TransLink launches new partnership to study benefits of subsidising transit

Credit: TransLink

TransLink has announced that it has launched an innovative partnership with PCI Developments to study the impacts of providing subsidised transit to residents and workers in King George Hub, a transit-oriented development near King George SkyTrain Station. TransLink will monitor the ridership of participants and will assess to what extent subsidised transit changed their travel patterns.

“This pilot will not only provide subsidised transit for people living or working near SkyTrain, but it will help us better understand the benefits of incentivising transit for future transit-oriented developments as well,” says TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn. “This data will help us to potentially create future partnerships, build ridership and expand sustainable transportation use.”

Transit subsidies are already an option for developers to meet building sustainability requirements in some municipalities, though there is a lack of data and studies in this area. According to Transit, data collected during this pilot could also strengthen the case for transit subsidy requirements by municipalities as part of new transit-oriented developments.

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As part of the pilot, $150 of pre-loaded Compass Cards – paid for by PCI Developments – will be provided to 250 residents or workers in the King George Hub development. Participants will also be surveyed before and after the three-month pilot period of their transit use. TransLink will track participant transit usage during the pilot with their permission and by the end of the pilot will determine whether the participants were more likely to use transit as a result.

This pilot will begin in October 2022 and will run for three months. Once complete, the data will be shared with developers and municipalities to demonstrate the benefits of subsidising transit in transit-oriented communities.