BC NDP leader David Eby has shut down claims that a vehicle levy is on the table as an option to fund public transit in the province.
TransLink urged all parties vying for votes to find a stable, long-term funding solution, warning that failure to do so could result in "reductions" in service and road investments.
"We will come to a solution to support TransLink, but the path to sustainable funding for that organization cannot be on the backs of drivers who are already struggling with the prices at the pump," Eby said Friday. "A vehicle levy or road pricing are not options we would proceed with. That's the last thing people need at a time when Trump is driving up costs."
According to TransLink, the 2025 Investment Plan states clearly that the provincial government has "committed, subject to approval of the Legislative Assembly, to enable an additional revenue source(s) in 2027," and that, "if passed, the new source(s) is intended to begin in 2027, generating at least $112 million per year in new revenue when fully implemented."
"It is up to the province to determine what that revenue source will be. TransLink has not advocated for any specific tool; our focus is on the need for stable, predictable funding that allows us to maintain and grow the transportation system Metro Vancouver depends on.
The current Investment Plan provides funding through the end of 2027," the transit agency wrote in a statement on Friday, "but short-term funding cannot replace a sustainable, long-term solution. Without one, reductions to transit service and road investments will be unavoidable."
"The challenge is compounded by an eroding fuel-tax base," TransLink continued. "Average fuel consumption per vehicle has dropped 45 per cent since 2002 as vehicles have become more efficient and more drivers switch to electric vehicles. Despite more vehicles on the road, the revenue TransLink receives from fuel tax is falling and is projected to decline further."
Jarryd Jäger
On Thursday, Eby said a reelected BC NDP government would reduce the provincial fuel tax by 10 cents per litre.
"A strong transportation system is essential to how this region functions," TransLink concluded. "It connects people to jobs and opportunities, supports housing and growing communities, and keeps people and goods moving across Metro Vancouver. We look forward to working with whichever party British Columbians elect to form government, on a sustainable path forward."
