One line that stood out to me in Sunday’s Freep profile on efforts to green the Manitoba Legislative Building:
…the province is assessing whether to join the employer-subsidized Eco-Pass program through Winnipeg Transit.
Assessing? The Province should have hopped on board this program years ago. How many provincial civil servants work in Winnipeg? 10,000? 20,000? And most of those work downtown or in other locations that are well served by transit services.
So what would the impact be if the Province subsidized transit passes for its employees by 50%? Or better yet, 100%? How many civil servants would make the switch, how many cars would stay in the garage every morning, and how many tons of greenhouse gas emissions would be eliminated?
Doesn’t this seem like an opportunity that’s tailor-made for our “Seeing Green” government and its alleged enviro-champion Premier?
Sure, Gary will turn around and say he’s already funding 25% of the operating costs of the transit system, and then he’ll dredge up Tory funding cuts from 15 years ago. But that’s not really the point. Thanks to the size and concentration of its workforce, the Province has a real chance to lead by example here. So will it actually take an innovative step, or continue to save the environment via news release?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: gary doer, province of manitoba, winnipeg transit
The thing I’ve never understood about the EcoPass program is that it seem inherently unfair. Why should people with nice secure jobs at the large entities that participate get subsidized transit while the rest of us pay full fare?
Nice.
I haven’t been able to read the print version of the Freep over the last week or so, started a new job that just doesn’t give me the time in the mornings. I miss a lot of stuff by only reading the online version..
Isn’t Eco Pass funded by the government? Isn’t that the whole point? If I’m not mistaken, then shouldnt have all government offices over the entire province automatically endorsed and encouraged this?
@Cycling Guy – Any employer can participate in the program, large or small.
As for fair/unfair, you could make the same argument for any perk that might come with a particular job: better pay, better benefits, free parking, subsidized meals, etc.
However, the point of the Province getting involved in EcoPass wouldn’t be so much an employee perk as an easy way to practice what it preaches and achieve GHG reductions targets.
Cycling Guy;
I see the EcoPass as an employee benefit, much like a parking sport, extended health benefits or a dental plan. Some employers will offer it and some won’t. As such, all benefits are inherently unfair on some level.
And I would rather see the Province offer EcoPass to provincial employees than subsidized parking.
@Graham – As far as I know, EcoPass is purely a City initiative.
Let’s try an example to show why I still think the EcoPAss is unfair.
WT has several discount classes for the EcoPass, but let’s look at the 50% option.
A regular pass is $71.25.
If the employer offers the 50% level, the employee pays $35.65. The employer pays only $25.65, which leaves a $9.95 difference that WT swallows as an incentive.
In other words, WT is getting only $61.30 selling a pass to an employed person while charging unemployed people $71.25. Is that fair?
If employers paid their full 50% I’d be happy, but they don’t.
@Cycling Guy – I see your point, but remember that the goal of the program is to encourage more people to ride transit, not simply to make transit cheaper.
From Transit’s perspective, offering a 14% rebate leverages an additional 36% subsidy from the employer. I’m sure Transit would tell you this strategy generates better operating results than a 14% across the board price cut would.
Now, is the rebate really required to convince employers to take part? That’s a good question.
Either way, if the Province were to support the EcoPass I assume it would work out its own deal with the City given the huge number of potential participants.