Tourists going to and from Vancouver's airport will have to pay a premium to get to the new Canada Line's airport stop, according to the agency that runs public transit in the Lower Mainland.
But TransLink hasn't decided yet what the higher fares will be -- or how to make sure locals don't get dinged, said spokesman Peter Louwe.
"The intent is to charge a premium fare to tourists," Louwe told CTV News. "They get the benefit of not paying for parking and limousine service."
In 2004, officials at the TransLink board discussed a plan to charge a $5 or $6 fare for tourists and "meeters and greeters" who ride the Canada Line to the airport terminal.
This week, TransLink officials said they still didn't have a specific fare plan -- but they would know in about six to eight weeks.
That's well in advance of the completion of the Canada Line, a rapid transit train that will have terminuses in Richmond, Vancouver, and at the Vancouver International Airport on Sea Island.
The challenge faced by the transportation authority is how to charge the tourists, but not charge people who work at the airport or at its shops and services.
"It's for airport users, not for staff or regular users," said Louwe. "Someone working at a restaurant, they wouldn't have to pay -- that doesn't seem fair."
