ANNUAL REPORT 2008/09 - BC Transit

Organizational OverviewBC Transit is the provincial Crown agency charged withcoordinating public transportation systems throughout BritishColumbia outside Metro Vancouver.In partnership with local government, BC Transit’s mandateincludes planning, funding, marketing, fleet managementand contracting for the operations of transit services.According to the British Columbia Transit Act (Section 3.1)BC Transit is to:“... plan, acquire, construct or cause to be constructedpublic passenger transportation systems and rail systemsthat support regional growth strategies, official communityplans, and the economic development of transit serviceareas, [and] to provide for the maintenance and operationof those systems.”The headquarters of BC Transit is located in Victoria,British Columbia.ScopeThe scope of BC Transit’s program as of March 2009:• 57 local government partners, including theVictoria Regional Transit Commission and regionalhospital districts• contracts with 27 private management companiesand 14 non-profit agencies• 47.6 million passengers carried in 2008/09• Over 1.5 million people served in B.C.• 81 transit systems - conventional,custom and paratransit• fleet of 958 conventional and double-deck buses,minibuses and vans• $197.7 million annual expenditures ontransit operationsServicesBC Transit has three types of public transit services to fit theneeds of British Columbia’s local markets and communities:Conventional transit serves the general populationin urban settings using mid-sized, large ordouble-deck buses.The buses are accessible and low-floor and run on fixedroutes and fixed schedules. Community bus service usingminibuses on fixed routes is now being widely used toefficiently serve lower density/suburban markets andfeed the mainline bus networks.Custom transit employs vans and minibuses and taxisfor dial-a-ride and door-to-door handyDART service forpassengers with disabilities who cannot use conventionaltransit. Contracted taxi supplement and taxi saver(discounted coupon) progams make for flexible servicethat adapts to customer needs.Paratransit serves small town and rural B.C. as well assome suburban areas using minibuses, taxis and vans forflexible routing and schedules.Transit services throughout BC Transit’s mandate, outside theVictoria region, are provided through a partnership betweenBC Transit, the local government, and a transit managementcompany. This partnership is formalized through a TransitService Agreement, and two operating agreements: a MasterOperating Agreement (MOA) and an Annual OperatingAgreement (AOA). The AOA is renewed on an annual basis.The selection of the transit management company isconducted through a public Request for Proposal processand is undertaken on a seven-year cycle. The exceptions tothis process are systems operated by public organizations(Regional District of Nanaimo, City of Nelson, District ofPowell River and the Sunshine Coast Regional District),and non-profit societies with small annual transit budgets(under $200,000).Governance of the Victoria Regional Transit System is bya Regional Transit Commission. It consists of a minimumof seven members, five locally elected mayors and twocouncillors, who are appointed according to theBritish Columbia Transit Act. The Commission sets routes,4BC TRANSIT 2008/09 ANNUAL REPORT