No more TransLink bailouts, vows BC Conservative leader John Rustad

BC Conservative leader John Rustad vows no more big TransLink bailouts

SkyTrain Surrey Central Station. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Conservative Party of BC leader John Rustad is promising to shake up TransLink’s spending priorities and financial strategies for operating Metro Vancouver’s public transit system.

This comes after TransLink’s warning this morning that it could be forced to cut service levels by as much as 50% for buses (the elimination of about 145 bus routes), 30% for SkyTrain and SeaBus, and 35% for HandyDART. This would all start in 2026, as reported by Daily Hive Urbanized today.

The $600 million annual funding shortfall starting in 2026 would not only impact operating costs, but also TransLink’s ambitious capital budget for expanding and improving services. Planning efforts for expanded and improved infrastructure and services would be almost entirely curtailed, and instead, TransLink would shift towards performing the bare minimum work it is legally required to do as a public transit operator.

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In response, Rustad says that if his Conservative Party forms government following the October 2024 provincial election, he would not provide TransLink with any more “billion-dollar bailouts” but offer short-term stop-gap funding.

Since 2020, TransLink has received a total of $1.3 billion in total pandemic-time financial relief from senior governments, including $644 million in initial joint provincial and federal subsidies in September 2020 for forecasted revenue shortfalls in 2020 and 2021, $176 million in joint funding from senior governments in January 2022 for revenue shortfalls in 2022 and 2023, and $479 million from the provincial government in March 2023 for revenue shortfalls between 2023 and 2025.

TransLink’s forthcoming shortfall starting in 2026 is due to the depletion of the provincial government’s current subsidy, declining gas tax revenue from the growing adoption of battery-electric vehicles, fare increases held far below inflation since 2020, and cost inflationary pressures.

Despite Metro Vancouver’s public transit ridership rebounding to over 90% of pre-pandemic levels, fare revenues remain lower. This is attributed to passengers purchasing cheaper single-trip fare products for the reduced number of trips they now make, often due to reasons such as semi-remote office work, rather than opting for monthly passes.

“The NDP is throwing billions at TransLink while everyday, hard-working people in Surrey and North Vancouver are watching two or three full buses pass them during rush hour. Hardworking people deserve transit they can rely on. It’s time to end the boondoggle and get TransLink back on track,” said Rustad in a statement this morning.

Rustad asserts that Surrey residents have “borne the brunt of TransLink’s financial mismanagement,” as the jurisdiction is experiencing overcrowded bus routes and delayed projects, despite significant ridership growth exceeding pre-pandemic volumes. He also took aim at the salaries of TransLink executives.

If the Conservative Party of BC were to lead the government, Rustad states that his party would “immediately open the books” of TransLink and conduct an in-depth audit on how the public transit authority uses public funding. The government would provide “stop-gap funding” to subsidize two years of operational costs while a “Back-on-Track Plan” is created for a new sustainable funding model to address “financial mismanagement, overcrowding, and capacity issues.”

His party would also expedite the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension. Currently, the 16-km-long project with eight new stations is expected to commence construction later in 2024 for an opening by late 2028.

Additionally, a Conservative provincial government would work with the federal government to “secure BC’s fair share of federal transit funding.”

Over the past two months, TransLink has announced various new measures to cut its costs ahead of the 2026 fiscal cliff, including cutting its ongoing annual program of providing municipal governments with funding to cover new cycling and walking infrastructure. TransLink, between 2017 and 2024, has provided municipal governments across the region with a combined total of $887 million towards 733 projects related to active transportation. Separately, TransLink will improve its annual financial outlook by $90 million from other cost savings — such as staffing level changes and reducing the use of contracted consultants — and rolling out new fare enforcement measures to reduce fare evasion.

According to a June 2024 representative survey by Research Co., the BC NDP is leading with 40% support, followed by the Conservative Party of BC with 33%, the BC Greens with 15%, and the BC United (BC Liberals) with 11%.

Following this morning’s shocking reveal to the public and media by TransLink staff, TransLink’s Mayors’ Council is urging BC’s political parties to “identify immediate funding” for TransLink’s first phase of service expansion beginning in April 2025 to address overcrowding.

The Mayors’ Council is also asking the political parties to commit to creating a new $3.4 billion annual permanent transit fund jointly provided by the provincial and federal governments, including $2.9 billion annually towards the SkyTrain extension to the University of British Columbia, rapid transit to the North Shore, and the first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes. Another $500 million annually would be identified by new revenue sources towards covering operating costs.

The $2.9 billion calculation would include the federal government’s allocation to TransLink from the new Canada Public Transit Fund — the long-promised federal permanent public transit fund — towards capital costs (not to be confused for operating costs), with $30 billion set aside over 10 years between 2026 and 2036.

“Metro Vancouver’s transit system is vital to our region’s economy and quality of life. The potential cuts outlined in today’s report are not just severe; they are catastrophic and unacceptable,” said Brad West, chair of the Mayors’ Council and the mayor of Port Coquitlam, in a statement.

“We cannot meet the needs of our region without the help of the next provincial government. This election is our chance to secure a sustainable future for Metro Vancouver’s transit system. We urge all candidates to commit to saving transit and preventing these catastrophic service cuts – and encourage all voters to make an informed decision at the ballot box this October.”

Organizations such as Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Surrey Board of Trade, Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce, MoveUP, and Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders promptly issued statements today urging for a solution and warned of the dire consequences of such a deep withdrawal of public transit services.

This morning, BC United leader Kevin Falcon indicated his party, formerly known as the BC Liberals, would continue to support major new transportation infrastructure projects in Metro Vancouver, including specific projects to build a new North Shore SkyTrain line, a new replacement and expanded Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, and various major upgrades to Highway 1/Upper Levels Highway within the North Shore.

Upon inquiry, BC Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming told Daily Hive Urbanized that the BC NDP’s leadership strategy has been to “collaborate” with the Mayors’ Council rather than “confront” them.

“Mayors should be concerned about transit funding — John Rustad and Kevin Falcon are planning to cut billions, which will mean cuts to transit services across the region, higher fares, and tolls…. We are proud of the partnership we have forged with TransLink and the Mayors of Metro Vancouver, and we have consistently supported public transit in Metro Vancouver. In just the last two years, we provided almost $800 million to ensure services were not cut, and to expand much needed service across the region,” said Fleming.

“Because of these historic investments, TransLink has seen the fastest ridership recovery from the pandemic in North America. Our commitment to public transportation continues as we work with TransLink and the Mayor’s Council on the Access for Everyone plan to continue expanding transit service.”

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