Property tax, fare hikes to fund TransLink service expansion

Metro Vancouver is about to see the largest boost to bus service in nearly a decade, following the approval of TransLink's investment plan.

The TransLink Mayors’ Council has approved an investment plan that includes dozens of new and expanded bus routes, funded by a fare increase and property tax hike.

TransLink said the expansion will improve access to a number of industrial job sites across Metro Vancouver, as well as popular outdoor destinations such as Stanley Park, Terra Nova Park and Golden Ears Provincial Park.

The plan will also increase service on 50 overcrowded existing routes, for the region’s “largest expansion” in bus service since 2018, the transit provider said in a news release.

“Investing in transit means investing in the region’s economy and long-term growth,” said Brad West, chair of the TransLink Mayors’ Council, in a statement.

“By expanding transit to under-served areas and to relieve overcrowding on our busiest routes, this investment plan sets us on a path to respond to the demands of a growing region and province.”

The funding will come from a $20 increase in property taxes for median households this year, and a fare hike averaging out to 14 cents per trip beginning in July 2026, TransLink said.

Previously, officials had warned Metro Vancouver’s transit system was facing drastic cuts due to a $600-million annual shortage in operating funds, which was blamed on declining fuel tax revenue, increasing costs and the decision to cap fare hikes below the rate of inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The approved investment plan will “fully fund” Metro Vancouver’s transit until the end of 2027, and “cut the structural deficit by almost half thereafter,” TransLink said.

In March, the federal government promised to provide $1.5 billion in funding over 10 years for the transit network, and the B.C. government followed that up with a one-time contribution of $312 million earlier this month.

Officials have also committed to identifying a new revenue source by 2027.