I didn’t really see this coming — but as of this month, an ETS monthly pass officially ceased to be a good investment for me. That’s because, although poorly publicized, as of February, the cost of the monthly pass goes up to $74.25.

In the winter months, I enjoy the luxury of taking the bus to go grocery shopping, or hopping on the bus to visit friends or have a night out.

A bus pass was a great investment! Not only did it give me the freedom to take transit wherever I needed to, but also, knowing that I had pre-paid for the service made me want to take transit more and to get out more and enjoy the city.

There’s something about not paying for each individual trip that just makes transit more appealing, and that the monthly pass remained one of ETS’s few remaining reasonably priced fare products added to its appeal.

Sadly, while ETS has continually increased the price of individual fares, transit tickets, and now are finally increasing the cost of the monthly pass, its service levels have not kept up with the cost.

As a matter of fact, the current level of service dates back almost 13 years, and there have been few major service improvements since 1996 — back when the cost of a single bus trip was half what it is today.

Knowing this, it’s understandable to see so many people eagerly giving up transit in favour of the almighty car. Who wants to pay transit prices comparable to cities like Vancouver and Toronto for service that doesn’t even come close? Who wants to pay more and more every year for a service that seemingly never improves in any significant way?

It’s frustrating to see the city treat transit as though it were a business, as opposed to the essential service that it is. We spend billions every year building and repairing roads, and don’t expect motorists to pay fares to cover the cost. Yet one bus full of people causes significantly less wear and tear on a roadway than if all those people drove their 30 or 40 individual cars on the same road.

It seems that the city really needs to get its priorities straight, and I would encourage everyone to contact the mayor and city council about this. In the meantime though, I know I’ll be taking the bus less now.