Victoria/Ottawa/Fraser Valley – TransLink, BC Transit and BC Ferries will share more than $1 billion under the federal/provincial Safe Restart Agreement announced earlier this summer, cost-shared 50-50 by both Federal and Provincial governments.
The Safe Restart Agreement will see TransLink, BC Transit and BC Ferries receive one-time operating funding relief. This will protect service levels across the province and ensure services remain affordable as part of BC’s Restart Plan. TransLink will receive $644 million, BC Transit will receive $86 million and BC Ferries will receive $308 million. Funding provided to BC Transit will be used to support municipal partners who receive fare revenue as part of the provincial-municipal partnership to deliver BC Transit services throughout the province.
Transportation agencies’ Safe Restart funding
TransLink:
- TransLink serves 2.5 million people in Metro Vancouver and works in partnership with the region’s 21 municipalities, Electoral Area ‘A’ and the Tsawwassen First Nation.
- In early April 2020, TransLink ridership had dropped by 83%.
- One-time federal/provincial Safe Restart funding of $644 million will help close TransLink’s projected COVID-19 related operating funding gap in 2020 and 2021.
- This funding will also offset additional revenue losses by keeping fares as low as possible for transit users during pandemic recovery.
- Safe Restart funding will also help ensure that TransLink has sufficient operating and financing resources to help manage any further negative developments in the near term.
BC Transit:
- BC Transit serves 1.8 million people in over 130 communities outside Metro Vancouver and works in partnership with 58 different local government partners.
- In early April 2020, BC Transit ridership levels throughout the province had dropped by an average of 75%.
- One-time federal/provincial Safe Restart funding of $86 million will help close a projected COVID-19 related operating funding gap for BC Transit’s local government partners in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
- This funding will also help ensure that local government partners are able to keep fares as low as possible for transit users during pandemic recovery.
- Safe Restart funding will also help ensure that BC Transit has sufficient operating and financing resources to help manage any further negative developments in the near term.
BC Ferries:
- BC Ferries serves nearly 22 million passengers and 8.8 million vehicles through 180,000 sails over 25 routes.
- Ferry traffic is at 80% of seasonal norms.
- With this funding, it is expected service levels will meet or exceed the minimum service levels set out in the Coastal Ferry Services contract with the Province.
- One-time federal/provincial Safe Restart funding of $308 million will help close BC Ferries’ projected COVID-19 related operating funding gap in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
- This funding will also offset additional revenue losses by keeping fares as low as possible for ferry users during pandemic recovery.
- In addition, Safe Restart funding will ensure discretionary sailings on minor routes remain in place over the next three years so people have a ferry service and schedule that they can depend on.
- Safe Restart funding will also help ensure BC Ferries has sufficient operating and financing resources to help manage any further negative developments in the near term.
