Unifor Local 111 (Operators) Unifor Local 2200 (Mechanics)
Coast Mountain Bus Company, an operating subsidiary of Translink, provides bus and SeaBus service in the Metro Vancouver area. The company commenced service on April 1, 1999 when the Vancouver Regional Transit System was split from B.C. Transit, thus creating CMBC.
The company was formed on April 1, 1999 when the Greater Vancouver division of BC Transit was split from the rest of the B.C. Transit network. Before its current name, it was called "BusLink" for 9 months during transition into TransLink.
Vancouver Trolley Crisis
Shortly after the delivery of the New Flyer E40LFRs, the company experienced a major bus shortage. There had been an apparent problem with the power steer of these buses. As a result, the fleet of 65 received trolleys were pulled out of service. Several buses from other garages were transferred to Vancouver Transit Centre to help with the shortage. In addition, a handful of buses that had been retired were sent to the garages that had donated their buses to Vancouver. Four buses were temporarily brought in from Abbotsford and Chilliwack (2 Orion Vs and 2 Orion Is).
September 2009 Service Changes
September 2009 saw the cancellation of all peak-hour express routes between Vancouver and Richmond, due to the recently built Canada Line. It was decided to run the Canada line under Cambie street as it had higher density in traffic and that there were more key destinations along Cambie street than Granville including Langara College and Oakridge Mall. In lieu of these cancellations, loosened up resources were relocated to existing routes to increase frequency.
More info on these cancelled "400 series" routes are available in the given template below.
Service area
Coast Mountain Bus Company provides service in all 21 municipalities that make up Metro Vancouver (the former Greater Vancouver area). These are: Anmore, Belcarra, Bowen Island, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, City of Langley, Township of Langley, Lions Bay, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, City of North Vancouver, District of North Vancouver, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver, West Vancouver, and White Rock.
The company also operates three passenger ferries that move passengers from Waterfront Station, across the Burrard Inlet, to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver.
Service is provided using a large fleet of conventional diesel, trolley, and community buses, as well as three passenger ferries that move passengers from Waterfront Station, across the Burrard Inlet, to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver.
Fares
Coast Mountain Bus Company, as well as other Translink operating subsidiaries operate under a fare zone structure. With the exception of daily, monthly, or annual passes fares are valid for any direction of travel up to 90 minutes. Fares must be valid while on a Translink vehicle. Those without proper fare are subject to a $173 infraction.
Age catagories for fares:
Adult, 14-64
Concession, 5-13, 65+, and 14-19 holding a Go Card (registered Middle/Secondary/High School student)
Compass card variants in orange (Concession) and light blue (adult)
Compass Card
The Compass Card is a stored value smart card used for payment of public transport fares in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Testing began in 2012 and as of Summer 2015, university students enrolled in the U-Pass BC program, members of the Canadian National Institute of the Blind, West Coast Express customers, and those on welfare programs have successfully transitioned into the Compass Card.
August 6, 2015 Announcement
On August 6, 2015, Translink decided to start distributing the Compass Card to the general public. They also announced the temporary elimination the current zone fare structure. As of October 5, customers of both adult and concession categories have been paying a single zone 90-minute fare for solely bus service. [1] This disables the ability to transfer from a bus to a skytrain using the same paper ticket. The only way this will be possible is through a compass card. It was also announced that passengers will not need to tap out of the system when exiting a bus. This will only be applicable when exiting the Seabus, West Coast Express, and Skytrain.
Overview
Compass Card with Deposit
Price
Adult and Concession
$6.00
One can obtain a Compass Card through one of these methods.
Upon purchasing the card, users will need to register their card at the website. Registering the card enables the following benefits:
Auto-load (for monthly pass users)
Balance protection
Balance history (Tax benefits)
Stored Value
Trips paid for using stored value have the same value as the current faresavers. One can purchase the following using stored value.
Daypasses
Compass paper tickets (Useful when travelling with others who do not have the Compass Card)
Exit tickets (If said user loses their ticket or has stayed on the Skytrain network longer than 120 minutes)
Addfares
Peak Hours
Adult
Concession
1 Zone
$2.10
$1.75
2 Zones
$3.15
$2.75
3 Zones
$4.20
$3.75
Off-Peak Hours
Adult
Concession
All Zones
$2.10
$1.75
Peak hours are normal weekdays from the start of service until 6:30pm.
Daypasses and Monthly Passes
Despite the change to the fare structure on October 5, the value of all Daypasses and Monthly passes have not changed. However, one can still load these such products onto his or her card.
Traditional Fare System
This is the traditional fare system Translink has been using before the release of the Compass card. This system is expected to be eliminated in Q1 2016.
Cash Fares
Peak hours are normal weekdays from the start of service until 6:30pm.
Zones
Adult
Concession
1
$2.75
$1.75
2
$4.00
$2.75
3
$5.50
$3.75
FareSaver Booklets
FareSavers include 10 transfers that are validated on the rider's first trip.
Peak hours are normal weekdays from the start of service until 6:30pm.
Adult
Price
Price per ticket per trip
Total savings per booklet
1 Zone
$21.00
$2.10
$6.50
2 Zones
$31.50
$3.15
$8.50
3 Zones
$42.00
$4.20
$13.00
Concession
Price
Price per ticket per trip
Total savings per booklet
1 Zone
$17.50
$1.75
$0
Day Pass
Day-passes are valid from the start of the service day to the end of the service day. Therefore, any transfer from a Nightbus to a normal route on the following service day is not valid.
Zones
Adult
Concession
All
$9.75
$7.50
Monthly Pass
Peak hours are normal weekdays from the start of service until 6:30pm.
Zones
Adult
Concession
Employer Pass
1
$91.00
$52.00
$79.25
2
$124.00
$52.00
$106.75
3
$170.00
$52.00
$146.25
University Pass
All students at participating institutions buy into the U-Pass BC program. The U-pass fee is paid along with the student's tuition for a 4 month semester of 35$ {previously $30) each month. As of September 2015, students can load their Compass Cards through the Compass Card Website [4]. All students must carry their student ID for the case of fare inspections. As of August 2013, the Upass program has successfully transitioned into the Compass Card.
Current fleet summary
As of 2008, all buses are equipped with a voice announcement system to aid those who are disabled in their vision as well as those who are unfamiliar to the region. This also allows the operators to drive without having to make announcements. GPS technology is used to detect a buses' whereabouts in relation to its next stop.
These next 3 series of shuttles have had various problems with gas fumes leaking into the cabin area, and will be pulled out of service within the next six months. All of these are currently allocated to Port Coquitlam. [6]
Coast Mountain Bus Company also operates 4 passenger ferries known as the Seabus fleet. Beginning operation in 1977, the 2-zone service connects the major transportation hub at Waterfront to the Lonsdale Quay. Service is 15 minutes from 6am-1pm Monday to Saturday and every 30 minutes from 8am-11pm on Sundays and holidays. Weekend service frequency is increased in the summer months. The crossing takes around 12 minutes, and also offers a vast selection of scenery from multiple angles on the Burrard Inlet.