TransLink fares to increase July 1

The cost of a trip on public transit in Metro Vancouver will rise once again on Canada Day as part of TransLink's expansion and improvement plan.

Starting July 1, commuters will pay an extra five to 10 cents for single trips.

Single-use fares will increase by five cents when paying by cash and 10 cents for stored value fares.

That means a regular, one-zone adult fare will increase from $2.95 to $3.00 when paying by cash. 

Day passes will increase in price by 25 cents, while monthly pass fares will go up by $2 for concession and $3 for adult fares.

Fares have increased yearly since the Mayors Council's 10-year Vision for Regional Transportation was announced in 2016, and fares are scheduled to increase until 2026.

The increases will fund TransLink's Phase 1 expansion plan. The $2 billion plan includes increasing bus service by 10 per cent, rail service by 18 per cent and will also fund SkyTrain extensions in Surrey and Vancouver.

The plan also includes implementing more frequent service on 50 different bus routes that carry 650,000 passengers around Metro Vancouver daily.

The Phase 1 plan is expected to increase annual transit trips to 272 million by 2026. In 2017, ridership was almost 248 million.

Through expanded and improved infrastructure, the plan also aims to increase walking, cycling and transit trips in Metro Vancouver.

"It's all about making an overcrowded system less crowded," said TransLink spokesperson Jill Drews.

"We hope the service we can provide with these small increases will make it worth the while."