The Cost of Transporting People in the British Columbia Lower Mainland – Revisited

Posted by on Tuesday, February 5, 2013 · 1 Comment 

In 1993 the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), now known as metro Vancouver,Ai??and the province of British Columbia released a report entitled “Transport 2021“, part of the 2021 study was the study, “The Cost of Transporting People in the British Columbia Lower Mainland“.

On page 15 of the “The Cost of Transporting People in the British Columbia Lower Mainland” study is a chart showing the breakdown of financial studies for public transit in 1991. The chart showed that the total subsidy for SkyTrain was $157.6 million. The huge subsidy for SkyTrain sent howls of “shock and disbelief” from BC Transit and the SkyTrain lobby, which until then maintained the myth that SkyTrain operated without subsidy and in fact suggested that SkyTrain paid its operating costs, a myth that remains today.

In early 2004, the late light rail campaigner, Des Turner, confirmed with TransLink that the annual SkyTrain subsidy, with the opening of the Millennium LineAi??surpassed $200 million a year! Alas, Mr Turner has since passed away and his meticulous records have been lost to the ages.

With the $90 million concessionaire’s fee for the Canada Line and addingAi??provincial debt servicing charges for the metro, the annual subsidy for the mini-metro system has now surpassed $300 million!

When politicians or media types claim that “SkyTrain operates without subsidy“, or “pays its operating costs“, just remind those cheer-leading for mini-metro of “The Cost of Transporting People in the British Columbia Lower Mainland” and that the annual subsidy for mini-metro has surpassed $300 million annually! One can also add, that the $300 million pus annual subsidy has hamstrung financially TransLink and its public transit operations.

The following is reproduced from”The Cost of Transporting People in the British Columbia Lower Mainland“.

Exhibit III-1

Breakdown of financial subsidies for public transit in 1991 ($millions)

SubsidyAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? Paid byAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? Diesel BusAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? Trolley BusAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? SkyTrainAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? SeabusAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? Total

Gas TaxAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? Auto driversAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? $19.6Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??$9.4Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? $17.8Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? $0.6 Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? $47.4

Hydro LevyAi??Ai??Ai??Ai?? HouseholdersAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??5.2Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? 2.5Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??4.7Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??0.2Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??$12.6

Commercial

Property TaxAi??Ai??Ai??Ai?? BusinessesAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??9.9Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? 4.8Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? 9.0Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? 0.3Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??$24.0

Residential

Prop. TaxAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? Home OwnersAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??5.8Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??2.8Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? 5.2Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??0.2Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??$14.0

Provincial

GovernmentAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Provincial

Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??TaxpayersAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? 50.0Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? 24.2Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? 120.9Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??1.7Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? $196.8Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??

 

Total SubsidyAi??- All SourcesAi??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? $90.5Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? $43.7Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? $157.6Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? $3.0Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? $294.8

 

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Comments

One Response to “The Cost of Transporting People in the British Columbia Lower Mainland – Revisited”
  1. eric chris says:
    February 6, 2013 at 2:25 am

    Media here don’t seem to care about the $158 million subsidy for SkyTrain and know how to protect their meal ticket with heart warming stories of how great TransLink is. When you consider that City of Edmonton engineers operate transit on about a $200 million shoe string budget to move about 100,000 people in a harsh winter climate – the billion dollar TransLink budget with $100 million annually in planning overhead for the executives of TransLink to preside over their young administrative assistants keeping them entertained in short skirts isn’t exactly value for money or amusing when TransLink only moves “300,000 people” here.

    Many of the people moved on SkyTrain are accidentally counted twice due to the extra transfer from buses to the SkyTrain, and the big jumps in transit use every time that a SkyTrain line goes into operation are exaggerated by TransLink. Too many executives living it up at TransLink are looting taxpayers to earn big money doing nothing at TransLink under the guise that they are doing wonderful things “planning”. What planning? Isn’t planning something that municipalities do? Isn’t the role of TransLink to keep the buses in good working order and to keep the buses on schedule? Just fire all the bums collecting big salaries to plan at TransLink and let the engineers run transit like in Edmonton.