Both parties have ruled out a vehicle levy to fund transit. Does that mean we’re heading off the fiscal cliff that would target Surrey, Maple Ridge, and the Tri-Cities?
For Immediate Release
October 2, 2026
In 2025, Movement fought off devastating cuts that threatened to eliminate 50% of transit service. This election is setting us up for the same fight in 2027.
This morning, both the BC Conservatives and the BC NDP ruled out a vehicle levy to fund public transit in Metro Vancouver. This despite the vehicle levy being commonly used in other cities, including Montreal, Seattle, and the bustling metropolis of Gatineau, Quebec.
When will we get a government in BC that actually sets out a vision to not only stabilize transit but also improve it?
Over one million British Columbians use public transit on a regular basis. Many others wish they could use it, if only it offered reasonable service to their home.
If the province follows through with the transit cuts that were contemplated last year, hundreds of thousands will jump into their cars, worsening the gridlock that’s already strangling BC’s economic engines. Those that can’t afford a car will simply be stranded. That means BC’s employers will have a harder time accessing staff, and seniors will have a harder time accessing medical care.
The Conservatives have announced that they will not increase taxes, at all. The NDP has announced that they will rule out two of the most common sources of transit funding in cities around the world, but that they will “come up with a solution to support” Metro Vancouver’s transit riders.
The BC Conservative press release says that David Eby “will make life more expensive.” But the reality is that any party willing to let transit collapse will add $15,000 per year to every family’s budget. That’s how much it would cost you to add a second or third car to your household.
| Does this affect swing ridings? Surrey Guildford – 22 vote margin Routes 335 and 345 already some of the most overcrowded in the system Maple Ridge East – 97 vote margin In 2025, transit cuts would have eliminated every single route in Maple Ridge, and could again Surrey City Centre – 236 vote margin Riding with 5th highest rate of transit usage, higher than downtown Vancouver |
| What is the best transit funding tool? In fall 2025, Movement hosted a Dragon’s Den style competition to crown the best transit funding tools. The winners were vehicle levy and sales tax, both being common around the world. Read more here. |
We are calling on all parties in this provincial election to elaborate on how they will fund transit in British Columbia, not just in Metro Vancouver. And not just the current level of service, but a network that provides a realistic, safe, and affordable option for far more British Columbians.
We’re not just looking for a party that will prevent that new $15,000 annual expense. We’re looking for a leader that will help more British Columbians actually knock $15,000 out of our family budgets by making transit a better option for more people.
Here are Movement’s five policy asks this provincial election:
- Fund public transit better – Transit can’t keep going from crisis to crisis. The current funding model is simply not sustainable. We need the province to create a long-term funding solution to allow for both stability and expansion.
- Make transit more affordable – Metro Vancouver is one of the few regions in Canada without a discounted transit program for low‑income youth and adults. It’s time to fix that, so that cost isn’t a barrier to accessing work, education, and family across the region.
- Build the skytrain to UBC – It’s long overdue. Surveys show the UBC SkyTrain is just as popular in Surrey as it is in Vancouver – why? Because Surrey’s families are demanding the same access to education as everyone else. Two hours is too long to commute to school every day.
- Create a public intercity bus network – Many British Columbians are stranded in towns without a single wheelchair-accessible option to get out. These towns also miss out on car-free visitors from the big city, as well as international tourists. This could be solved at a cost that would be a tiny fraction of even one kilometre of SkyTrain.
- Express bus on Highway 91 – With bus priority measures on Highway 91 and a new express highway bus service, trips from Richmond to Burnaby, Surrey, and beyond will go from 60+ minutes to 30. This bus would be faster than SkyTrain, even beating the car in peak times. It would take very little time to launch, and would also cost a fraction of a SkyTrain.
Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders is a non-profit that represents our region’s one million transit riders. We’ve often been left out of the conversation, and we’re here to speak up for faster, more reliable, more abundant transit. We’re focused on the growing number of bus routes where riders are left behind by full buses, day after day, primarily in Surrey and South Vancouver, as well as the urgent need for bus lanes that cost almost nothing but massively improve commutes for hundreds of thousands of people.