Independent Transit Services Factsheet

Context Approval

The South Coast Transportation The Act allows TransLink to apply terms and Authority (SCBCTA) Act includes provisions for addressing conditions prior to a service commencing operation. independent transit services (ITS). The legislation applies These may include: to any bus or rail transportation provided within the • the right to re-evaluate the ITS in the future; region by anyone other than TransLink or its subsidiaries or contractors. The TransLink Board must approve an ITS • requiring a change to the service plan; to operate, including any terms or conditions. • a defi ned notifi cation and reporting process;

• conditions for negotiating use of TransLink Process infrastructure and branding; TransLink’s process for addressing a potential ITS follows • other conditions as deemed necessary. three main steps:

I. defi ning if a service is an ITS; An ITS will not be authorized to operate unless all terms and conditions are met. II. application of evaluation criteria to inform recommendations; and

III. TransLink Board approval or denial, including terms and conditions required for an approved service to operate. The role of independent transit services Approved independent transit services can Evaluation be considered complementary to the regional transportation system, provided they do not reduce As outlined in the Act, TransLink may grant approval to the fi nancial viability or effectiveness of TransLink. establish or operate an ITS if:

1. the ITS does not reduce the effectiveness of the regional transportation system, and

2. the ITS does not reduce the fi nancial viability of the Contact Us regional transportation system. If you have questions about existing or potential Independent Transit Services may not receive fi nancial independent transit services in Metro Vancouver contact support from TransLink. us at [email protected]

translink.ca If another provider was to run the same approved service and follow the same terms and conditions until June, we would consider this to be an administrative change as it does not impact the two key criteria in the evaluation of the ITS application; 1. Impact on the financial viability of the regional transportation system and…..2. Effectiveness of the regional transportation system.

As BC Ferries is no longer directly involved (given that the Queen of Capilano refit is now complete), TransLink required Peter King / Community Transit to provide in writing agreement his confirmation to strictly adhere to the existing ITS terms and conditions as follows;  Confirming that the existing service specifications match what was approved for BC Ferries  Acceptance of the terms and conditions applied to the approved service  Anticipated end date of the existing service in June

As of this afternoon, TransLink received the attached letter from Peter King / Bowen Island Community Transit with Adam Holbrook, David Hocking, Richard Smith also copied on his email.

Beyond June 2015; We advised Peter King / Bowen Island Community Transit that running an independent transit service beyond June 2015, regardless of who operates it, would require a new evaluation and approval from the TransLink Board.

Peter King / Bowen Island Community Transit was also advised that if he is considering this application, to provide details of the proposed service (e.g. routing, stops, schedule, fares, and vehicle used) and forward directly to Matt Craig, Manager, System Planning as soon as possible.

Further, we advise Peter King / Bowen Island Community Transit that the TransLink Board of Directors next meets on June 25 and that we would need his application submitted directly to Matt Craig no later than end of May in order to meet deadlines for internal review and administration of Board submissions.

General information about our ITS policy and process 1. ITS Policy (attached) 2. ITS Fact Sheet (attached)

Both of these documents are also available on our website: http://www.translink.ca/en/Plans‐and‐Projects/Independent‐Transit‐Services.aspx

Hope that helps, Kristen, to clarify the background and concerns.

We will keep you posted on further developments but wanted to ensure Bowen Island Municipality was aware of the current situation in the meantime.

Regards, Merrilee

Merrilee Ashworth, MBA, B.Comm Manager, Business Development & Contract Services

TRANSLINK | South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority 400 ‐ 287 Nelson's Court, New Westminster, British Columbia V3L 0E7

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3 Bowen Island Community Transit Limited Cowan Road, Bowen Island, B.C. V0N1G2

Mr. Matt Craig May 13, 2015 Manager, System Planning Translink Transportation Strategy

Dear Mr. Craig

Re: Operating Approval for access into Translink Service Area for Bowen Express Bus

With the return of the Queen of Capilano after a four month refit, the BC Ferry Corp. has terminated its chartered Express Bus service contract with Bowen Island Community Transit Ltd (BICT) as of May 5, 2015. Given the success of the four month trial in providing a direct Express Bus for Bowen Island commuters travelling between Bowen Island and Downtown Vancouver, BICT is requesting a continuation of the Independent Transit Service agreement until the end of the existing contract period in June 2015. We are asking that Bowen Island Community Transit Ltd. be granted access to the Metro Vancouver Translink Service Area under the existing terms and conditions as outlined in the present agreement between Translink and BC Ferries.

BICT will maintain the existing Service Plan in terms of routing, bus stops, service schedule, fare structure and transit vehicles. BICT will respect existing transit operators in the region and not impact on their operations by not using any Translink bus stops or terminus. At the end of the term of the agreement, BICT will forward ridership statistics and customer feedback to Translink and it will also prepare and present a more comprehensive proposal for the term of one year beyond the end of this agreement.

The Express Bus schedule will remain the same during the term of this agreement to better interline with the Extended Summer Schedule of the Bowen Island ferry service. Increases in seasonal traffic will offset the expanded ferry schedule in the afternoon so that connections with ferries in Horseshoe Bay can be maintained. We will continue to have service as follows: Serving the 6:30am, 7:30am and 8:30 am ferry sailings, 4:45pm, 5:50pm and 6:50 pm. These times reflect the summer ferry schedule that came into effect May 14 until October 14

It is BICT’s intention to see this service becoming permanent so that residents will have a dedicated transit option from Bowen Island to Downtown Vancouver.

Sincerely,

Peter D. King, President Bowen Island Community Transit Ltd. 604-828-

BC Ferries Bowen Island Independent Transit Service

BACKGROUND BC Ferries Bowen Island Charter Bus is a planned diesel bus service that will provide alternate travel choice between Bowen Island and Downtown Vancouver while BC Ferries refits the Queen of Capilano from January to May 2015. The Bowen Queen, the relief vessel, has a 70 vehicle capacity compared to the Queen of Capilano’s 85 vehicle capacity. To reduce the likelihood of overloads on the Bowen Queen, BC Ferries is proposing to charter a bus as an express-to-Downtown Vancouver service from January 5 to May 5, 2015. The service would offer two direct trips per day between Bowen Island and Downtown Vancouver and four trips per day between Horseshoe Bay and Downtown Vancouver. Service will be temporary and limited in span, operating Monday to Friday during peak periods only for 4 months. Service will be provided by BC Ferries and operated by Bowen Island Community Transit.

The proposed charter bus service is similar to the 257 Horseshoe Bay / Vancouver Express, a 30 minute service that travels between Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal and Downtown Vancouver, making several stops in Horseshoe Bay, along Marine Drive in , and in Downtown Vancouver.

Service specifications The route of the BC Ferries Bowen Island Charter Bus service within the larger West Vancouver to Downtown Vancouver service area is shown below.

Figure 1: BC Ferries Bowen Island Bus Charter Route

BC Ferries Bowen Island Independent Transit Service

Service will operate only during the refitting of the Bowen Island ferry, anticipated to be between January 5, 2015 and May 5, 2015. Service will operate during peak periods Monday to Friday. Operating on a fixed schedule and route, the service will offer two direct trips per day between Bowen Island and Downtown Vancouver and four trips per day between Horseshoe Bay (HSB) and Downtown Vancouver. Service is intended only for Bowen residents. The planned schedule is shown below:

Depart Bowen Island Depart Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal Arrive Downtown Vancouver 6:30 AM No scheduled stop Approx. 7:20 AM 7:55 AM (meets 7:30 AM sailing) Approx. 8:20 AM 8:50 AM (meets 8:30 AM sailing) Approx. 9:20 AM Depart Downtown Vancouver Arrive Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal Arrive Bowen Island Approx. 3:40 PM meets 4:30 PM sailing Approx. 4:40 PM meets 5:30 PM sailing Approx. 5:40 PM No scheduled stop (meets 6:30 PM sailing) 6:50 PM

Five stops are planned: 1) Park n Ride on Bowen Island, 2) HSB drop-off loop, and 3) W. Georgia St & Burrard St, 4) W. Georgia St & Granville St, and 5) W. Georgia St & Hamilton St. BC Ferries and the operator have confirmed that no stops will utilize designated transit bus stops and will use loading zones where available, but some planned stops may be adjacent to these locations. Figure 2: Downtown Vancouver Bus Stop Locations

BC Ferries Bowen Island Independent Transit Service

The operator (Bowen Island Community Transit), who also operates community shuttle services on Bowen Island under contract with TransLink, plans to use a bus with 42 passenger capacity (25 seated, 17 standees) for this service. The buses that will be providing the charter service are not TransLink- owned vehicles.

The service will charge a one-way fare. Customers must pre-purchase printed ticket booklets (10 tickets per booklet). Tickets will be sold only on Bowen Island, at the Snug Cove General Store near the ferry terminal. Tickets cannot be purchased on board the bus.

Trip Fare (one-way) Bowen Island to Vancouver $4 HSB to Vancouver / Vancouver to HSB $4 Vancouver to Bowen Island $12 (includes ferry ticket cost)

APPROVAL / TERMS & CONDITIONS The Bowen Island Independent Transit Service was approved by the TransLink Board of Directors at their December 18, 2014 meeting. Notice of approval was provided on December 19, 2014 to Darin Guenette, Manager Public Affairs at BC Ferries. Approval was based on the above service plan and routing, and was subject to the following operating terms and conditions.

Independent Transit Service – Operating Terms and Conditions

Service Name: Bowen Island Independent Transit Service Approval Date: December 18, 2014

1. General Operating Terms and Conditions (as per TransLink’s Independent Transit Service Policy (2012))

1.1. TransLink reserves the right to review and/or re-evaluate approved services at any point in the future, and revoke approval if deemed appropriate. 1.2. Any financial support being provided by TransLink or any of its subsidiaries will cease immediately 1.3. Approval to operate as an Independent Transit Service does not constitute approval with respect to any other federal, provincial and local transportation regulations. 1.4. TransLink may request changes in service provision (including, but not limited to, changes in route, frequency, stops, operating times, passenger access and/or revenue structure). Approval will only be granted if TransLink and the ITS provider agree to service terms. 1.5. Approved ITS must notify TransLink of any substantive, planned changes in service provision (including, but not limited to, changes in route, frequency, stops, operating times, passenger access and/or revenue structure) at least 60 days in advance of a planned change. BC Ferries Bowen Island Independent Transit Service

1.6. Each approved ITS must report annually to TransLink to confirm its service plan and report changes. 1.7. ITS services cannot use TransLink-owned or operated infrastructure, including transit exchanges or TransLink bus stops, unless otherwise agreed. 1.8. Approved ITS cannot have TransLink language or symbols, or language or symbols of any subsidiaries, on their vehicle unless given express authority to do so by TransLink. 1.9. Approved ITS may be recognized or communicated by TransLink to improve the effectiveness of the regional transportation system as appropriate, and at TransLink’s discretion.

2. Specific Bowen Island ITS Operating Terms and Conditions

2.1. Operations are between January 2015 and June 2015 only. 2.2. The service provider must report ridership figures to TransLink following completion of the service. 2.3. The service operator commits to monitoring and minimizing any impacts on TransLink- operated bus services in the service area, including ability to access stops or operate safely in traffic.