Transit advocates call for low-income pass as fares increase

Metrotown SkyTrain station saw a protest advocating for a low-income transit pass on July 1 — the same day TransLink’s fare increase went into effect.

TransLink, Metro Vancouver’s transit authority, increased fares by an average of five per cent.

The protest was organized by Movement YVR, a group that advocates for better transit systems in Metro Vancouver.

“Transit fares went up by 5 per cent today, and it’s making it even harder for the communities that rely on transit to afford it,” said Naisha Khan, Movement YVR’s program coordinator.

“I believe that right now, transit is not serving the people that it needs to,” Khan said.

They added that many people can benefit from a low-income transit pass, including people with invisible disabilities and seniors.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University student Tienna Weiss has a chronic illness that prevents them from standing up for long periods of time without causing nausea, extreme fatigue, and sometimes fainting. 

“You cannot tell by looking at me the impact this has on my ability to make money and be a functioning member of society, because I fall in this gray area of not being inherently legally disabled, but certainly not able to live a normal life,” Weiss said in a speech at the protest.

“I need this low-income transit pass,” Weiss said.

In early June, Vancouver city councillor, Sean Orr, proposed a motion for a low-income transit pass for those earning less than $40,000 a year.

“The amount that the City of Vancouver stated, I think, is definitely too low of a cut-off point — especially because it doesn’t consider dependents, and people who are low-income have other stressors that they need to worry about,” Khan said.

The motion, while agreed to, was amended. The City of Vancouver will instead advocate to the Mayors Council on Regional Transportation and the provincial government for funding.

Low-income transit passes are available across other major Canadian cities, including Toronto, Halifax, and Calgary. TransLink offers discounted or concession passes for seniors, HandyCard holders, and 13 to 18-year-olds.

Alexa Traboulay, the manager of community for the Women Transforming Cities advocacy group, said a low-income transit pass helps fix many issues.

“A low-income transit pass is [not only] a great transportation policy, but it is also a poverty reduction, public health, [and] gender equity measure,” Traboulay said in a speech at the protest. “When more people can take transit, we all benefit from a healthier, more connected, and sustainable city.”

She adds that the cost of living crisis forces people to make decisions about essential needs like transit and food.

“Transit is how people get to work, school, how they access child care, health care, groceries, and ultimately community,” Traboulay said.