On August 17th Spruce Grove City Council voted to renew the bus service to and from Edmonton. This is a really good thing, and Council if commended for continuing this service. But it is not without its problems.

It turns out that the Spruce Grove tax payers are subsidising this service to make it more affordable for the users which I have no problem with doing. The problem is that this service is a popular service not only to Spruce Grove residents but popular with residents of the Town of Stony Plain and the County of Parkland as well.

Apparently so many non-residents are driving to Spruce Grove and using the service that many Spruce Grove residents have to stand or wait for the next bus. Council member are starting to get complaints. Council is concerned that these non-resident users are being subsidised by the tax payers of Spruce Grove and that Spruce Grove tax payers should be compensated in some way for offering transit service to non-residents.

Well that seems fair enough but here’s the rub. How do you do that and be fair about it? Do you charge less for a buss pass if you can prove you are a resident? If so what are the costs in implementing and monitoring a system to do so? Do you ask the Town of Stony Plain and the County of Parkland to chip in some funds, if so how much? Do we know the breakdown of number riders from each jurisdiction? Is there even a way to monitor where the riders are from? Maybe we have to start enforcing parking regulations near popular stops. Or charge for parking near popular stops. Or maybe the extra costs in providing a fair solution is greater than the amount we are subsidising non-resident riders and this whole exercise will be just another exercise.

It is a difficult dilemma that needs to be investigated. I wish the Council all the best with this problem, better them than me on this one. It is definitely a topic that could potentially raise a whole number of unforeseen issues.