TransLink brings back NYE free fare tradition, changing bus services starting Jan. 2

TransLink fare gates are pictures in a file photo.

Riding transit in Metro Vancouver will be free for 12 hours when the clock strikes 5 p.m. Saturday to help people get home safely after ringing in the New Year.

No form of payment, including Compass Cards, will be necessary during TransLink's annual tradition, which expires 5 a.m. on Jan. 1.

Buses will operate on a regular Saturday service schedule, according to a release by the transit authority Friday morning, and extra bus trips will be added to 26 routes to coincide with extended SkyTrain hours. The routes impacted include numbers as low as 100 and up to 701, plus R1 and N17—all of which are outside the city of Vancouver.

Trains on the Expo, Millennium and Canada Lines will operate for one hour later than usual, while the West Coast Express will be out of service.

The SeaBus will have extended 15-minute service between 9 p.m. and 1:22 a.m. before running in half-hour increments until the last sailing from Waterfront Station at 2:22 a.m.

On Jan.1, TransLink services will operate on a Sunday and holiday schedule.

TransLink’s customer service and lost and found offices will be closed all weekend.

Starting Monday, bus services levels across the region will adjust, due to changing customer demand.

“We implement service changes every January, April, June and September to ensure service is provided where it’s needed most based on seasonal patterns and recent trends,” according to TransLink’s website.

As of Jan. 2, 2023, more services will be added to 24 routes, while another seven routes will have fewer buses scheduled. To address overcrowding, TransLink is adjusting services on 14 routes.

A full breakdown of schedule changes is available online.