BC Transit's Mission & Mandate

BC transit is the provincial crown agency charged with coordinating the delivery of public transportation throughout British Columbia (outside the Greater Vancouver Regional District).

The corporation's mandate, as set out in the BC Transit Act, is:

"to plan, acquire, construct or cause to be constructed public passenger transportation systems and rail systems that support regional growth strategies, official community plans, and the economic development of transit service areas", [and] "to provide for the maintenance and operation of those systems".

Responsibility for public transportation in the Lower Mainland was transferred to the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (TransLink) in 1999. BC Transit manages and operates the Victoria Regional Transit System, and plans, funds, manages, markets, and contracts for transit systems in more than 50 British Columbia local governments in the Municipal Systems Program.

Transit Types

The three types of transit service offered are: conventional, paratransit and custom.

The Conventional transit serves the general population in urban settings using mid-sized, large or double deck buses - mostly fully accessible and low-floor - with fixed routes and fixed schedules. Recent conventional transit innovations have ranged from Community Bus to Bus Rapid Transit. Custom transit serves those who cannot use conventional transit because of a disability, using vans and minibuses for dial-a-ride, door-to-door handyDART service and through contracted Taxi Supplement and Taxi Saver (discounted coupon) programs. In small town, rural and suburban areas Paratransit offers flexible routing and schedules for passengers using minibuses, taxis and vans.