit. Should they be able to ride for free?

Low-income discount		$0	$0
Approved low-income Calgarians ride transit for $40 a month. Should they pay less?

Safety and Security

Fare enforcement		$0	$0
Six Public Safety and Enforcement Officers currently check for valid fares during rush hour. Increasing that by 10 officers would reduce fare evasion by about 10%.

	Officers at night		$0 Million
Currently there are 14 officers on the system between 8 p.m. and midnight on a Friday. Do you want to add 10 more?

Accessibility

	Accessible buses		$30 Million
Calgary Transit still operates some older buses. If you wait for the normal renewal process, you will have a 100 per cent accessible fleet (buses without steps inside the front door) by 2015. Should these be replaced right away instead of waiting?

	Scheduled service for people with disabilities and the elderly		$0.9 Million
People with disabilities and the aging population sometimes live in common dwellings and go to common locations. You can provide them with a scheduled service that stops for longer periods so that they have more time to board and get seated.

Walking distance		$0	$0
Some people want stops to be closer and others are able to walk further. If you increase the walking distance to 600 meters you will have faster service and save money. If you make it 200 meters, routes will be longer and more costly, but also more accessible.

Submit Your Selections to Us!

Your choices will be collected anonymously to help us understand customer preferences.

The personal information on this form is collected under the authority of Section 33(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. This information will be used to group responses to assist with analyzing and interpreting the data submitted. If you require further information on privacy and this survey, please contact the Calgary Transit Customer Service Centre at 403-262-1000.

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