Riders of Kiwanis Transit may be paying less starting next year.
The organization provides public transit services in the municipalities of Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot to Kitchener-Waterloo through a contract with the Region of Waterloo that pays it a fee for service.
The accessible transportation service is available to residents who are 65 years or older and those with a physical disability.
There are currently 1,333 residents using the service in the three townships, including 689 in Woolwich, 244 in Wellesley and 400 in Wilmot. The organization expects to provide some 39,000 rides this year, the majority of those are to health centres and hospitals in the region.
When a customer travels between municipalities the practice of Kiwanis Transit has been to charge an additional fare for each municipal boundary crossed.
Addressing Wellesley council Tuesday night, Cheryl Fisher, manager Kiwanis Transit, and Eric Gillespie, the region’s director of transit services, spoke about how the program has plans to change the zone user fees.
“Zone fares are fares that are charged to people travelling from one municipality to another. If someone was traveling from Wellesley to Woolwich they would pay two fares and if they travelled into an urban area they would pay a third fare,” said Gillespie.
In accordance to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act by Jan. 1, 2013 there needs to be fare parity between specialized services, such as those offered by Kiwanis Transit, to fares charged to customers of the region’s conventional transit service, said Gillespie.
“The zone fares do not offer fare parity. The regional Grand River Transit allows riders to travel from Cambridge through Kitchener-Waterloo to Elmira on route 21 for one fare – there is no consideration given to geographical or municipal boundaries,” he explained.
The plans are to scrap the zone fares and charge one flat rate for travel within the region.
The current fares are $2.50 to travel within a township, a $5 fare to travel between two townships and a $7 fare to travel between three zones. The plan is to remove both the $5 and $7 fares and have a single fare of $3 to travel between the townships and urban areas of the region.
“The Kiwanis Transit board has approved the zone fares being removed,” said Fisher.
The estimated annual cost impact of eliminating the revenue generated by the zone fares is approximately $64,000. That amount will be offset by the region.
In 1992 Woolwich Township approved funding for a specialized transit in the township along with a financial commitment from the Kiwanis Club of Elmira and formed Kiwanis Transit.
Wellesley Township requested service in 1993 and Wilmot Township had service start in 2001.
For 20 years the organization has operated in the three townships Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and starting in 2013 Saturday service will be offered.
“I have seen accessibility in our community make tremendous progress since this program began,” said Fisher. “It allows our riders independence in their homes and in the community and it provides a quality of life that we are all entitled to. Our goal is a full accessible community for all.”
This Saturday (today) the organization is celebrating its anniversary with an open house from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at its office located at 13 Industrial Dr. in Elmira.
