🚆 SkyTrain Chaos: High Costs, Delays, and $173 Threats
By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita
TransLink wants you to know they're doing track work — which really means: expect delays.
But here’s the part they don’t say out loud:
➡️ Your 90-minute ticket expires — while you’re stuck on their delayed system.
➡️ You risk getting hit with a $173 fine if your transfer runs out.
➡️ And meanwhile, the trains are PACKED with people, especially international students who often don’t pay — or use each other's cards — and face no consequences.
It’s beyond unfair.
💸 Who Pays? People Like Me.
I pay $13 round trip just to commute from Vancouver to South Surrey.
For what?
- 🚆 Delays
- 🚷 Overcrowding
- 👮 Threats from transit cops
- 😡 No extensions for transfer time
Even when it’s TransLink’s fault the train is late, they still threaten riders with fines.
And those $173 fare infraction posters are everywhere — like we’re criminals for not being rich enough to own a car.
🧑🎓 And Who Doesn’t Pay?
I see it every day: huge groups of new international students getting on without tapping in.
Some share one Compass Card.
Some just ignore the system entirely.
And when inspectors come on board? They vanish like smoke — because enforcement is selective.
And don’t get me wrong — this isn't about blaming international students.
It’s about a system that turns a blind eye for some, and drops the hammer on others.
If you're poor, elderly, or struggling to get by, you’re the target.
If you don’t speak the language or know how to play the system, you’re invisible.
💼 TransLink Executives Are Doing Just Fine
While we stress about a $173 fine, TransLink’s CEO, Kevin Quinn, makes over $448,000 a year.
Other executives bring in hundreds of thousands more.
They never ride during rush hour.
They don’t see the chaos or the fear.
They just approve more fare hikes and pretend this is a “world-class transit system.”
But the reality?
🚆 This isn’t transit — it’s extortion.
⚠️ It’s Not Just Inconvenient — It’s Oppressive
- There’s no grace period when delays push your ride over 90 minutes.
- There’s no discount if you’re low-income and not on disability.
- There’s no accountability for unfair policing or enforcement.
- And there's no compassion — just punishment.
All while billions are being spent to expand the system to UBC — so the developers can gentrify Kitsilano and push even more people out of the city.
🔥 We Need to Push Back
Here’s what we need:
- Automatic transfer time extensions during delays.
- Fare cap systems — no one should pay more than a set amount per day.
- Real accountability for fare inspections and enforcement.
- Equity programs for low-income riders — even if they don’t have “official” disability paperwork.
Because right now, TransLink is failing the people it was meant to serve.
I ride this system, I have no choice. I see what’s happening. And I’m telling you: it’s not sustainable, it’s not fair, and it’s not humane.
✊ Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita
| @zipolita
#TransitJustice #SkyTrainTruth #SomethingHASToChange
