TransLink does not focus enough on boosting public transit ridership across Metro Vancouver because it is too distracted by road and bridge projects.

That’s the crux of a confidential report written by former interim CEO Doug Allen when he left the transportation authority after a six-month stint last August.

The report, released under Freedom of Information, covers everything from TransLink’s tarnished reputation to its “confusing” governance structure and the controversial Compass card.

“TransLink is not focused on increasing ridership,” Allen writes. “In recent years, ridership has been declining and this is a critical issue for a transit system that is planning expansion for a growing population.”

Allen said TransLink’s decision to focus on road and bridge improvements has created a “conflicting mandate” for the board, noting that as vehicle travel becomes more efficient, transit becomes less appealing. The Golden Ears Bridge, parking fees at park-and-ride lots and other decisions have deterred transit users, he said.

Even the Compass card was touted as a way to reduce fare evasion rather than boost ridership.

“The attempt to reconcile these conflicting mandates has resulted in an enterprise with vague goals about producing regional transportation plans,” Allen said. “Because growing ridership is not currently identified as the organizational priority there are no projects, initiatives or strategies designed to increase ridership. Many decisions are actually counterproductive to this goal.”

TransLink has acknowledged it has seen a rolling decline in ridership over the past two years, partly because of a 2013 fare increase. A move last fall to make all bus fares one zone as part of the Compass card rollout did result in a 1.1-per-cent boost in bus ridership, TransLink said, but it is forecasting a $1.1-million decline in revenue next year as the Compass card takes full effect and the number of cash fares “dramatically drops.”

TransLink plans to review its fare structure for the first time in 30 years, which could potentially see its three-zone system replaced with a flat fare across the region or a distance-based fee, to boost ridership.

The move was recommended in a core services review by Allen, which also suggests that TransLink use mobility pricing, such as tolling all bridges, to get people out of their cars. It also suggests drawing up a business case to transfer its roads and bridges to another agency.

Regional mayors have touted mobility pricing as a way to fund transportation across the region, but Greg Moore, Port Coquitlam’s mayor and chairman of Metro Vancouver, said he doesn’t agree TransLink should hive off its roads and bridges. This would whittle down the long-range vision of getting more people walking, cycling or taking transit to work, he said.

“I feel a lot of effort goes into moving goods and people through the system,” Moore said. “When you look at other organizations around the world, TransLink is the envy, in the sense that one authority is looking after transit and transportation. In most cases, there are multiple groups looking after roads and bridges. At TransLink, we have the best of all of it going on.”

Allen maintains the TransLink system is “safe, reliable, efficient and affordable” but insists roads and bridges shouldn’t be included in core operations. He also maintains TransLink could improve its customer service, noting the public has been left with an impression of “detached indifference to their experience, opinions or requests.