Should transit be free? It's a question some cities and urbanists are asking.

The "free transit" movement is based on the premise that free transit would entice significantly more drivers to use transit, thereby taking cars off the road and reducing GHG emissions, which would help fight climate change. 

Would this work in Calgary? A couple of sources with links to Calgary Transit, who wish to remain nameless, estimate free fares for all would probably only increase Calgary Transit ridership by six to 10 per cent.

In fact, if the goal is increased transit use, most say better service, not cheaper service is the way to do it.

"Our customer research indicates that customers would prefer things like higher frequency on routes, better connections, more convenience and an enhanced customer experience above lower fares," said Stephen Tauro, the communications and information lead at Calgary Transit, in an email,

A leader in affordable transit

For some users of the service, Calgary Transit is almost free now. 

Low income Calgarians can apply for a monthly pass that, depending on your income, can be as low as $5.30 per month, and low income seniors can get an annual pass for just $25 or $2.08 per month. All Calgary post-secondary students get a $151 per semester (four months) UPass that is included in their tuition fees which works out to about $1.25 per day, if students use the pass on weekends as well.

Given Calgary has had low income fares and a free downtown LRT zone for decades, our city could be considered a leader in providing affordable transit. 

But let's concentrate on full-fare transit users. At $6.80 for a round trip or $106 per month, how much of a barrier is the cost of transit? Many drivers pay three times this amount just to park downtown. 

Creatures of comfort and convenience

We all know transit is significantly cheaper than driving, but most of us still drive. Why? Because most of us have a car (or two) in the garage that will get us where we want to go much quicker and more comfortably than transit.

Calgary Transit's biggest problems are that it simply isn't as convenient and comfortable as driving — especially in Calgary's six months of winter.

In those months, Calgary's sidewalks can be treacherous and bus stops often have huge banks of snow to climb over to get onto the bus. Then there is the safety issue — many Calgarians simply don't feel safe using the LRT, particularly at night.

In addition, Calgary's transit is very downtown oriented, which means if you want to get to work, school, or an event or meeting that is not downtown, you often have to make one or more transfers. This results in trips significantly longer than driving.