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A Vancouver councillor’s motion that pushed for a low-income transit pass for vulnerable people was passed with amendments on Wednesday.
While Coun. Sean Orr had sought a program to be spearheaded by the City of Vancouver for those earning less than $40,000 a year, other councillors said that the city should instead advocate to higher levels of government on the issue, and not veer outside its jurisdiction as a local government.
Advocates had welcomed Orr’s motion, saying that the cost of transit was becoming prohibitively high in a city marked by unaffordability for years, and low-income people were having to choose between transit and other pressing costs.
Orr’s proposal would have seen city staff work with Metro Vancouver’s transit authority, TransLink, and identify a cost structure for a $25 low-income transit pass.
Coun. Sean Orr said that his proposal wasn’t just about transportation, but also about equity. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
But it was ultimately amended to have the city advocate to the Mayors Council on Regional Transportation and the provincial government for funding on the issue.
For his part, Orr told CBC News before the vote that many other major cities in Canada — Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Halifax among them — already had low-income transit passes.
“This is not only, you know, a transportation issue. This is about equity. This is about social determinants of health,” he said.
“And I know the province takes that very seriously. So hopefully they can get on board.”
WATCH | TransLink to hike fares beginning July 1:
Transit fares to increase in Metro Vancouver, beginning July 1
Metro Vancouver transit fares will jump an average of five per cent starting July 1, following a four per cent hike last year. TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn said the increase is needed to continue funding increased service for transit riders.
In a statement, TransLink says it is in favour of further equity-based transit discounts — but it needs to be supported by government partners.
“TransLink is not in a financial position to implement further discounts independently,” a spokesperson wrote.
Metro Vancouver’s transit authority has been looking for long-term funding for years, and has implemented annual fare hikes to fund transit service expansions.
Advocates in favour of program
Alexa Traboulay, the manager of community for the Women Transforming Cities advocacy group, said that it was surveying and talking to community members ahead of the upcoming 2026 municipal election — and the increasingly unaffordable cost of transit was a major theme.
“We know that many folks are turning to alternative methods of transportation instead of transit, which may be less safe, just because they can’t afford the transit passes,” she said.
Traboulay argued that a low-income transit pass would allow community members to connect with each other, with many residents telling the group that they were feeling isolated.
Alexa Traboulay with Women Transforming Cities says that the affordability of transit is one of the primary concerns being expressed by residents heading into the 2026 municipal election in the fall. (CBC)
Aman Chandi, the director of fundraising at transit advocacy group Movement, said the City of Vancouver had a successful pilot program in 2021 that saw transit passes being given to low-income residents.
She argued that the current B.C. Bus Pass program — which offers reduced fares for seniors and those receiving disability assistance — should be expanded to include low-income people.
“People are not asking for a handout,” Chandi said.
“They want to go to work. They want to take care of their families, and transit should not be something denied to people because they can’t afford it.”
Aman Chandi with Movement – Metro Vancouver Transit Riders says that the province should expand its B.C. Bus Pass program to include low-income people. (CBC)Call for province to step up
Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung, who has previously sat on the Mayors Council on Regional Transportation, said there were ongoing conversations about the affordability of transit at the regional level.
“I can tell you that there’s also a lot of frustration, particularly at TransLink, around an underfunding of our transit system here regionally and at both the provincial and the federal levels,” she told council on Wednesday.
She said that, unlike many other cities, Vancouver doesn’t control its own transit system and is instead just one of the municipalities served by TransLink — and the city taking on a low-income transit pass would be a financial burden that would not solve the issue of transit unaffordability.
“What we actually need to do is convince the people that have the authority over the system, and have the responsibility for funding it, so that we have a seamless service,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Poverty Reduction Ministry said the B.C. Bus Pass program served over 66,200 seniors and 42,800 people on disability assistance last year.
“In Metro Vancouver, programs such as concession fares, the U Pass [B.C.] program, and free transit for children aged 12 and under also help improve affordability and access,” they wrote in a statement.