Service Plan| 2014/15–2016/17
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Service Plan | 2014/15–2016/17 Map of BC Transit Systems Legend Transit System North Central Vancouver Island Coastal South Coast Southern Interior Kootenays Fort St. John Hazletons’ Regional Prince Rupert Port Edward Terrace Regional Smithers & District Dawson Creek Skeena Regional Kitimat Prince George Quesnel Bella Coola Williams Lake Mt.Waddington 100 Mile House Clearwater & Area Revelstoke Ashcroft-Clinton Campbell River Pemberton Kamloops Shuswap Regional Comox Valley Powell River Whistler Lillooet-Lytton North Okanagan Vernon Regional Sunshine Coast Squamish Merritt Nakusp Port Alberni Nanaimo Regional West Columbia Valley Agassiz-Harrison Alberni-Clayoquot Kelowna Regional Kootenay Central Fraser Valley Slocan Valley (Abbotsford, Mission) Chilliwack Princeton Kaslo Summerland Okanagan-Similkameen Cowichan Valley Penticton Kimberley Salt Spring Island Kootenay Lake West Elk Valley Nelson Osoyoos Boundary Cranbrook Victoria Regional (Grand Forks) Castlegar Regional Kootenay Boundary (Trail) Creston Valley Message from the Chair to the Minister Responsible HONOURABLE TODD STONE Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure and Minister Responsible for BC Transit On behalf of the Board of Directors of British Columbia Transit (“BC Transit”), I am pleased to provide our Service Plan for 2014/15 – 2016/17 (the “Service Plan”). BC Transit carries more passengers, using less service hours, at a lower cost than comparable transit systems across Canada. In an environment of fiscal restraint, continuing to provide the most effective transit services possible by leveraging our existing resources will be a primary focus. In support of the Province’s balanced budget objective, BC Transit will continue to focus on controlling costs, maximizing service hours, and utilizing efficiencies gained through our shared services model to deliver value for money. Planned service expansion over the next three years will be modest, and BC Transit will work with local government partners to increase ridership and meet customer demand mostly through the optimization of existing services. Last year, we implemented a robust performance monitoring program for our regional transit systems; this will enable us to prioritize future investments by identifying which investments will have the greatest impact. Our ability to achieve economies of scale in fuel procurement, as well as our willingness to test emerging technologies, will assist us in controlling costs. In 2014, we are proudly taking delivery of our first fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG) fuelled heavy duty buses that will operate within the Regional District of Nanaimo. BC Transit has always been a leader to test and operate new fleet technology, and the CNG buses will not only support British Columbia’s developing natural gas industry, but also reduce our dependency on volatile diesel fuel markets. In addition, we are the first North American company to operate medium-duty Vicinity buses, which provide efficient and cost effective vehicles that are right-sized to meet community needs. Since BC Transit’s initial purchase of these 28 foot buses, other manufacturers have announced new vehicle configurations that will also compete with the traditional 40 foot bus. The introduction of these new vehicles will increase choice and provide cost competition to the benefit of our customers and partners. As we focus on remaining as effective and efficient as possible over the next three years, we have several new initiatives that will be introduced. Our ability to reach customers to deliver timely information will be vastly improved when we roll out our improved iv BC TRANSIT 2014/15–2016/17 SERVICE PLAN online presence. Customers can expect easy access to user-friendly schedules and maps, personalized views of transit information for mobile devices, and direct access to preferred routes. The second phase of the Kelowna RapidBus project will also complete in 2014, providing customers with improved stations, amenities, transit signal priority, and real-time information along Highway 97 between the City of Kelowna and the District of West Kelowna. In Victoria, BC Transit is working with the Province and local government partners to provide transit priority on key corridors within the region. These projects are expected to improve travel time and reliability by allowing buses to bypass traffic congestion and reach their destinations with ease. As we complete these projects, we will focus on the planning work required to implement facility infrastructure improvements in some of our larger transit systems. Many of our facilities are nearing the end of their economic lives, or are operating at capacity. Over the next two years, BC Transit will work with local government partners to identify the most cost effective mechanisms for replacing these assets. The cost to replace or expand fleet, facilities and information technology infrastructure remains a significant barrier to transit expansion across the province. We look forward to continuing the dialogue with our provincial and local government partners on the best ways to overcome this barrier. This Service Plan was prepared under the Board’s direction in accordance with the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act and the BC Reporting Principles. The Service Plan is consistent with the B.C. government’s strategic priorities and fiscal plan. The Board is accountable for the contents of the plan, including what has been built into the plan and how it has been reported. To the best of our knowledge the significant assumptions, policy decisions, events and identified risks are current and have been considered in preparing this plan. The performance measures presented are consistent with BC Transit’s mandate and goals, and focus on aspects critical to the organization’s performance. The targets in this plan have been determined based on an assessment of BC Transit’s operating environment, forecast conditions, risk assessment and past performance. BC Transit looks forward to delivering on those targets and continuing to demonstrate our value in the years ahead. Kevin Mahoney Chair, Board of Directors BC TRANSIT 2014/15–2016/17 SERVICE PLAN Table of Contents Map of BC Transit Systems ii Message from the Chair to the Minister Responsible iii Organizational Overview 2 Legislated Mandate ........................................................ 2 Vision, Mission and Values ................................................ 2 Benefit of Services to British Columbia. 3 Partners and Stakeholders ................................................. 3 Core Business Areas ........................................................ 4 Corporate Governance 7 Board of Directors ......................................................... 7 Senior Leadership Team ................................................... 7 Strategic Context 9 Internal Operating Environment ........................................... 9 External Operating Environment .......................................... 9 Risks and Opportunities .................................................. 10 Organizational Capacity .................................................. 13 Goals, Strategies and Key Performance Indicators 14 BC Transit Performance Measures Framework 2014/15 – 2016/17 ......... 15 Performance Management System ....................................... 23 Benchmarking ........................................................24 Government’s Letter of Expectations 25 Summary Financial Outlook 27 Capital Plan and Major Capital Projects 30 Contact Information 32 Organizational Overview Legislated Mandate Vision, Mission and Values BC Transit is the provincial Crown agency Our Vision charged with coordinating the delivery of public transportation across British Columbia with the To connect people and communities to a more exception of those areas serviced by TransLink sustainable future. (Metro Vancouver). More than 1.6 million British Our Mission Columbians in over 130 communities across the province rely on BC Transit for local and regional Through the strength of our people and partners, transit services. we provide safe, effective, and efficient customer- focused transportation solutions. According to the British Columbia Transit Act (Section 3.1), BC Transit has a mandate to: Our Values “... plan, acquire, construct or cause Safety – We will ensure the safety of our employees, to be constructed public passenger customers and transit systems. transportation systems and rail systems that support regional growth strategies, Customer Service – We will work with our official community plans, and the customers to meet their needs and exceed their economic development of transit service expectations. areas, to provide for the maintenance Sustainability – We will continuously improve and and operation of those systems, and with be accountable for our financial, environmental and the approval of the minister, to pursue social results. commercial opportunities and undertake Integrity – As stewards of public resources, we will or enter into commercial ventures use our assets prudently and conduct ourselves in respect of those systems and the honestly and respectfully. authority’s assets and resources.” Innovation – We will pursue opportunities to BC Transit’s activities include planning, financial enhance value for our customers. management, marketing, asset management, supply Collaboration – We will cultivate strong chain management, the provision of safety and partnerships, community connections and links to human