TransLink fares (Vancouver)

TransLink is the transportation authority in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia. It was created in 1998 as a replacement for BC Transit in the city of Vancouver and its neighbouring municipalities. As part of its mandate, TransLink is responsible for setting and administrating fares for regional public transit services.

On June 25th, 2007, all Coast Mountain and West Vancouver Blue Buses were designated as “fare paid zones,” meaning that passengers have a legal requirement to produce proof on demand that they’ve paid the proper fare.

Fare zones

The TransLink fare structure is based on a zone system. Municipalities are located in one of three transit zones, and fares are calculated based on the number of zones travelled.

West Coast Express fares can also be used as a three-zone fare on other TransLink services. The ticket expires three hours from the time of purchase.

Pre-paid fares

Prepaid fares include FareSavers, FareCards, and DayPasses. They may be purchased at FareDealers throughout Greater Vancouver, including supermarkets, convenience stores, drug stores, and gas stations. Post-secondary student fares are acquired through the university or college. FareCards, U-Passes, West Coast Express 28-day passes, and the Employer Pass Program qualify under federal tax regulations for the Transit Pass Tax Credit. [http://www.translink.bc.ca/About_TransLink/News_Releases/news10310602.asp]

FareSavers

FareSavers are sold in books with ten (10) tickets. The tickets can be used individually and can be validated at a SkyTrain station by inserting it into the validator or on a bus, by inserting the ticket into the electronic farebox. Like cash fares, tickets last for 90 minutes. Concession tickets come in only one zone and are sold for $16. Below are the adult prices:

Post secondary discounts

There are fare subsidies for many post secondary students, but eligibility for the reduced rates is varied;

U-Pass

U-Passes are discount passes for post-secondary students, in which all the students, by referendum, pay for and receive a mandatory transit pass. The price is reallocated across all students whether they use transit or not, resulting in the lower pass price. The Vancouver program is sponsored by the Vancouver City Savings Credit Union, and passes are currently only available to students at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. The fee is currently $22 per month for UBC students and $24.50 per month for SFU students. There are plans to expand the program to other area post-secondary institutions. [cite news | last = O'Connor | first = Naoibh | title = College students question U-PASS price discrepancy | url = http://www.vancourier.com/issues06/031106/news/031106nn7.html | publisher = Vancouver Courier | date = 2006-03-01 | accessdate = 2006-08-08]

FastTrax stickers

FastTrax stickers are available to students "attending approved, non-private post-secondary institutions". [cite web | url = http://www.translink.bc.ca/Transportation_Services/Fares_Passes/FastTrax.asp | title = FastTrax | publisher = Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority | accessdate = 2006-08-08] The sticker is applied to the student ID, which must be shown along with a monthly FareCard when boarding the bus. This allows the user to travel anywhere in the three zones on a single zone pass.

Notes

The TransLink zone system, when combined with the geography of the Lower Mainland, leads to a number of quirks within the fare structure. The adjacent municipalities of Coquitlam and Surrey are both in Zone 3. However, due to traffic congestion, there is no transit service on the Port Mann Bridge, which links these two communities. Passengers must travel into New Westminster, which is in Zone 2, and then travel back into Zone 3 on the SkyTrain to reach Surrey, thus having to pay for two zones.

A similar situation occurs while travelling from Burnaby (Zone 2) into the District of North Vancouver (also Zone 2). The access route, over the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, is located in Zone 1.

The #430 bus between Metrotown Station and Richmond Centre also requires a 2-zone fare to go from one end to the other. While both Metrotown Station and Richmond Centre are in Zone 2, the route travels through Vancouver. The #100 bus between 22nd Street Station and Airport Station (both in zone 2) has the same oddity, as it travels along Marine Drive in Vancouver (which is zone 1).

SkyTrain crosses into Coquitlam (Zone 3) between Braid and Lougheed Town Centre Stations. As there is no station in Coquitlam, riders are not charged for this crossing. However as Braid Station is Zone 2 and Lougheed Town Centre Station is Zone 2/3, Coquitlam passengers wishing to use the SkyTrain between these two stations as a shortcut are required to pay for two zones.

Until recently, people travelling from Delta to Annacis Island were forced to pay a two zone fare, but now Annacis Island is in both zone 2 and zone 3, and only a single zone fare is needed. [cite web | url = http://www.translink.bc.ca/files/board_files/meet_agenda_min/2005/07_20_05/minutes.pdf | title = Board meeting minutes | publisher = Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority | date = 2005-07-20 | accessdate = 2006-08-08]

Finally, two-zone cash fares purchased in Zone 2 can be used to travel the entire system. However, two-zone monthly passes are zone-specific and as such cannot take advantage of this anomaly.

References

See also

*TransLink (Vancouver)
*Metro Vancouver

External links

[http://www.translink.bc.ca/Transportation_Services/Fares_Passes/default.asp TransLink web site - transit fares]