The TransLink Mayors' Council has given the transit service the go-ahead to begin developing a new user-pay model based on distance traveled. Nadia Stewart has the details.

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It’s official: TransLink is changing the way it calculates fares for passengers.

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The transit authority is scrapping the three-zone system in favour of a new distance-based fare system.

WATCH: TransLink asking for public input on transit fares

The Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation voted Thursday to move to the new model for SkyTrain, SeaBus and rapid transit.

“It will benefit the people of Surrey, yes. It will benefit people all over the region,” said Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner.

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Under the new model, passengers will be charged based on the number of kilometres they travel, meaning a more gradual increase in fare price compared to the sudden jumps at current zone boundaries.

The maximum fare a passenger could be charged will remain what it currently is under the three-zone model.

Monthly passes will also be updated to reflect the change.

No hard date has been set for the transition to the new fare structure.

“[This] allows us to take it it the next step going forward. The designers, the technology, when can we make it happen, how do we do it at minimal cost,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond.

READ MORE: TransLink recommending changes to transit fares

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The potential price-per-kilometre remains unclear. However, TransLink said it estimates about two-thirds of people will pay the same as they do now. People who take frequent short trips across zone boundaries and SeaBus passengers are expected to pay less, while those who take long trips within a current zone would pay more.

TransLink’s regional flat-rate bus fare scheme will not change.

TransLink will also now look at possible discounts based on what time commuters choose to travel, along with possible new discounts for low-income people, children and youth.

The transit authority proposed an end to the zone system last month, following months of public consultation on a change to its fare structure.

READ MORE: TransLink exploring options for fares based on distance travelled

It said the changes reflect concerns from riders who take short trips across zone boundaries, and the arbitrariness of where those boundaries are set.

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TransLink said it does not expect the change in fare structure to generate any additional revenue.

More to come…

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