TransLink's Mayors' Council Calls on Voters to Help 'Save Transit'

The TransLink Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation and various community and business organizations are launching a letter-writing campaign aimed at the main political parties running in the October 19 provincial election.

“The transit funding model is broken, and we are facing drastic cuts to service that will devastate our region if new funding is not identified,” said Mayor Brad West, Chair of the Mayors’ Council. “That is why we are asking the public to reach out to their local candidates and tell them to do the right thing and save transit in Metro Vancouver.”

Transit Needed in Vancouver

Metro Vancouver residents can visit the Access for Everyone website, enter their name, postal code, and email, and a letter will be sent to their local candidates and provincial party leaders urging them to invest in public transit and avoid cuts to services.

A new survey shows that over 70% of Metro Vancouver residents believe transit is an important issue in the upcoming provincial election.

The poll, commissioned by the Mayors’ Council in August 2024, also confirms residents believe the provincial government has the greatest responsibility among all levels of government to fund transit, while 84% of respondents agree that investing in public transit is essential to keep up with Metro Vancouver’s growing population.

Facing Funding Issues

TransLink currently faces a structural deficit of over $600 million and with no new funding committed to date by government, TransLink is preparing to make significant cuts to service that will have catastrophic effects throughout the region if new funding is not committed.

Cuts include potentially shutting down all bus service after 8 p.m.; cutting most bus service in communities such as Langley, the North Shore, Maple Ridge, and Delta; and reducing SkyTrain service by 30%.

Despite TransLink making significant cost cutting measures, it is still not nearly enough to address the deficit.

In the survey, 71% of respondents were concerned about these potential cuts, including 31% who are “very concerned.”

Seventy-two percent of respondents would be somewhat or very upset if the provincial government failed to save transit.

Building on the Call for Funding

Recently, the Mayors’ Council sent an open letter to B.C. political party leaders calling for them to commit to immediate funding for TransLink post-election in order to roll out the first phase of the Access for Everyone transit expansion plan starting in April 2025, and to create a permanent $3.4-billion-per-year transit fund indexed to population growth and inflation.

The Access for Everyone Plan includes doubling bus service over the next decade, building nine new bus rapid transit lines, investing in vital new projects such as extending SkyTrain to UBC, and improving the region's major road network.

Organizations from around the region have joined the Mayors’ Council in calling for transit investment, emphasizing how important transit is to the region.