Transportation agencies’ Safe Restart funding

Backgrounder

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, 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 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, BC Transit ridership levels across 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 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. 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 serves nearly 22 million passengers and 8.8 million vehicles through 180,000 sails over 25 routes.
Ferry traffic is currently at 80% of seasonal norms and, with this funding, it is expected that 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 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. 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 that 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 that BC Ferries has sufficient operating and financing resources to help manage any further negative developments in the near term.