BC Transit buses are a common sight in communities throughout the province.
While the buses look the same, the cost of a ticket can vary greatly.
According to the BC Transit website, an adult monthly pass costs $77 in Kelowna. However, the very same pass is only $44 in Chilliwack.
The reasons for the disparity are nuanced but, in essence, it comes down to the individual municipalities to set the rates.
"The basis really is value for money."
Jerry Dombowsky with the City of Kelowna manages the transit system in collaboration with BC Transit.
"That means the size of the system, the frequency of service, the number of routes, etcetera."
According to Dombowsky, the transit network in Kelowna is much more robust than that of Chilliwack.
"In Kelowna, with the rapid bus, we're at seven-and-a-half minute frequency at peak on that route" said Dombowsky. "If you went to an area like Chilliwack... their frequency is maybe half-hour or hourly, and they have a fare that is geared towards that level of service."
When it comes to the quality and quantity of bus services provided, Dombowsky says Nanaimo is a much more comparable community to Kelowna.
"Our current adult monthly pass rate is seventy dollars per month and in Nanaimo it is sixty-five dollars. And this is just rough, but our annual service hours are around 165-thousand and Nanaimo is around 120-thousand. So we offer more service, more routes, more hours than them."
Contrary to popular belief, bus fares do not pay for the transit system itself. Instead, they offset the cost, which is paid in full by the city and the province.
Dombowsky estimates Kelowna's bus network costs $5-million annually. A cost-sharing agreement splits the expense between the municipal and provincial governments, with the city collecting all of the fares paid by transit riders.
Ideally, the arrangement allows Kelowna to recover thirty percent of their costs in operating the system.