The City of Pembroke is moving into phase two of their Transit Feasibility Study. Pembroke does not presently have local transit services for the general public and the study will reveal if there is a possibility to have such a service. City Councillor Brian Abdallah breaks down what happens next.
City council recently voted to enter phase two after what City Councillor Brian Abdallah says was a successful phase one.
Abdallah says an updated report to council will come over the next few months.
Abdallah says that everything is on the table with respects to the service.
Phase 2 will cover:
• Conceptual service plan: details of a potential transit service in Pembroke. It will
form the basis of the financial estimates. This will include stop location guidance,
service area, and service span/days.
o Ridership estimates: this will be based on service levels, access
arrangements, and total travel demand.
o Vehicle requirements: this will be based on ridership, service delivery model
and levels of service, with an allowance for spares.
o Fare framework: this will address fare discounts for certain user groups,
monthly passes and multi-ride tickets, fare integration with other transit
providers, ticket purchasing options, and prices.
• Preliminary budget: farebox and non-farebox revenue, operating costs, and capital
costs. Overall budgetary effects for the City for the first three years of operation.
o Farebox revenue: this will be based on the ridership estimate, fare
framework, and fare prices.
o Potential non-fare revenue/support: this will include provincial gas tax
funding for transit agencies, development charge contributions, other third party revenue sources, and municipal support.
o Capital costs: this will primarily cover vehicle costs, as well as summarize
other start-up and capital costs, including bus stops (and associated
infrastructure), marketing, and customer information.
o Operating costs: this takes into account the service delivery method, the
operator model chosen, planned service levels, and City staff requirements.
o Three-year budget impact: the revenue and cost components will be brought
together to show the overall budgetary effects for the City for the first three
years of operation, plus the likely ongoing net costs in future years.
• Greenhouse gas emissions: one of the motivations for encouraging transit use is to
decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from use of private cars. However,
transit vehicles are still a potential source of GHG emissions. The calculations will
include both the added GHG emissions transit vehicle greenhouse gas emissions
and the lessened GHG emission from private vehicle use.
Total cost of Phase 2 is $13,500. $6,750 is covered by a grant received from the Green Municipal Fund, leaving $6,750 remaining to be paid by the municipality.