The gift of free transit this summer has turned me, for the first time in my life, into a bus commuter. Several times a week I catch a ride to work in the village instead of the long walk or other (more carbon-intensive) alternatives. I’ve appreciated the extra time in my day and the freedom of movement— without which I would never have feasibly squeezed in so many post-shift beers at my favourite Function taproom.
Yet, all the same, I’m still on the fence as to whether I’ll cough up the not inconsiderable cash for a monthly pass when the free rides end next month.
The Resort Municipality of Whistler has much to learn from this unplanned experiment, and I for one would love to see the results: how has free transit affected ridership? Anecdotally, I can attest that the system is hardly strained and that I’ve always been able to find a seat. Mayor Jack Crompton’s refusal to contemplate an extension of free buses—even just for residents—seems hard to justify, and while I’d appreciate more frequent service I would still rather wait and take a fuller bus gratis than pay for an empty one leaving 15 minutes earlier.
I agree with Pique editor Braden Dupuis that this is a deceptively simple proposition (Pique, Aug. 18: “Should Whistler make transit free forever?”), but ... free transit is not just something we deserve, but something we need and, moving into election season, something we should demand.
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