Dear Editor:
Amid the plans put forth by the Mayor’s Council regarding transit, I noticed no one has brought up what I consider a very important aspect of it, which is the zone fare system.
This antiquated system is completely unfair. If a rider travels from Lonsdale Quay to Waterfront Station, it costs more than a rider travelling from South Granville to that same Waterfront Station, which is a much greater distance.
Why should it cost more for the first rider? Just because he crossed an arbitrary zone boundary? What should be implemented is a fare system in which the cost is determined by the distance travelled by the transit rider. Such a system has been used in Japan for decades and is much fairer than the zone system used here. It would bring in more revenue and remind transit riders of the true cost of travelling from point A to point B using the transit system.
Such a system would also be fairer from the motorist’s point of view. Many people are advocating charging motorists for the use of the roads with a charge per kilometre travelled. If this is done for the motorists, then it should also be done for the transit riders. You travel farther, then you should pay more, no matter how you get there, by car or transit.
Luc Maurice
North Vancouver
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