City bus service will shut down in Iqaluit, the capital of Canada's northern Nunavut territory, as it works out cheaper to pay riders to use taxis. The council of the city of 6,000 made the decision after reviewing costs and ridership, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said. An average of 28 people ride the bus each day, which works out to a cost to the city of about $17 per user per ride before the $2 fare is deducted. "You could actually pay the riders a taxi voucher and still be $100,000 in pocket at the end of the year," said Ian Freemantle, Iqaluit's chief administrative officer. The council said bus service would end mid-January to save the 2005 budget some $150,000 per year. There are no plans to pay taxi fares for former bus riders. The city is also reducing garbage collection to once a week from twice a week, scaling back its recycling program, and raising property taxes in an effort to balance its budget next year, the report said. © Copyright 2004 by United Press International

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