And it can only be described as shocking. A government agency, B.C. Transit, spent time in order to come up with a plan that saved the taxpayers of British Columbia hundreds of thousands of dollars. Such accomplishments are almost unheard of by governments or government agencies for whom money, other people’s money of course, is no object. Whatever the price, pay it and then go out for a drink and celebrate what a fine job you did in getting what you paid for.
eBay to the Rescue...
What is more astounding is this happened in British Columbia that, like California south of the border, is known as “the left coast.” We can only hope what B.C. Transit did will catch on but we know it never will. This was simply a fluke by some people who actually realized they were “spending” someone else’s money rather than “investing” it and did what they could to lower the cost.
Adding to their fleet of buses, B.C. Transit had to purchase fareboxes. And guess what? These little fareboxes, where passengers deposit their tickets and coins, cost $13,000 EACH. Who knew? In addition to the cost, these current fareboxes will begin to be phased out next year when transit authorities move to implement a new electronic fare system.
They could have simply bought the needed fareboxes at $13,000 a pop, using the money of people who would likely never know how their hard earned tax dollars were spent. But the executives were reluctant to spend a lot of money on boxes that will soon be replaced.
What to do? At an executive meeting where the issue was being discussed, someone yelled out they should go on eBay. Everyone laughed. And then they went on eBay.
John Tory's "Courage" to raise taxes
Searches on eBay and similar sites came up empty. At least they were willing to try. But after word of what they did became known a mechanic told them there was a Facebook page dedicated to people interested in buses and bus memorabilia. An employee joined the group and made inquiries. The persistence paid off—they found some fareboxes.
It turned out three sellers in California had a total of 28 of the boxes. Some employees flew down there, gathered them up and drove them to Las Vegas. In Vegas they were put on pallets and shipped to B.C.
The cost of each box, including shipping and the travel expenses of the employees, worked out to be $2,500; a far cry from the $13,000 they could have easily paid for each box. The amount of money saved: $300,000. (The Abbotsford News, Dec. 6, 2019)
The way B.C. Transit went about acquiring the new boxes was truly unusual. Contrast what they did with the way the city of Toronto behaves. Earlier this week the city mothers enacted a tax increase that went against Mayor John Tory’s promises to hold such increases to the amount of inflation. The politicians need the money to “invest” in transit and housing but can increases in the elected officials be far behind? Unlike the executives of B.C. Transit, there is no way this council would ever consider thinking outside the box. Tory had told the media he “hoped councillors would show ‘courage’ in supporting a tax increase that he said was vital to the city.” (CP24, Dec. 17)
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Council approves tax hike, average homeowner will pay $43 more in 2020
Council okays higher levy for property owners
A tax hike that is expected to raise billions of dollars for transit and housing has been approved by city council following an hours-long debate.
On Tuesday afternoon, council voted 21-3 in favour of Mayor John Tory’s plan to increase and extend an existing levy on property taxes known as the city building fund. Councillors Anthony Peruzza, Stephen Holyday and Michael Ford voted against the item.
No Johnny, it doesn’t take “courage” to simply raise taxes to get more money. It’s the easiest way to fill the coffers. It’s a sign of laziness on behalf of the pampered politicians. It shows a lack of caring about spending other peoples’ money. It shows an unwillingness to come up with creative solutions because it requires too much thinking.
If only more governments and government agencies worked like B.C. Transit. We would be so much better off.
And it can only be described as shocking. A government agency, B.C. Transit, spent time in order to come up with a plan that saved the taxpayers of British Columbia hundreds of thousands of dollars. Such accomplishments are almost unheard of by governments or government agencies for whom money, other people’s money of course, is no object. Whatever the price, pay it and then go out for a drink and celebrate what a fine job you did in getting what you paid for.
