Children across the Tri-Cities can now hop on a bus, SkyTrain or West Coast Express for no charge at all.
The province's initiative took effect today (Sept. 1) for kids ages 12 years and younger and is the first of a two-part program in an effort to make public transportation more affordable.
According to a release, B.C.'s population consists of 370,000 children of the eligible age range.
"This is a landmark achievement for free public transit in this province and an important part of our government’s commitment to provide safe, reliable and affordable public transit for B.C. families," said B.C. transportation minister Rob Fleming.
"We promised to introduce free transit for children 12 and under, and today we’re fulfilling that commitment.”
The program includes TransLink, which services residents in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra, as well as BC Transit in communities outside Metro Vancouver.
Masks are mandatory on all TransLink operations as of Aug. 25, the same day the order for indoor public spaces was reinstated by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry in light of the growing number of COVID-19 cases involving the Delta variant.
HOW IT WORKS
For children 12 and under wanting to take a TransLink bus, they don't need to present identification or a transit pass. They also don't need to be with a fare-paying rider to get to where they need to go.
However, for SkyTrain, SeaBus or West Coast Express, they need to be with someone who's paid for fare, or pay for a ticket themselves.
According to TransLink, up to four children can walk through the gates while with an accompanying customer.
For the HandyDART system, the rules are similar to the current regulations.
Children ages 12 and under must either be registered HandyDART riders or with someone who is in order to ride for free without paying for fare or showing ID.
For more information, and details about BC Transit's system, you're encouraged to visit the B.C. government's website.
FALL TRI-CITY ROUTES RETURNING
The new program starts five days before some service changes take effect for Tri-City transit this fall.
Starting Labour Day (Sept. 6), TransLink will be adding back one train to the West Coast Express and reinstating service serving Simon Fraser University (SFU) and UBC.
Among the changes are plans to:
- Add back Train 4 to the West Coast Express in the mornings and afternoons
- 6:55 a.m. from Mission to Waterfront Station
- 5:30 p.m. from Waterfront Station to Mission
As well, TransLink is adding service on routes serving post-secondary institutions as students return to in-person learning:
- Route 143 SFU/Burquitlam Station serving SFU and route 44 UBC/Downtown serving UBC are being reinstated.
- Service is being increased on routes 9 Boundary/Commercial–Broadway/Granville/Alma/UBC, 116 Edmonds Station/Metrotown, 130 Metrotown/Pender/Kootenay, 145 SFU/Production Way, 222 Metrotown/Phibbs Exchange, 245 Phibbs/Capilano, and 255 Dundarave/Capilano University serving multiple post-secondary institutions
- There will be 10-minute SeaBus service during rush hours, and 15-minute service in the early mornings.
TransLink says it's been monitoring how travel patterns have changed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and is using these findings to reallocate service to the busiest bus routes to reduce crowding and provide more frequent service.
In an earlier statement, CEO Kevin Quinn said customers should feel comfortable on transit at this stage of the pandemic.
“We are listening to our customers. The recently launched partnership with Transit app is another example of how we are responding.”
The tool allows customers to check how full buses are ahead of time and plan their trip accordingly.
“We want to provide customers with the service and data they need to make informed transportation choices as they return to their routines,” Quinn stated in a press release.
In addition to more service hours, TransLink is adding another 25 double-decker buses to the fleet, set to be introduced on route 340 between Scottsdale and 22nd Street SkyTrain Station later in the fall.
A full list of TransLink fall service changes can be found on its website.
- with files from Diane Strandberg, Tri-City News
