City council approves low-income transit pass motion
Vancouver will push TransLink and the province to create a $25/month pass for residents earning under $40,000 annually.
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Vancouver city council approved a motion Wednesday to create a low-income transit pass—but the benefit won't arrive tomorrow. Councillor Sean Orr's motion calls on city staff to work with TransLink to study the cost and structure of a $25/month pass for people earning less than $40,000 a year. The city will also ask Mayor Ken Sim to write to the B.C. government in support.
The motion passed with amendments. It's a recognition that transit affordability is broken: a one-way adult fare will jump to $3.50 on July 1 (up from $3.35)—a 4.48 per cent increase that will add roughly $120 per family member annually. TransLink's overall fare hike averages five per cent.
Metro Vancouver's cost of living is already the highest in Canada. A new transit burden deepens the strain on workers and low-income riders who rely on buses and SkyTrain daily. TransLink currently discounts fares for seniors, HandyCard holders, and youth 13 to 18. It does not serve low-income earners without disability.
Movement Metro Vancouver Transit Riders, a non-profit advocacy group, has been campaigning for exactly this. Calgary offers monthly passes for less than a three-zone Vancouver fare. Halifax has a 50 per cent affordable-access program. Quebec, Toronto, and Regina all have low-income fare passes. Los Angeles offers first 20 free rides for anyone earning under $80,000 (CAD equivalent).
Movement has gathered over 1,600 letters to MLAs and is hosting a rally at Metrotown Station on July 1 (when fares rise) to push the province further. The real fight now is getting TransLink and the B.C. government to fund and implement the program. A city motion is a first step; provincial buy-in is the hurdle.