On Wednesday it was announced that the independent regulator of Translink had rejected a proposed substantial fare increase, which Translink said it needed to fund new projects.
The regulator also said that instead of asking for more money Translink could find cost savings, internally, of up to 60 million dollars.
Now the question is, where does that leave Translink?
It was revealed on Thursday that a large number of their employees make six-figure salaries – the transit police.
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“Sixty-six of the one hundred and seventy-seven transit police officers make more than one-hundred thousand dollars a year,” said Jordan Bateman of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
“No police officer at the Translink police force makes less than $75,000 a year, and in fact they all get a 25 per cent bonus when they work on Sundays, which is a crazy, outdated item in a collective bargaining agreement, which should be taken away,” added Bateman.
“That’s a lot of money; it’s far more than we see being paid to RCMP, or the Vancouver Police Department, or other comparable police forces.”
Bateman said that Translink has a high administrative cost, and there are cost-savings that could be made there, in his opinion.
The federation estimated that $250 million has been lost in fare evasion since 2000.
“That’s a good pool of money to start with,” said Bateman.
Mayors believe Translink needs to take a closer look at itself.
Translink is also facing a provincial audit.
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