VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Here’s your six weeks’ warning: Transit fares are going up as of January 1st.

Derek Zabel with TransLink explains the increases are retroactive. “Things like cash fares, day passes, and short-term West Coast Express prices haven’t risen since 2008. So, this is an increase of about two per cent per year since 2008, and this is basically to cover the cost of inflation.”

“We expect that this increase will bring in about $32 million and that’ll help to maintain our system. With the cost of inflation, this $32 million will help to cover that cost,” he adds.

A model to find hundreds of millions of dollars for transit improvements still needs to be worked out.

The reason TransLink is telling us this today is that by law, it has six weeks to remind the public that fares are going up.

Transit Fares as at January 1, 2013

CASH FARES

Adult

Concession

Regular fares

Weekday service from start of service to 6:30 p.m.

1 zone

$2.75

$1.75

2 zones

$4.00

$2.75

3 zones

$5.50

$3.75

Discount fares

Weekdays after 6:30 p.m. and all day Saturday, Sunday and holidays

All zones

$2.75

$1.75

PREPAID FARES

Adult

Concession

Monthly FareCard

 

1 zone

$91.00

$52.00

for all zones

2 zones

$124.00

3 zones

$170.00

FareSaver Tickets

Book of 10

1 zone

$21.00

$17.50

2 zones

$31.50

N/A

3 zones

$42.00

N/A

DayPass

 

$9.75

$7.50


West Coast Express fares will rise by approximately 12.5 per cent.