Pre-paid public transit fares set to rise in Vancouver

Rates for monthly transit passes in Vancouver will be hiked by about 11 per cent next month, when all of TransLink's pre-paid fares are set to increase.

Prices for TransLink's FareSaver tickets, monthly transit passes and employer passes will all go up beginning April 1. Single-ride cash fares will not be affected.

Under the new pricing scheme, monthly one-zone passes will increase from $73 to $81, two-zone from $99 to $110, and three-zone from $136 to $151.

For a complete list of price increases, click here.

In a statement, TransLink CEO Ian Jarvis said that the fare increases were meant to cover a $130-million annual increase in revenue required under the current budget.

"Given that our biggest challenge was to preserve the expanded transit service levels, an increase in transit fares was considered a reasonable way to share the cost equitably between everyone contributing toward the additional revenue," Jarvis said.

TransLink predicts that the fare increases will bring in about $18 million per year.

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  Between students and sledge hockey spectators, TransLink says the 99 B-Line running on Broadway to and from the University of British Columbia will intermittently be crowded in March. (CTV)