Metro Vancouver transit users face fare increase

Catching a ride on public transit will soon cost more in Metro Vancouver.

TransLink has approved a fare hike, despite recently receiving a nearly half-billion dollar bailout from the province.

The cost of a one-zone trip is set to rise by five cents for all riders come July 1.

TransLink's board of directors voted in favour on the increase Wednesday, as recommended by staff.

Now that the fare hike has been green lit, daily and monthly passes, West Coast Express and multi-zone fares will cost an additional five to 10 cents per trip.

The vote came exactly two weeks after the province gave TransLink a $479 million in funding to help stabilize operations.

At the time, officials said the investment would help keep fares stable and fund projects like the SkyTrain extensions to the University of British Columbia and Langley.

When asked to explain the need for fare increases in light of the recent funding injection, TransLink CFO Christine Dacre said the provincial aid included the assumption that the transit authority planned to raise fared by 2.3 per cent in 2023.

“The funding helped us avoid having to implement much higher fare increases and keep our fares affordable,” Dacre told CTV News.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Ian Holliday and Angela Jung