Vote Vancouver on transport: free transit under 18, bike valet, ferries, parking
Transportation Choice is Vote Vancouver's transport section. It proposes a 2027 pilot of free transit passes for Vancouver residents under 18, a free seasonal bike valet in city parking spaces, an all-electric passenger ferry, a SkyTrain line to UBC, 10 new pedestrian plazas and a parking pass for seniors.
CITY COUNCIL · PAGES 13 TO 19
The aim of Transportation Choice, in the party's words
More choices. Fewer barriers.
Transportation Choice runs from page 13 to page 19 of Vote Vancouver's Policy Priorities. The party says getting around the city is harder than it should be, and that people who walk, bike, drive or take transit should all have safe and affordable choices. Three chapters each cover one program in detail, and a final chapter gathers the party's shorter list on streets, transit and parking.
The largest promise is free transit for young people. A Vote Vancouver majority would partner with TransLink to give every Vancouver resident under 18 a free pass, starting with a pilot for the 2027 calendar year. The party would also run a free bike valet in underused city parking spaces from April 1 to October 31, 2027, and push for an all-electric passenger ferry from downtown to Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast.
The city owns its streets, sidewalks and parking rules, so Council can act alone on bike lanes, curb cuts, plazas and parking. Buses and SkyTrain are run by TransLink, a regional body the city does not control, so the free youth pass and the SkyTrain line to UBC depend on TransLink and its funders.
4 CHAPTERS
Every chapter in Transportation Choice
Expand Free Transit to Youth Under 18
Vote Vancouver: a free transit pass for every resident under 18, from 2027
- Free transit pass for residents under 18
- Pilot launched within 100 days for 2027
- Online and in-person applications
Free Seasonal Bike Valet Program
Vote Vancouver: free watched bike parking in city parking spaces in 2027
- Free seasonal bike valet in EasyPark spaces
- Pilot from April 1 to October 31, 2027
- Tracking what the valet does
Expanded Marine Transportation
Vote Vancouver: an electric passenger ferry to Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast
- All-electric passenger ferry
- Better use of Vancouver's waterways
- More green marine transportation with partners
Streets, Transit and Parking
Vote Vancouver: SkyTrain to UBC, Broadway bike lane, 10 plazas, seniors' parking
- Extend SkyTrain to UBC
- Safer biking
- Complete the Broadway bike lane
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Who holds the power for these 19 commitments
Each chapter page names the body for every commitment and gives the reason in one sentence.
ON THE BALLOT
The Vote Vancouver candidates behind this
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about Transportation Choice
Does Vote Vancouver want free transit for teenagers?
Yes. Vote Vancouver says a majority on council would partner with TransLink to give every Vancouver resident under 18 a free transit pass. Within its first 100 days it would launch a pilot, with passes valid for the 2027 calendar year and no means testing (Policy Priorities, pages 14 to 15).
What is Vote Vancouver's bike valet plan?
The party would run a free seasonal bike valet in existing, underused EasyPark spaces, giving people secure, watched bike storage. The pilot would run from April 1 to October 31, 2027, and the city would publish the results at the end of the season (Policy Priorities, pages 16 to 17).
What does Vote Vancouver promise on SkyTrain and bike lanes?
Vote Vancouver would extend the SkyTrain line to UBC, complete the Broadway bike lane and fix known cycling safety problems such as sightlines, signal timing and turning conflicts (Policy Priorities, page 19).
What would Vote Vancouver do about parking?
The party would set a two-hour maximum in short-term parking areas, protect short-term and accessible parking near medical and senior-serving places, and introduce a prepaid parking pass so seniors without smartphones can park without an app (Policy Priorities, page 19).
Can Vancouver make transit free for youth on its own?
No. TransLink, a regional body the city does not control, runs buses and SkyTrain. Vote Vancouver's own plan says the city would partner with TransLink to provide the passes (Policy Priorities, page 14).
Sources
Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it.
- Vote Vancouver Policy Priorities SAYS SO ITSELFVote Vancouver · pages 13 to 19 · checked