Bye-Bye $3 Park-and-Ride!

Photo courtesy transit user Kayla Lottie

First off: this is not an April Fool's joke. That's right, if you're using Calgary Transit Park-and-Ride lots in the coming days, that $3 fee won't be coming back. Because, as of today, it's gone, gone, gone.

One of Mayor Nenshi's campaign promises was to make Calgary Transit "a preferred choice, not a last choice." Along with creating direct transit routes to the airport, removing the $3 Park-and-Ride fee is part of that evolution.

On February 14, Mayor Nenshi and City Council directed Calgary Transit to drop the Park-and-Ride fee and implement a reserved parking stall system at times of high demand in some Park-and-Ride lots. In these high demand lots, a maximum of 50 per cent of the stalls can be reserved.

Today, April 1, is when the black bags come out and the fee disappears. On April 4, the reserved parking will come into play. Here's the Calgary Transit explanation.

Photo courtesy Meagan Kuzyk who tweeted "Poor machines... Didn't even see it coming."

Removing the Park-and-Ride fee removes a financial disincentive to use Calgary Transit while still providing access to parking in periods of high demand. As Mayor Nenshi said during the campaign: "In a city that's not designed for convenient access to transit, we should make it easier, not more difficult [to use public transit]."

There are more improvements to transit that are just around the corner. Mayor Nenshi will continue to work hard to make Calgary Transit the preferred choice for Calgarians.

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team