National

No more free ride on Metro Vancouver transit

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 04 May, 2020 06:28 PM

Transit users in Metro Vancouver will have to start paying bus fares again starting June 1. TransLink, the authority responsible for regional transportation, says fare collection and front-door boarding on buses will resume next month, although physical distancing measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 remain in place.

TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond says in a statement that Plexiglas or vinyl barriers will be installed on buses to ensure the safety of drivers. Fare collection was halted in mid-March and passengers were required to board buses by rear doors and use only designated seats as the number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus climbed in B.C.

Given the current low number of transit users, Desmond says fares should add about $2 million per month to TransLink coffers, but the statement says TransLink is still losing as much as $75 million a month.

As a cost-saving measure, 41 bus route suspensions or trip reductions are set to take effect in two weeks, on top of the 14 route suspensions announced since last month.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

New Nursing Home Cluster Amid Rising Covid Deaths And Economic Gloom

TORONTO - The steadily growing case load of COVID-19 infections in Canada surpassed 4,000 and the death toll shot up on Friday amid questions about fatalities that may not be counted as resulting from the pandemic.

New Nursing Home Cluster Amid Rising Covid Deaths And Economic Gloom

Federal Deficit To Top $112 Billion In Coming Year Due To Covid-19, PBO Says

OTTAWA - Parliament's budget watchdog is projecting that the federal deficit for the coming fiscal year could be $112.7 billion, a jump of $89.5 billion from previous forecasts as government spending climbs to combat the economic fallout from COVID-19.

Federal Deficit To Top $112 Billion In Coming Year Due To Covid-19, PBO Says

Canadian Family Rides Out Covid-19 Pandemic On Remote Tropical Island

TORONTO - A Canadian family on a round-the-world trip plans to ride out the COVID-19 pandemic on a remote tropical island in the South Pacific despite the risk of dengue fever.

Canadian Family Rides Out Covid-19 Pandemic On Remote Tropical Island

BC Farmers’ Markets Online Opening Soon

The B.C. government is providing $55,000 to the BCAFM to cover fees for individual farmers markets to join the online platform and set up their digital market store presence. Each participating farmers market will create its own virtual market store to best serve its communities.

BC Farmers’ Markets Online Opening Soon

Chilliwack Homicide Victim ID'd; Info Sought From Witnesses

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) is calling on the public to help further the ongoing investigation of the homicide of Stuart Schellenberg in Chilliwack, B.C.

Chilliwack Homicide Victim ID'd; Info Sought From Witnesses

Vancouver Police Say They're Working To Prevent Property Crime

Vancouver Police are taking significant measures to combat property crime while local and provincial measures are in place to address the spread of COVID-19.