TransLink warns funding shortfall may lead to deep service cuts

A TransLink report presented to the Mayors' Council on Thursday says the transit authority may have to cut 50 per cent of its services at the end of 2025 if additional funding is not secured. 

A statement from the public transit provider says it is facing a gap of $600 million each year. 

"The results of that report were nothing short of shocking," said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn on Thursday. 

A scenario outlined by TransLink shows this could mean cutting bus services in half, including cancelling most night buses.

There would be a 30 per cent reduction in SkyTrain and SeaBus services, as well as reduced HandyDART services.

And it could mean eliminating the West Coast Express altogether. 

"Impacts won't just be felt by transit riders, it would be felt by the entire region," Quinn said. "We anticipate that congestion on our roads would increase by as much as 20 per cent."

The NDP government has been providing temporary relief funding for TransLink since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding ends in 2025. 

Transportation Minister Rob Fleming is urging the federal government to provide further funding. 

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, who sits on the Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation, said in an interview with CBC's On The Coast that sustainable funding for TransLink has always been "elusive." He added that it's especially important to get sustainable funding for it now because of the province's current focus on transit-oriented densification. 

Brodie said he would be concerned if TransLink had to make cuts, but he's also "absolutely confident" that senior governments will provide support for the transit authority in time. 

"There's ample time for the province and the fed to make the commitments that are required and to allow the program to go forward," he said. 

For riders, the stakes are high. 

"I rely on transit. I take bus, SkyTrain and I bus again, so transit is very important for me," said Katrina Dowall, a UBC student who commutes to campus.