Call to Action: Support a fare-free transit pilot in Vancouver

Transportation - including transit - is ranked as one of the largest expenses for households.

Sent December 9 to the City of Vancouver’s Standing Committee on City Finance and Services
Written by Sacia Burton, BC Poverty Reduction Coalition

The BC Poverty Reduction Coalition supports this motion towards establishing dignified and accessible transit in Vancouver. 

Transit services in BC are most heavily relied upon by workers, seniors, youth and students, people with disabilities, and low-income people, yet often these services cannot be relied on due to lack of accessibility or affordability. Transportation - including transit - is ranked as one of the largest expenses for households alongside housing and food. Nearly one million people living in Canada's eight largest cities were at risk of transport poverty in 2019, meaning they cannot access or afford transportation. Between these cities, Vancouver has the highest number of people at “very high” and “moderate” risk of transportation poverty.

Without the ability to get where they need to go, people who face mobility poverty often experience social exclusion and have limited access to work opportunities and essential services such as health care and education. 

Women, in particular, often experience time poverty because they face greater financial and time pressures related to travel, leaving them little time for other activities due to more complex travel patterns and diverse trip purposes. 

Investment in public transit in BC could improve the health, education, social well-being, and economic opportunities of people across the city. Through targeted and thoughtful investment, such as this fare-free pilot, public transit in Vancouver would be dignified, consistent, reliable, and equitably accessible. 

We urge you to pursue this pilot project to implement fare-free routes in Vancouver.