TransLink has announced it's cutting a handful of fare discount programs in the new year, a move the transit authority argues will make the system more equitable for everyone.
The Employer Pass Program, FareSaver tickets, and West Coast Express passes for seven and 28 days are being scrapped effective Jan. 1, 2014.
In addition, TransLink is discontinuing a perk that lets monthly pass-holders bring family members on transit for free on Sundays and holidays.
Spokesman Bob Paddon said the discount programs were all determined to be unfair during an internal review.
“We took a good, hard look at our programs to determine which ones still make sense. We found some programs benefitted a select few people and companies,” Paddon said in a statement.
The Employer Pass Program, available through several companies in Metro Vancouver, gives workers a 15 per cent discount on fares provided they purchase 12 months’ worth of passes.
Books of 10 FareSaver tickets offer more than 20 per cent off regular fares for riders who don’t want to buy a monthly pass.
TransLink said some of the discounts were introduced in 1999 around the opening of the SkyTrain Millennium Line, in a push to increase ridership – which has already gone up 84 per cent over the last decade.
“Our incentive programs did their job. In the interest of fairness and efficiency in the overall system, it’s now time to dial back,” Paddon said.
Riders will still be able to use old FareSaver tickets for a limited transition time; TransLink promised to provide further details closer to January, when it debuts the reloadable Compass Cards.
The transit authority said the Compass Cards will have a feature similar to FareSavers called “stored value,” which will offer a roughly 14 per cent discount over the standard cash fares.
TransLink also said it will be announcing details about fare options for low-income residents at a later date.
