Delta council is urging residents and other municipal governments in the region to join them in advocating for sustainable TransLink funding.

At a special meeting on Tuesday, council unanimously voted to support a motion by Coun. Dylan Kruger directing city staff to develop a strategic plan to pressure senior government to secure necessary funds to protect essential bus routes in Delta and across the region.

The motion further calls for staff to prepare for co-ordinated advocacy efforts at the Union of BC Municipalities Conference in September to seek long-term sustainable funding solutions for
TransLink, as well as engage with Delta residents and stakeholders to raise awareness and mobilize community support for the preservation of essential bus services.

Kruger鈥檚 motion was spurred by a recent TransLink report saying transit service in the region could be drastically slashed unless senior levels of government provide funding to meet current need and future growth.

As , TransLink is facing a $600-million annual shortfall as of 2026 and, because of that, is pursuing an ambitious $90 million-per-year plan to reduce costs.

CEO Kevin Quinn that TransLink's current funding model is unsustainable, and to "avoid reaching the edge of our financial cliff" the remedy could include cutting bus service in half, with the cancelling of up to 145 bus routes in the region and all night bus services.

"There would be almost no transit services operating in Langley, White Rock, South Delta, Port Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and much of the North Shore," Quinn warned. "It could look like reducing SkyTrain and SeaBus services by up to 30 per cent. West Coast Express could be eliminated completely. HandyDart service could be offering medical service only."

Delta routes on the chopping block include the 310, 391, 601, 602, 603, 604, 606, 608, 609, 614, 616, 618, 619, and 640.

鈥淚 really think it's an existential crisis for Delta and for the region if we don't find some kind of path forward. We would lose almost every one of our major bus routes,鈥� Kruger told council Tuesday.

鈥淭housands of residents who depend on these services to get to work, school, medical appointments and grocery stores will be left without viable transportation options. Access to reliable public transportation is not just a convenience, it鈥檚 a lifeline for so many. It鈥檚 freedom of mobility for so many citizens who depend on it every day.鈥�

Mayor George Harvie, who sits on TransLink鈥檚 Mayors Council, said the potential service cuts would significantly impact the entire region, not just Delta.

鈥淢ore than half a million people will no longer be living within walking distance of a transit stop, disproportionately impacting those who are low income, visible minorities, shift workers, youth and seniors鈥� Harvie said at council Tuesday.

Both Harvie and Kruger pointed out eliminating transit services wouldn鈥檛 just impact those who regularly take the bus.

鈥淭ens of thousands more cars would be added to the already congested streets and bridges, with congestion worsening by 20 per cent,鈥� Harvie said. 鈥淓mployers in health care, child care, hospitality, construction and major industries would face the prospect of employees who no longer can make it to work.鈥�

Citing recent data, Harvie said traffic through the George Massey Tunnel "is the worst ever," averaging 90,465 cars per weekday in May 鈥� up more than 5,500 from the year before.

鈥淭his is not just about people who take public transit, this is about existing car commuters who will see their already long, slow and painful commutes get a heck of lot worse if they see their roads congested with even more folks who were previously taking transit,鈥� Kruger said.

鈥淎nd this is a crisis that's only going to get worse as we face a million new residents coming to our region,鈥� he added.

Harvie noted that if these cuts happen, it will take at least a decade to return transit services and ridership back to current levels, 鈥渆ven if investments return."

Kruger said the problem is that the funding model for public transit in B.C. is broken, and has been for a long time. 

鈥淚t is not sustainable to have our public transit authority unable to make five-year capital plans because they don鈥檛 know whether or not they will be able to have the funding in place. Relying on the benevolence of government to provide one-off checks tied to specific projects when they feel like it does not allow for smart long-term planning,鈥� Kruger said.

鈥淥n top of this, a significant proportion of TransLink鈥檚 funding is tied to a declining revenue source in the fuel tax. As more and more vehicles are switching to more fuel efficient technology, as we're seeing more hybrids, more EVs on the road, fuel tax revenues continue to decline. In fact, TransLink collected $34 million less [from the fuel tax] in 2023 than the previous year, with those losses projected to continue growing over the next decade.鈥�

With a provincial election just over two months away, both Kruger and Harvie said the time is now for the region鈥檚 residents and civic politicians to pressure all parties to commit to providing sustainable transit funding.

"TransLink can't do it on its own. We need every single councillor that's elected in metro Vancouver, through their councils working on this, just like we are. I hope they follow suit," Harvie said.

鈥淲e're not asking for a cheque, we're asking for a new structure,鈥� Kruger said.
鈥漈he federal government, for better or worse, has put forward a permanent transit fund, which means TransLink can predict what sort of federal revenue they will have five, 10, 15 years down the line.

鈥淭hat does not exist provincially to date, outside of the rapidly-declining fuel tax, which is outdated and is years past the need for replacement. More than one-off cheques, we need a revamp of the entire funding structure, the way that we do transit in B.C."

Added Harvie: "Continuing getting us a new package of Band-Aids isn't working. Not at all."

鈥� with files from Tom Zytaruk