An ongoing shortage of more than 500 buses means overcrowding, infrequent service, full buses passing up riders, inadequate Night Buses and more problems.
Riders give up on public transit and drive due to lack of service - making traffic more congested and Metro Vancouver more polluted.
And it's about to get a lot worse.
Over 60% of a planned modest increase in bus, SeaBus and SkyTrain service has been axed - because the provincial and municipal governments can't agree on who should pay about $40 million a year or
how.
And the TransLink Commissioner wants TransLink to find savings of $40 to $60 million every year for a decade!
That would mean a huge loss of bus, SeaBus and SkyTrain service when every rider knows we need more - not less.
But cash fares will soon go up 10% - higher transit fares, less service! |
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Enough is enough!
The planned service increase was only a small step - just a start to fixing our transit system - and now it's in the ditch.
$40 million represents less than 1/10th of 1% of the annual BC provincial budget of $44 billion dollars.
85% of Metro Vancouver residents polled last year want transit improvements, an Angus Reid Public Opinion poll found - and 75% believe the best option for increased funding is additional revenue from the
province.
Let's tell our provincial and municipal governments to stop fighting and start funding public transit properly.
Don't transit users deserve better service?
Send the BC government and the Metro Vancouver Mayors' Council a clear message - we want More Buses Now and more service now! |
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