Project Partners
Fraser Valley Regional District
The Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) is a partnership of local government members, including the Cities of Abbotsford and Chilliwack, the Districts of Mission, Kent and Hope, the Village of Harrison Hot Springs, and seven electoral areas. With a population of approximately 274,000, the FVRD has grown by approximately 1.5 percent per year over the past ten years. This growth rate is forecast to continue, with the population anticipated to reach approximately 410,000 by 2030.
FVRD residents enjoy a high quality of life in a region offering beautiful scenery and many recreational opportunities. Most valley residents benefit from growing and diverse employment opportunities close to home, as well as access to a broad range of housing options that are more affordable than in other parts of British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. The combination of rapidly growing and densifying urban centres, with their associated urban services and employment opportunities, and the region’s highly productive farmland, historic rural communities, and large resource and wilderness areas make the FVRD one of the most liveable environments in North America.
BC Transit
BC Transit is the provincial Crown agency charged with coordinating the delivery of public transportation throughout B.C. outside Metro Vancouver. In partnership with local government, the Corporation's mandate includes planning, administering agreements, marketing, fleet management, and contracting for the operations of transit services. BC Transit's scope in 2008/09 is as follows:
- 58 local government partners, the Victoria Regional Transit Commission, and regional hospital districts
- contracts with 27 private management companies and 14 non-profit agencies
- 49 million passengers carried annually
- more than 1.4 million people served in B.C.
- 82 transit systems - conventional, custom, and paratransit
- fleet of 860 conventional and double-deck buses, minibuses, and vans
- $229.8 million annual operating budget
Translink
TransLink was formed in 1999 to plan, finance, and manage a regional transportation system that moves people and goods efficiently and supports the Greater Vancouver Region’s growth management strategy, air quality objectives and economic development. Responsibilities include the regional transit system and the Major Road Network (MRN) for which responsibility is shared with municipalities. It is also responsible for Cycling, Transportation Demand Management, Commuting Options, AirCare and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) programs. TransLink’s services are delivered through subsidiary companies and contractors. Coast Mountain Bus Company Ltd. (CMBC), the largest subsidiary, operates 96 per cent of the region’s bus service as well as SeaBus. British Columbia Rapid Transit Company Ltd.
British Columbia Rapid Transit Company Ltd. (BCRTC) operates the SkyTrain system and West Coast Express operates commuter rail and TrainBus services. Fraser River Marine Transportation Ltd. operates the Albion Ferry and Pacific Vehicle Testing Technologies Ltd. is responsible for delivery of AirCare services. Contracted bus services include West Vancouver Blue Bus and Community Shuttle services. Most Community Shuttle services are currently operated under contract by Coast Mountain Bus Company, except for three operated by private contractors. Seven separate contractors operate custom transportation services for persons with disabilities (Custom Transit). Other contractors provide vanpool and carpool services. Operation, maintenance and inspection of road-related structures owned by TransLink are delivered by contractors under annual or multi-year contracts. Municipalities are responsible for delivering MRN operation, maintenance and rehabilitation and minor capital work.
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
In January 2008, the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (BC MoT) announced a $14 billion Provincial Transit Plan (PTP) to support the ministry’s broader transportation strategy. The aim of the PTP is to develop more effective transit services in BC and envisages an interconnected transit grid made up of a range of green travel options aimed a getting people out of their cars and into public transit. Through this ambitious plan, transit ridership will double in BC by 2020.
More specific goals highlighted in the PTP are focused regionally at increasing transit market share in every regional centre in British Columbia to meet the objectives set at the benchmark years of 2020 and 2030. The plan will see further improvements to transit security including measures to ensure passenger safety on all modes of transit. Further investments will be made into customized solutions to meet the varying needs of BC’s diverse communities, including, for example, expanding the rapid transit concept along key corridors throughout the province.
Investment in improved and expanded transit services will contribute to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The transportation sector is a major contributor to GHG emissions, the majority of which comes from cars and trucks. Increasing transit ridership coupled with increasing urban densities will go a long way to combating GHG emissions and by achieving the goals contained in the PTP, we can avoid over 4.7 million tonnes of GHG emissions by 2020. To achieve this mark would further support the province’s wider climate action plan to reduce GHG emissions by 33 percent of current levels by 2020
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