TransLink warns of huge public transport cuts unless '$600m funding gap' is addressed

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — Metro Vancouver's transportation provider TransLink is warning of massive service cuts unless a $600-million funding gap is addressed.

It says overall transit reductions of up to 50 per cent would be required starting in 2026, eliminating about 145 bus routes and "significantly reducing" SkyTrain, SeaBus and HandyDART services.

TransLink says in a report to the Mayor's Council on Regional Transportation that the West Coast Express train service between Vancouver and Mission could also be eliminated.

The report was tabled at Thursday's meeting of regional mayors.

Council chair Brad West, mayor of Port Coquitlam, told the meeting that the consequences outlined in the report "are hard to imagine."

He says the report paints a picture of what services could look like if the next provincial government isn't prepared to work with the council to address the funding gap.

"It's incredibly important that we're very upfront with the public about the reality that TransLink is in," he said.

He said in a statement that the forecast cuts would be "catastrophic and unacceptable."

The report says the level of service cuts it describes would mean more than half a million people would no longer be within walking distance of transit.

It blames the funding gap on falling fuel tax revenue, fare increases being held below inflation and inflationary pressures on its expenses.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2024.

The Canadian Press