TransLink says is facing a $600 million funding gap starting in 2026, and could be forced to make massive cuts including slashing bus servic
The impact of service cuts needed, if TransLink can’t address a looming operating deficit, could end up costing Metro Vancouver households, the region’s mayors say. That figure was drawn from a report presented to the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation on Thursday, based on an estimated $1 billion annual hit to the region’s economy in the event drastic service cuts are implemented. TransLink says it is facing a $600-million funding gap starting in 2026. The budget shortfall is a result of falling gas tax revenue, fare hikes that haven’t kept pace with inflation and the growing cost of labour, fuel and maintenance. “The reality is that TransLink is faced with a significant funding shortfall, a structural deficit that is based on a very out-of-date funding model,” mayors’ council chair Brad West said. “And the worst thing that could happen to young people who depend upon transit is to have the service significantly reduced and that’s what’s on the table.”
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