Vouchers are being introduced to expand Innisfil's public transportation network.
Up to 100 riders every month can take advantage of up to 30 vouchers valued at a maximum of $15 each as they use Innisfil Transit, following a council decision at the Oct. 25 meeting.
This evolution of the transit system is a new offering in the partnership between the municipality and Uber, and wasn’t available when the two first joined forces in 2016.
Under this system, riders are given a discount on their trip, rather than a set flat rate being instituted.
Staff reported to council “the use of vouchers is a favourable solution to add new geographic locations to the ... system.”
“Unlike the flat-rate ride offered with ‘transit hubs’, vouchers provide a flat-rate discount to riders who are taking eligible trips based on geofencing parameters such as pick-up or drop-off location, subsidy cap, number of vouchers per month (et cetera) set by the town,” a staff report indicated.
Staff worked with Uber to determine just which locations should qualify for these new vouchers, using data from the ride-share company that showed where Innisfil residents are travelling and how much it costs per trip on average.
The four most popular locations in 2023 so far have been Cookstown's Tanger Outlets mall, the Innisfil ideaLAB and Library (Cookstown branch), Barrie South GO station and Friday Harbour, with an average ride cost of between $22 and $32 per trip.
The voucher proposal would allow for the coupons to be used on trips originating from, or ending at, the Cookstown library, the outlet mall or Friday Harbour. Riders will be required to pay a minimum of $6 per trip. If the trip is $21 or less, the town would cover the remainder of the cost; if the trip total is greater than $22, the municipality would pay the $15 for the voucher and the rider would cover the rest.
Additional discounts can’t be added onto a fare utilizing the voucher system, such as the standard $5 discount for Innisfil residents between locations in the municipality.
The town’s proposed transportation master plan would determine if other locations would be warranted and supported by “ridership demands to broaden the service areas beyond what is already offered currently and through this proposed expansion.”
It’s the best way to get the data, said Coun. Kevin Eisses.
“It would go a long way to determining if this system is going to meet the needs of people (who) are employed that are looking for transit,” Eisses said. “Those spots that are identified… there’s lots of employment there – Friday Harbour and the Tanger mall – so I think you’d get more uptake if you had a reliable way, as an employee, (to) use that transit for employment.”
Staff had originally proposed a limit of 15 vouchers per month. But Eisses pushed to double that number, which in turn bumped the potential maximum cost of the program from $270,000 to $540,000. Staff said the likely spend should be between $135,000 and $405,000, based on data provided by Uber.
Transit system costs are supported by gas tax transfers.
“A typical transit system doesn’t have a limit,” Eisses said. “I do appreciate being fiscally responsible … but if we had to beef up Innisfil Transit as it stands now, that would make it closer to a fixed-rate system if we could give it more of an oomph in this trial, to get a fair reading on the uptake ... versus an alternative that may cost us more in the future.”
Deputy Mayor Kenneth Fowler agreed.
“If you take a look at the destinations, we’re talking places of business where people are employed,” he said. “This is something that could mean a great deal to people. I mean, every dollar helps, so if it can get people to work and back on a consistent basis, from further away, this is justifiable.”
The motion passed unanimously.
