Public transit advocates to rally Sunday to save Lower Mainland bus routes

Supporters of public transit plan to rally Sunday in Burnaby in an effort to save bus routes around the Lower Mainland.

The non-profit group organizing ‘Rally for Transit’ says the point of the event is to show the province and local mayors that there is broad support for funding public transit.

“Especially if we are going into a recession caused by [U.S.] tariffs, people are going to be needing to save money on their family budget,” said Denis Agar, the executive director of Movement.

“And if that means maybe ditching that second car, they are going to need transit more than ever.”

Agar says the group wants to address TransLink’s operating budget shortfall before it is forced to cut routes.

“We’re talking about removing over 100 routes from the map, so cities like Maple Ridge and Port Coquitlam would end up with no transit service whatsoever, and other cities like West Van and Township of Langley might only end up with one route left,” he said.

Movement says that since 2020, the population of the region has grown 13 per cent, but transit service has not expanded to accommodate this.

Agar says 80 per cent of people support public transit, regardless of whether or not they personally use it.

The rally is scheduled to start at Metrotown Station in Burnaby at 1 p.m. Sunday.