BC Transit is asking the City of Chilliwack to conduct a review of transit fares with an eye to regional alignment of fares.
Chilliwack council received the information at the last meeting, and referred it to the transportation advisory committee for their review and recommendation.
The last fare increase for the Chilliwack Transit System was in September 2013, at the same time as a transit expansion was rolling out.
The adult fare went from $1.50 to $2, and the senior/student fare went from $1.25 to $1.75.
This review is expected to: "assess and implement transit fare adjustments" in collaboration with municipal stakeholders in the Fraser Valley Regional District region, according to the transportation staff report.
It means a fare hike could be coming by next fall.
The review would aim for "balancing the goals of maximizing revenue, attracting and retaining ridership, reducing fare complexity and ensuring affordability," with the ultimate goal of aligning fares across the region, according to the city staff report to council.
A fare review undertaken in 2020 was supposed to coincide with transit expansion, but it was put on hold.
"Since then the City of Chilliwack, BC Transit, and the province faced challenges, including a multi-year pandemic, a transit strike, and freeze on fare increases due to the provincial Safe Restart funding agreement which provided top-up funding to transit systems to account for low ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic," the report said.
"The multiple years of delays and rising inflation have rendered the previous fare review outdated."
A report on the fare review is expected by Summer 2025, with any increases to take effect in October.
