City of North Vancouver calls for 1-zone fare on SeaBus

The City of North Vancouver is calling on TransLink to introduce a temporary one-zone fare on the SeaBus.

Earlier this month, TransLink moved to a one-zone fare for all bus-only travel. However, that change does not include the SeaBus and during peak times on weekdays, commuters have to dig a bit deeper into their pockets for that two-zone fare.

“The TransLink board needs to look at this because it will become unfair. If they’re going to the same location, one is twice as much as the other, then you know what, it’s not quite fair,” said Darrell Mussatto, the mayor of the City of North Vancouver.

At Monday’s council meeting, Mussatto and his fellow councillors passed a motion to that effect, calling on TransLink to introduce a temporary one-zone fare on the SeaBus in line with the bus system fare. A copy of the resolution is to be forwarded to the District of North Vancouver, District of West Vancouver and City of Vancouver for their support.

READ MORE: 5 things you need to know about the Compass Card and 1-zone bus fare

Mussatto said cost isn’t the only reason they’re calling for change.

“We’re a little bit worried here in the city that people will start to take more buses and in consequence more buses means more diesel fuel on the road so we really want to make sure that it’s fair both ways,” he said.

For its part, TransLink said the move to a one-zone bus fare was about helping to speed up the Compass Card rollout and it’s only a temporary move.

“When we make decisions at TransLink we have to do what’s right for customers and what’s right for taxpayers and so in order to do that, we look at the greater good,” said Colleen Brennan, TransLink’s vice-president of communications and customer experience.

“In this case we had to move to a one-zone fare on buses so that we could roll out Compass and get it into the hands of people.”

Brennan said it’s too soon to know whether the cost is prompting a shift from one mode of transportation to the other, but adds they are keeping an eye on it.

Regardless, officials in North Vancouver say the city will be talking with mayors across Metro Vancouver about their concerns.