TransLink customers will be paying more this summer

A near empty waterfront train platform is pictured in downtown Vancouver, Monday, April 20, 2020. (Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

VANCOUVER — Transit fares in Metro Vancouver are set to increase this summer.

Starting on Canada Day, adult riders will be paying anywhere from five to 15 cents more per ride, depending on their zones.

Those who buy a monthly pass will be charged between $2.25 and $4.05 more to take public transit.

Commuters who rely on the West Coast Express will be paying an extra $3.65 to $5.75 a month.

The decision was passed unanimously by TransLink's board of directors on Thursday.

And the increase is less than was initially planned. Pre-pandemic, the board had intended to increase fares by 4.6 per cent in 2020, and 4.1 per cent this year, a report to the board of directors says.

The 2020 increase was put off, given the circumstances, and the fare increase agreed upon this week amounts to 2.3 per cent.

The region's transit provider has faced criticism multiple times in the last few months, including over its response to a ransomware attack late last year.

The union representing thousands of transit operators said the employer has not been transparent about the major data breach, in which hackers gained access to social insurance numbers and bank account details of workers.

And the organization was nominated for a sarcastic award given by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation after reneging on a promise to cut executives' salaries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to information obtained by the CTF, TransLink said it would reduce what execs make by 10 per cent, then used federal and provincial emergency funding to make up the difference.

But TransLink has also faced challenges including a sudden decrease in ridership when many people were furloughed or started working from home. Additionally, the company needed to find solutions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus on transit.

These measures including the expansion of a "self-disinfecting" copper pilot program, and the testing of technology meant to "sanitize" the air that circulates on its buses.

TransLink was promised $644 million from the provincial government as part of its COVID-19 restart plan.

In a news release announcing the funding, the province said it was meant to ensure services are maintained and that "fares will remain affordable."