Transit use in some parts of Metro Vancouver has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, TransLink says

With transit ridership now exceeding pre-pandemic levels in some parts of Metro Vancouver, local leadership is once again asking the provincial and federal governments to fund expansion plans.

With transit ridership now exceeding pre-pandemic levels in some parts of Metro Vancouver, local leadership is once again asking the provincial and federal governments to fund expansion plans.

The Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation – the governing body that oversees TransLink – held a news conference Tuesday at the Union of BC Municipalities annual convention to warn Victoria and Ottawa that "time is running out" as the region's population grows.

“The region’s population is growing at a record pace while our housing affordability crisis deepens,” said Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, the council's chair, in a news release accompanying the announcement.

“As mayors, we are concerned that any delays in expanding transit service will make it very difficult for city councils and builders to expand housing in our communities as quickly as is needed. The window for the provincial and federal government to take action is getting very small.”

The mayors' council is asking for funding for its $21-billion "Access for Everyone" plan, which calls for – among other things – the doubling of bus service, the construction of nine new "bus rapid transit" lines and a 10-fold increase in funding for "active transportation" infrastructure over the next decade. 

Overcrowding in the region's transit system is "rapidly worsening," according to TransLink, which anticipates four in 10 rush-hour bus trips will be "severely overcrowded" by 2025.

"Metro Vancouver leads all major North American cities in post-pandemic rapid transit ridership recovery," the news release reads.