TransLink has proposed scrapping its three-zone fare system in favour of a distance-based model that would charge passengers based on kilometres travelled.

The transit provider said the new fares would apply to SkyTrain, SeaBus and any future rapid rail projects, but that bus tickets would remain flat across the system.

The maximum distance-based fare would also stay the same as the current three-zone fare, meaning passengers who already pay the most for transit wouldn't be asked to pay more.

"Effectively what we're doing is just eliminating zone boundaries and steep price increments for travel," said Andrew Devlin, manager of policy development for TransLink.

"Customers would still pay the same entry fee for the system and riders would pay no more than the three-zone fare today, so what we're really doing is just smoothing out that pricing curve between the minimum fare and the maximum fare."

A distance-based system would likely save money for some riders who regularly cross zone boundaries, but also has the potential to cost more for people who make long trips within a single zone.

TransLink said the change is "intended to be revenue neutral," however, and it doesn't expect to generate more revenue through distance-based fares. It estimates about two-thirds of riders will pay about the same that they currently do.

Specific fares haven't been finalized, but a conceptual pricing structure provided Monday suggests passengers could be charged a base fare comparable to a one-zone ticket for the first five stations or so that they travel.

After that, a per-kilometre price would be applied. TransLink's breakdown suggests it could range from 15-20 cents for the first four kilometres, 10-15 cents for the next four, and five-10 cents for the four after that.

Under that structure, SeaBus passengers who are used to paying $4.10 for a two-zone fare to travel between the North Shore and downtown Vancouver would only pay $2.85.

North Vancouver Mayor Darrel Mussatto told CTV News he hopes cheaper SeaBus service would mean more visitors to his city, and fewer drivers on the Lions Gate or Second Narrows bridges.

“We have a traffic challenge in this city and we have to give people a good alternative,” he said. “If we can encourage people to take public transit we can deal with our traffic congestion."

A new SeaBus is under construction and will mean service every 10 minutes, Mussatto added.

But under the same pricing example, people taking the SkyTrain from Waterfront Station to Joyce-Collingwood Station would pay $3.85, a dollar more than they currently do for a one-zone fare.

The proposal comes after months of consultations in TransLink's transit fare review process, which collected more than 55,000 responses. Devlin said some of the common complaints centred around the arbitrariness of zone boundaries and the lack of fairness in pricing.

Zone pricing can be particularly frustrating for people who live near the borders, and can get dinged for two zones just for travelling a couple stops.

"A common one is travelling between Joyce-Collingwood and Metrotown Station. We know a lot of people make that trip and they're paying a two-zone today even though they're only travelling … two stations," Devlin said.

Fares for Handidart or West Coast Express would not change under the proposed system, according to TransLink, and passengers would still pay roughly the equivalent of a one-zone fare for off-peak trips on evenings and weekends.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Jon Woodward