Calgary Minute: Accessible Taxis, Transit Passes, and the Big Green Boondoggle

Calgary Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Calgary politics

This Week In Calgary:

• It’s Heritage Day! Several City services and facilities are operating on modified schedules today. No on-street parking fees will be required in ParkPlus zones, though regular rates apply at specific attractions. Most City-run leisure and athletic facilities, including Village Square and Southland Leisure Centres, will be closed today. Hope you’re having a wonderful long weekend!
  
  
• Speaking of holidays, there are no meetings at City Hall this week, as Council is on holidays. A meeting of the Ward Boundary Commission, originally scheduled for Friday, is cancelled.
  
  
• Calgary will remain under Stage 1 outdoor water restrictions due to snapped wires discovered in a critical water main at the Bearspaw treatment plant. As a precaution, the City has turned off a third pump at the plant, resulting in the Bearspaw South Feeder Main operating at 70% capacity. City staff will be analyzing data from a recent inspection of the main and developing a rehabilitation plan. The restrictions will continue until the situation is fully assessed and resolved.

Last Week In Calgary:

• What’s shorter, more expensive, and costing more of your green? You guessed it - the Green Line! Council voted to cut the beleaguered project in half again while costs have also increased again. The new new route now just runs between Eau Claire and Lynwood, instead of the previously planned 18-kilometre route from Eau Claire to Shepard (or the previous previous route that covered the full 46 km from the far North of the City to the far South) Six more stations have been removed - leaving just 7 of the originally proposed 30! The downtown tunnel will also be shortened and the Fourth Street SE station will be built above ground to save money. So, how much has been saved by these reductions? Don’t be silly - the cost is now up to $6.2 billion - 38% higher than the original budget, despite 75% of the project having completely disappeared. It’s time to scrap the Green Line. Not a single dollar more should be wasted on this Green Elephant.
  
  
• Council voted down a motion to increase funding for the low-income transit pass. The proposed $14 million operating investment was intended to sustain the program due to its increased usage. Councillor Courtney Walcott emphasized the need for additional funds, warning of potential fare hikes or cuts to other services without it. Opponents, including Councillor Andre Chabot, argued that such subsidies should be the Province's responsibility.
  
  
• Calgary has introduced a $25,000 financial incentive for taxis that install wheelchair ramps as part of its Accessible Taxi Incentive Program (ATIP). In addition to the new incentive, ATIP offers annual incentives of up to $3,500 for plate holders and $4,500 for drivers, funded by a $0.10 fee added to all taxi and transportation network company trips. Currently, Calgary has issued 189 accessible taxi plate licenses and, according to the City, over 30,000 on-demand trips were made by Calgarians using wheelchair-accessible taxis last year.

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