Gas tax money goes towards Sudbury bus service

MPP Rick Bartolucci wants to get both the economy and people moving with the $2,767,697 in gas tax revenues for the Greater Sudbury Transit. Last year, the tax funding of $2,753,279, allowed Greater Sudbury Transit to implement a new inter-community service. Photo by Marg Seregelyi.

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Mar 06, 2009- 6:41 PM

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Posted by Sudbury Northern Life

This year's funding will continue ridership growth initiatives such as the increase in service levels Monday through Sunday. Ontario shares two cents per litre of gas tax revenues with municipalities for public transit.

Investments in public transit have helped expand and improve transit services in Greater Sudbury and across Ontario-increasing ridership by 102 million passenger trips since 2003.

One bus takes up to 40 vehicles off the road, and keeps 25 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions out of the atmosphere each year.

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17 Comments

Anonymous User 3/10/2009 5:19:59 PM - Report Abuse

Rabbit, get a grip and over yourself. Students take buses.- Very few students take buses. They live in residence, have a car, or get mommy to take them to class. It''s obvious you''ve never spent 5 seconds in either parking lots at our colleges or universities. They''re packed with cars. (Fuel tax paying drivers........) Save the "students taking care of you" drama. It''s a hollow point used by the desperate with no defences left. Hey, in the future robots might do the same job. That''s my point..............so there........argue that if it''ll make you happy. And as for GO Transit? Yes, good for you, you figured out the "GO" stands for Government of Ontario. Tax paid. And that is you too. BUT, we as citizens are paying for the entire GO system. That means we pay for the south''s system that we don''t have. But should! Some rabbits should stay in their outlying burrows. Or move to where most the rabbits live and enjoy the full services of city rabbits.
tapped out in the Nickel 3/10/2009 11:36:50 AM - Report Abuse

Reality.Your sense of logic is pathetic.You still didn''t answer me on how you think that you''re paying my gas tax.If that''s true,you owe me a lot of money.
Anonymous User 3/10/2009 10:57:15 AM - Report Abuse

I can''t believe how selfish people are consistently thinking, "This doesn''t affect me, so why should I pay for it?" This is a community; the outlying areas of Sudbury are STILL a part of that community. Whether we like it or not, we all rely on each other here. And Man About Town, very few people take the bus? How about all the students who will be taking care of you when you''re old? All the young people who will eventually by our future? All the people who do the jobs you would turn your nose up at? Or even just environmentally conscious people? People who are disabled and can''t drive? People whose cars have broken down? Our communities are falling apart because we don''t give two cents about anyone else, or anything that doesn''t directly relate to us. We should be putting more money into the busing system so that it''s more reliable, and so it''s easier to take buses WITHIN an area. And so people realize there are other people out there, instead of being locked away in our singular cars thinking we''re the center of the universe. The only good idea put forth by Man About Town is the GO system, which may actually be more economical for the city. But if we think that we''re not also somehow paying for that too (since it''s through the province), you''re crazy. ;D As for user fees; monthly bus passes are much easier and cheaper in the long run. But hopefully service will be improved for areas that need it.
Anonymous User 3/9/2009 5:31:24 PM - Report Abuse

''tapped out'' I hope one day your car breaks down, you don''t have money in your wallet for a cab and all you can muster up is 2.45 for the bus. That is the only way you will finally stick a sock in your big arrogant mouth. There''s no reason transit users should show appreciation. Were NOT communist. Everyone pays for everything. We pay tax also so in turn, were subsidizing transit as well. Maybe we should put up some toll roads so that when people like you jump in your car and drive on roads that we all pay for, you have to pay a user fee. Give your head a shake.
Anonymous User 3/9/2009 4:55:20 PM - Report Abuse

"everyone i have talked to is outraged by the raise in bus fare as well all the forums ive read, " Really? 10 cents has people up in arms? May I remind these people that you can still take the bus from Capreol to Lively for less than the cost of a coffee at Starbucks? Still gonna whine about that dime? I take the bus, so no complaints about this funding announcement. Hopefully they add some buses to the routes that are under-serviced (South End).
Anonymous User 3/9/2009 4:54:54 PM - Report Abuse

Man About Town, your comment that bus riders "don''t contribute as much into the economy as those that drive their own cars" is simply ridiculous. I''d be glad to compare my salary to yous. And to the rest of you bus haters, what will you do when I outlaw pointlessly pumping out greenhouse gases which hurt the environment in order to stimulate the economy by forcing people to buy electric cars? You''ll be glad theres a bus.
tapped out in the Nickel 3/7/2009 6:14:14 PM - Report Abuse

I don''t know where you get the idea that you''re paying the tax on the gasoline I put in my vehicle Reality.Sudbury Transit is a money losing proposition that depends on city ratepayers to subsidize it for it to even exist. Like I said,jack up the user fees and show a little appreciation for the people that susidize your bus ride.
whiteswan69_1 3/7/2009 3:50:16 PM - Report Abuse

Rick Bartolucci has done so much for Sudbury.People who don''t like him probably are stupid NDPs.Nice work Rick,you area great MPP.
Anonymous User 3/7/2009 1:27:17 PM - Report Abuse

Wonderful so now the people that HAVE to ride the bus get more benifits? Like really what about the people that live out of town that HAVE to drive a vehical. We get to drive on the same garbage roads that don''t get paved, not maintained in the slightest. Come on isn''t that what the gas tax is for fixing the roads that we drive on. Retard Rick Bartolucci doesn''t care about the roads. Suppose to have gotten the Kingsway resurfaced, and it''s in the EXACT SAME CONDITION as before construction started. I think there should be some form of investigation done, cause he''s spending an awaful lot of money, and nothings getting done. Corruption? I think so.
Outskirts Oscar 3/7/2009 12:48:09 PM - Report Abuse

... some of that gas tax pays for the overinflated salaries of some of the drivers. I bet you if this announcement would have been made in Ottawa, there would have been a riot though... specially when the drivers only make over 60,000$/yr for driving less than 300 km a day... and yet complain that they have to drive a lot.
Anonymous User 3/7/2009 11:05:15 AM - Report Abuse

What a waste of cash. The nearly $3 million should have gone into repairing roads. That way it would go to servicing the greater population, not the very few that take the bus. Face it, the ones that take transit, don''t contribute as much into the economy as those that drive their own cars. If inter-community transit is so important, then why is Greater Sudbury footing the bill? GO Transit is operated by the province and specifically designed to link communities. In southern Ontario, cities don''t spend a dime (like we do) to have the commuter service provide connections to inner city routes. Why shouldn''t the same service be given to Sudbury? Where GO would operate runs like Rayside to downtown, Valley East to the city, Nickel Centre run etc...etc. Sudbury transit would free up those costs and be able to operate in communities only. The savings would be passed back to the city.
Anonymous User 3/6/2009 11:32:30 PM - Report Abuse

You know this is not a bad idea. I actually posted a comment on a related article in the letters to the editor about buses; it was directed at ''tapped out'' after he advised me to thank him for the ride when I ride the bus. Basically my comment indicated for him to thank me when he fills his tank because I pay tax on his gas. It does go both ways. They mention here a good point about buses taking vehicles off the road, however itâ€™s not going to happen when they keep on raising the rates for buses. I think they should freeze the rates, better the service; maybe a couple of the busy routes running 24/7, you know, people drink at these hours. Have buses, reduce DUI, reduce people blowing their wad on a taxi and maybe then people will think about riding the bus.
Notorious 3/6/2009 9:11:59 PM - Report Abuse

everyone i have talked to is outraged by the raise in bus fare as well all the forums ive read, not for the price raise specifically but the fact the transit system in this city is the most unreliable thing anyone could imagine.if the system was reliable, convenient and professional im sure people will be happy to pay even $2.50. but the fact the buses can never seem to keep a proper schedule, fix a problem in the scheduling once it starts, and quickly resolve day to day issues seriously aggravates people. i believe that snowplow drivers are fined quite heavily for the time they are not able to drive when they are needed because people RELY on that service. why should a transit system be any different millions of riders a year RELY on that service which is totally untrustworthy, and completely not up to par. these drivers should be fined 1 hour pay for every 15 minutes they are late.
muff_1 3/6/2009 7:23:57 PM - Report Abuse

Well there you go Sudbury ,cash to install a new automated annunciation system for the calling out of all bus stops.
Anonymous User 3/6/2009 5:13:01 PM - Report Abuse

And just how is this going to get the economy moving ? Am I missing something here? I can drive from where I live to the four corners to shop in 15 minutes. It would take over an hour using the bus. No thankyou. I guess if it makes Bartolucci feel good, then it''s OK.
tapped out in the Nickel 3/6/2009 4:53:15 PM - Report Abuse

I''d like to know how much money Sudbury Transit loses every year.Jack up the user fees.
Anonymous User 3/6/2009 2:09:57 PM - Report Abuse

*eye roll whateverrrrrrr