These are TransLink's planned annual fare hikes from 2024 to 2033

Full breakdown of TransLink's planned annual fare increases between 2024 and 2033

TransLink's Compass Card. (Mitch Hutchinson/Shutterstock)

It is that time of year again, when TransLink contemplates future annual fare increases for its public transit services across Metro Vancouver.

Next week, in a public meeting, TransLink’s board of directors is expected to provide final approval for the implementation of the 2024 fare increase, which will come into effect on July 1, Canada Day.

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The 2024 fare changes will be an overall average 2.3% increase, marking the fourth and final consecutive year of a 2.3% annual fare increase since 2021. This 2.3% annual fare increase limit through 2024 was a stipulation in exchange for TransLink receiving major emergency operating subsidies from the federal and provincial governments during the peak of the pandemic.

There were no fare increases in 2020 due to the pandemic, and fares were free between mid-March 2020 and early-June 2020.

Proposed increases between 2025 and 2033

Beyond the certainty of the forthcoming 2024 fare increase, TransLink is also now providing an update on the possible trajectory of future fare increases between 2025 and 2033.

As of now, TransLink is proposing an average 4% fare increase in 2025 and then 3% in 2026. But average annual fare increases between 2027 and 2033 would be held at 2% each year.

In real dollar values, based on payment using the Compass Card’s Stored Value, which provides a discount over cash fares, this means a one-zone adult fare on conventional services — bus, SeaBus, and SkyTrain — could reach $2.70 by 2025, $2.90 by 2028, and $3.15 by 2033.

The two-zone adult fare would go up to $4.00 in 2025, $4.30 in 2028, and $4.80 in 2033, while the three-zone adult fare would go up to $5.10 in 2025, $5.45 in 2028, and $5.95 in 2033.

An adult day pass, which provides unlimited trips across all zones, would be $11.95 in 2025, $12.80 in 2028, and $14.10 in 2033.

The one-zone monthly pass for adults would increase to $111.60 in 2025, $119.60 in 2028, and $132.10 in 2033, the two-zone monthly pass for adults would reach $149.25 in 2025, $160.00 in 2028, and $176.65 in 2033, and the three-zone monthly pass for adults would climb to $201.55 in 2025, $216.00 in 2028, and $238.50 in 2033.

Full tables of the annual fare increases between 2024 and 2033 are provided towards the end of this article.

TransLink’s rationale for the fare increases centres on its growing costs due to continued high inflation, and its structural revenue shortfall, with a cumulative funding shortfall of over $4.7 billion between 2026 and 2033, starting with about $600 million in 2026. This begins after 2025, when the provincial government’s latest operating subsidies run out, and does not account for major service expansion and new projects.

The maximum average 2.3% fare increase allowed by the federal and provincial governments between 2021 and 2024 was well below the level of inflation experienced over this period. Fares are TransLink’s single largest source of revenue, followed by the gas tax and the public transit authority’s portion of the property tax.

Due to continued lower fare and gas tax revenues, TransLink’s service levels are currently frozen at 2019 service levels. While overall ridership has recovered to over 90% of pre-pandemic volumes, fare revenue recovery continues to lag, as passengers are taking trips less frequently — using single-trip fares more often, as opposed to monthly passes. As well, gas tax revenues are falling from the growing adoption of battery-electric vehicles and the continued improvement of fuel efficiency.

Prior to the pandemic, as one of the measures to fund new and improved services, TransLink had planned an average 4.6% fare increase for 2020, an average 4.1% fare increase for 2021, and an average annual fare increase of 3% between 2022 and 2024.

The public transit authority is now looking to catch up on these previously planned rates of increase, but at the same time it acknowledges that it “must strike a balance between maintaining affordable fares while ensuring that transit is adequately funded.”

But these annual fare increases over the coming decade assume TransLink maintain the longstanding three-zone fare system for the conventional services, and does not transition to a distance-travelled fare system. After much public consultation, the distance-travelled fare system strategy for SkyTrain and SeaBus was approved by TransLink prior to the pandemic, but its implementation was delayed due to the need for a major technological upgrade of the Compass fare payment system.

The technology that Compass uses can be considered outdated, given that it was created in the 2000s. Much has changed in processing and security technology, and advancements have been made with fare collection processing. As well, many fare gates, particularly at high-traffic stations, are also starting to visibly show their age from heavy use. TransLink is currently in the process of considering an upgrade of Compass technology and the fare gate infrastructure at a cost of over $200 million.

2024 fare increases

As for the 2024 fare increase planned for July 1, the one-zone adult fare paid through the Compass Card’s Stored Value will grow by five cents to $2.60.

The two-zone adult fare will increase by 10 cents to $3.85, while a three-zone adult fare will increase by five cents to $4.90.

For adult monthly passes, the one-zone pass will go up by $2.40 to $107.30, the two-zone pass will go up by $3.25 to $143.50, and the three-zone pass will go up by $4.35 to $193.80.

For concession (youth and seniors) fares paid through the Compass Card’s Stored Value, these fares will go up by five cents to $2.15 for one zone, five cents to $3.15 for two zone, and 10 cents to $4.35 for three zone.

The all-zone concession monthly pass will be $61.35, representing an increase of $1.40.

As for the day pass, it will see increases of 25 cents to $11.25 for adults, and 20 cents to $8.85 for concession.

The separate one-way adult fares for the West Coast Express commuter rail service on the Compass Card’s Stored Value will reach $5.30 for the shortest travel distance of 1/2 zone and up to $11.50 for the full five-zone distance between downtown Vancouver and Mission. Over the same zone types, the commuter rail’s adult monthly pass will range between $173.85 and $375.40.

Here is the full breakdown of all planned annual fare increases between 2024 and 2033:

translink fare increase table

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