Metro Vancouver mayors say they need billions of dollars over the next few years and a more reliable funding model from the federal government in order to improve transit.
Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, chair of the Mayors’ Council, says they have agreed on a plan to expand transit services to accommodate for population growth and put affordable housing within reach of transit.
Thank you to my fellow Mayors for re-electing me as Chair of the @mayors_council. The Mayors are tasked with developing a plan to deliver the transportation options people need & deserve. We’ve done that. We have the plan. Now, we need the prov & fed govt to step up & deliver.
— Brad West (@BradWestPoCo) November 23, 2023
The mayors have submitted a multibillion-dollar wish list to the federal government before the spring budget that includes $375 million to expand the bus fleet, $1.4 billion for additional bus depot capacity, up to $300 million for rapid transit and millions more in other improvements.
West says to reduce overcrowding and allow for substantial service expansion, they need both federal and provincial funding commitments no later than mid-2024.
The council says in a statement that TransLink is facing financial challenges, with services "essentially frozen" at 2019 levels, while the region's population has grown by almost 200,000 since then.
The council is also calling on the federal minister of finance to join with them and the province in developing a new funding model for Translink, which would include an annual cost bump of at least five per cent to the permanent transit fund.
