TransLink is temporarily laying off nearly 1,500 employees from bus, SkyTrain, SeaBus and West Coast Express services.
The company made the announcement, Monday morning, as it continues to lose money. TransLink lost $75 million in a month and was seeking emergency funding to help keep them afloat.
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“It’s a dire situation which will force us to cancel entire routes and significantly reduce service levels on all transit modes, meaning far longer wait times and much more crowding for customers,” Kevin Desmond, TransLink’s CEO, had said in a news release.
While the transit company had begun reducing services last month, due to an 83% cut in ridership, TransLink will cut them even further. On Friday, 18 bus routes will be suspended, while another 47 may be suspended in May.
SkyTrain services will see reductions between 40-60% and the SeaBus will stop running in the evening.
This comes after the company began offering free services last month on buses.
The company said it is working with the province to make funding available and reverse layoffs. About 75,000 people rely on public transit to get around.
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