Uber, Lyft prices skyrocket as TransLink bus strike hammers morning commute
The morning commute has become an incredibly stressful and possibly expensive trip for thousands of people on Monday in Metro Vancouver, as a TransLink bus strike is now underway.
SeaBus service is also impacted, and that has led to very challenging commutes for people from North Vancouver, especially as TransLink says, “Customers will need to arrange alternate travel plans.”
While train service remains operational, as of Monday morning, there are fewer options for those on the other side of the Burrard Inlet.
That appears to be having a major impact on prices for ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft.
And it looks like Uber is already starting fair surging at like midnight now since Metro buses had to start their strike action at least 3 hours early now in Vancouver Metro. So fuck this. I’m walking. pic.twitter.com/izyzgOVntR
ā Laharl (@SpaceMutiny) January 22, 2024
As of 7 am Monday, trips from North Vancouver to Vancouver City Hall, the Vancouver International Airport, and even downtown Vancouver are significantly higher.
The price of a trip to the airport alone is between $110 to $160.
Uber
However, it’s not only North Vancouver residents who are impacted by surge pricing Monday. A trip between Vancouver City Hall and Olympic Village, just a few blocks apart, is around $20.
Lyft
Uber says it is doing the best it can to help, but “it is not reasonable to expect Uber to fill in the massive gap left by a transit strike.”
“In response to the transit strike, Uber has capped surge pricing and offered additional incentives to drivers to encourage them to complete more trips during the strike. For example, this morning from 7 to 8, the number of active drivers increased more than 70% over the same hour last week,” Uber Canada’s communication lead, Keerthana Rang, told Daily Hive.
“To further save on price, we encourage riders to try the Group Ride feature, to carpool a ride and fare with a friend, or UberX Share where the rider saves on price as Uber will try to match another rider with you to carpool the ride,” she added.
Taxi prices will not be impacted by the strike, as the industry’s prices are regulated and do not change by demand. However, it might mean a longer wait for a cab.
Negotiations between TransLink subsidiary Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 4500 failed over the weekend, and the strike is expected to last 48 hours.
Some buses are not operated by Coast Mountain Bus Company and are, therefore, still running this morning.
“227 Lynn Valley Centre Via Lynn Canyon Park/Phibbs Exchange service continues to operate and is unaffected by job action at Coast Mountain Bus Company,” TransLink said Monday.
North Shore residents could also take the No. 250 (or No. 250A) Vancouver/Horseshoe Bay/Dundarave, No. 253 Vancouver/Park Royal/Caulfeild, or No. 254 Vancouver/Park Royal/British Properties. These routes cross the Lions Gate Bridge and are operated by the West Vancouver Blue Bus company.
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