TRANSIT INNOVATIONS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: 1988-98 INTEGRATION, INTERMODAL LINKAGES AND INSTITUTIONAL CO-OPERATION by IAN RANDELL FISHER B.Sc, The University of British Columbia, 1992 B. A., The University of British Columbia, 1996 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES School of Community and Regional Planning We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA October 1998 © Ian Randell Fisher, 1998 in presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of ( a^^aA-j r^l ^U^;on«\ ft a.**^ The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada Date MJL. IM M DE-6 (2788) Transit Innovations in British Columbia 1988-98: Integration, Intermodal Linkages and Institutional Co-operation Ian Fisher M.A. Candidate School of Community and Regional Planning The University of British Columbia October 11, 1998 (all photos by the author) ii Transit Innovations in British Columbia: 1988-98 Abstract BC Transit, a provincial Crown Corporation operates and administers conventional, fixed-route public transit services in British Columbia's major metropolitan centres of Vancouver and Victoria and in 24 smaller communities across the province. BC Transit service is available to 76% of the province's residents. BC Transit has been successful in providing innovative services that respond to community needs. Some of these innovations include the introduction of lift-equipped and low-floor buses to improve accessibility, the use of bike racks and lockers to integrate transit with cycling, the integration of school bus and transit services to build transit ridership and improve efficiency, and the targeting of the post-secondary student market with special services and discounted fares. The introduction of innovative services to the non-metropolitan areas of the province has been facilitated by BC Transit's Municipal Systems Program and the three-way partnerships between BC Transit, local governments, and operating companies that it provides. Much of the planning for this program is done by BC Transit staff in Victoria, allowing for the easy transfer of experience between systems. A key area for future transit innovations in B.C. is in the creation of a province- wide public transportation system with integrated services and information. This would involve the creation of regional transit services in areas where development is coalescing into continuous corridors, rather than in discrete settlements. Although BC Transit has been successful in introducing a range of innovative services around the province, questions remain as to whether BC Transit's general service provision strategy is as cost-effective and accountable as possible. The current funding and governance arrangements in the province have created a situation that is weak on local accountability and which may perpetuate the provision of uneconomic services. Further research is needed to fully address this issue. Transit Innovations in British Columbia: 1988-98 Table of Contents Abstract iii Table of Contents iv List of Tables vi List of Figures vi List of Appendices vi Chapter 1. Introduction 1 1.1. Introduction , _1 1.1.1. A Note About the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority 2 1.2. Methodology and Sources 3 1.3. Acknowledgements __ 3 Chapter 2. Transit in British Columbia 4 2.1. Overview . 4 2.2. Corporate Structure of BC Transit 6 2.2.1. Board of Directors 7 2.2.2. Regional Transit Commissions 8 2.2.3. Municipal Systems Committee 8 Chapter 3. Institutional Co-operation and Innovation 9 3.1. Introduction 9 3.2. BC Transit's Municipal Systems Program 9 3.2.1. Background 9 3.2.2. Organisation 10 3.2.3. Classification 11 3.2.4. Funding 12 3.2.5. Creation of New Systems 13 3.2.6. Trends in the Municipal Systems 13 3.3. Evaluation of the Municipal Systems Program 19 3.3.1. Provincial Support 19 3.3.2. Organisational Strengths and Weaknesses 21 3.3.3. Comparison with Washington State transit systems 25 3.3.4. Conclusions 27 3.4. Co-ordinating Transit With Land Use And Transportation Demand Management 27 3.4.1. Background 27 3.4.2. Evaluation 30 Chapter 4. Serving students & 4.1. Reducing Duplication with School Buses 32 4.2. Attracting Post-Secondary Student Ridership 33 4.3. Conclusions 39 iv Transit Innovations in British Columbia: 1988-98 Chapter 5. Expanding Access to Transit 42 5.1. Accessible Fixed Route Transit 42 5.1.1. Introduction ____^__ — ^2 5.1.2. Vancouver Regional Transit System 42 5.1.3. Victoria Regional Transit System 45 5.1.4. Municipal Systems 45 5.1.5. Experience with Low-Floor Buses 46 5.2. Integrating Transit With Cycling 47 5.2.1. Background 47 5.2.2. Vancouver Regional Transit System 50 5.2.3. Victoria Regional Transit System 56 5.2.4. Municipal Systems 57 5.3. Conclusions 58 Chapter 6. Marketing Transit Services 62 6.1. West Coast Express: A Strong Customer Orientation 62 6.2. Whistler: A special market 6^ 6.2.1. Situation ; 63 6.2.2. Marketing 65 6.2.3. Potential BC Transit Ski Services 67 6.3. Using the World Wide Web 68 6.4. Conclusions 69 Chapter 7. Providing an Integrated Public Transportation System 71 7.1. Connections Between BC Transit Systems 71 7.2. Connections with Other Public Transportation Modes 72 7.2.1. Ferry Connections 72 7.2.2. Intercity Transportation Connections 76 7.3. Evaluating the Market for Regional Transit 77 7.4. Co-ordinating Public Transportation Services___ 84 7.5. Conclusions 85 Chapter 8. Conclusions and Future Research 87 8.1. Summary 87 8.2. Conclusions in Context and Future Research . 89 Bibliography 94 Government documents 94 Secondary Sources 95 Interviews and Communications 97 v Transit Innovations in British Columbia: 1988-98 List of Tables Table 1: Grouping of Municipal Systems by Tier 11 Table 2: Provincial contribution to Municipal Systems total costs 12 Table 3: Comparison between Municipal Systems and Canadian Industry Leaders 15 Table 4: Service provision and performance comparison between Municipal Systems and Washington State transit agencies 26 Table 5: Post-secondary transit fare discounts in Victoria (1997/98) 36 Table 6: Features and results of the University of Washington's U-PASS program 37 Table 7: Pass discounts for post-secondary students on Municipal Systems 38 Table 8: Relative performance of the Whistler Transit System 64 Table 9: Comparative increases for sample BC Ferries peak fares 1995-98 74 Table 10: Costs per kilometre for a range of intercity bus services in B.C 78 Table 11: Relative performance of BC Transit Municipal Systems and Link Transit 82 List of Figures Figure 1: Revenue passengers (millions) on BC Transit services, 1996/97 4 Figure 2: BC Transit system locations 6 Figure 3: Organisation of BC Transit 7 Figure 4: Funding sources for conventional, fixed route transit systems in the Muncipal Systems (1997-98) 12 Figure 5: Historical trends in Municipal Systems service hours 18 Figure 6: Historical trends in Municipal Systems ridership 18 Figure 7: Historical trends in Municipal Systems productivity 19 Figure 8: BC Transit bus in Nelson's compact downtown core 30 Figure 9: University and college pass sales in Victoria 1990/91 to 1997/98 36 Figure 10: Low-floor bus with ramp deployed 44 Figure 11: Energy use in operation of urban transport modes, United States, 1989 49 Figure 12: Cyclist loading bike on a rack-equipped bus in Vancouver 51 Figure 13: Monthly SeaBus bicycle use 1989-1998 54 Figure 14: Proportion of B.C. residents over 65 and 80 years of age 59 Figure 15: Cover of the Winter 1997/98 Whistler Rider's Guide 66 Figure 16: Skiers boarding ski rack equipped bus in Whistler 66 Figure 17: BC Ferry in Active Pass on the Tsawwassen - Swartz Bay route 72 Figure 18: Sunshine Coast Transit System bus at Langdale Ferry Terminal 73 List of Appendices Appendix One: Responsibilities for Municipal Systems Partners 98 Appendix Two: BC Transit Service Summary 99 Appendix Three: BC Transit Operating Statistics (1997/98) 101 Appendix Four: Washington State Transit Operating Statistics (1996) 102 Transit Innovations in British Columbia: 1988-98 Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1. Introduction This study looks at a number of transit policy and service innovations that have been introduced on fixed-route, conventional transit services in British Columbia. Emphasis is placed on policy-based customer service innovations, rather than technological innovations. Innovations in custom and paratransit services are generally beyond the scope of this examination and so are not included. The innovations covered have been grouped thematically into four chapters with each chapter concluding with a discussion of the relative success of each innovation. Chapter 2 offers a brief overview of transit in B.C. in order to help set the stage for later chapters. Chapter 3 looks at the forms of institutional co-operation that have helped to further the development of transit services in B.C. The key focal areas of this chapter include consideration of the structure of transit governance in B.C., with an emphasis on the Municipal Systems Program of BC Transit, and the co-ordination of transit and land use in the province.