Background
...we have 50% more residents per bus than we used to, or that Toronto or Montreal have now! No wonder you can’t get on.
Why is there a problem with our bus system?
Increasing Ridership
Since 1997, transit usage at UBC- coincidentally Premier Gordon Campbell’s riding- has increased nearly 300%! Since the implementation of the U-Pass in Fall 2003, transit ridership increased 53% from the previous year alone.
On a 24 hour basis, 20% of trips in Vancouver and UBC are by transit – which makes it the most popular way to get around in the region. I
n 2002 the conventional bus system carried 160 million boarded passengers. By 2004 it jumped 30 million to 190 million passengers, nearly 20% more! During those same two years, the number of buses and service hours only increased by 2.5%, just a tiny fraction of the need.
Since 2002 bus ridership has increased more than projected, and plans to buy buses do not even meet current needs. (REF- CAW 111)
Service levels and funding have not kept up, and we can’t wait until 2020 for the BC Transit Plan to start working. We need government support to improve service adequate service levels, immediately.
Inadequate Investment In Transit
We Need More Buses
Currently we have only 1100 buses in service in our entire Metro Vancouver system. This works out to just one bus for every 1800 Metro Vancouver residents
Fifteen years ago, however, Metro Vancouver had one bus for every 1200 residents- the current ratio of buses to residents in Toronto and Montreal.
In other words, we have 50% more residents per bus than we used to, or that Toronto or Montreal have now! No wonder you can’t get on.
It’s not supposed to be this way. Metro Vancouver’s Livable Region Strategic Plan called for 1900 buses to be in service by 2006. Translink’s own first 5 year Strategic Plan projected 1600 buses in service by 2006. Why wasn’t this plan implemented?
It’s no surprise we have a problem – we are between 500 and 800 buses short.
Investment In Transit Creates Jobs & A Stable Economy
A $1 million expenditure on public transit in British Columbia creates on average 21.4 new jobs, compared to 7.5 jobs created by expenditures on general automotive expenses and 4.5 jobs through spending in the petroleum industry.
Transport Canada’s data for the transit industry suggests employment in transit had a combined overall impact on the Canadian economy of almost $2.1 billion in 2001.
Lack of Representation
In 2007, Bill 43, passed by the BC Government, effectively replaced Translink’s Board of Directors from elected politicians to appointed officials. These officials are not accountable to the public.
With all the development around campus, there’s an increasing number of residents in the UBC-area. Despite an increasing population, UBC area residents have no representation on the Board of Directors or the Mayors’ Council.
There is no formal mechanism to deal with our transit concerns. Our issues with transit service go unaddressed within the organization.
We need a transparent and accountable Board of Directors to ensure that transit service is responsive to transit users needs.
