Whistler Transit System
Whistler Transit System and Pemberton Valley Transit System serves Whistler and Pemberton Valley in British Columbia. Funding is provided by the Resort Municipality of Whistler and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District. Planning and administrative services are provided by BC Transit. Service is operated by Pacific Western Transportation.[1]
History
Whistler Transit System began operating in December 1991.[2] Service was initially contracted to Whistler Transit Ltd, which became a subsidiary of Pacific Western Transportation; the company continues to operate the system to this day.
In 1999, the system was rebranded as Whistler and Valley Express (WAVE), with buses painted in a unique teal livery; Whistler was the only system under BC Transit to have its own unique identity and livery. The WAVE branding lasted until 2009, when the system received major infrastructure upgrades in advance of the 2010 Olympics. A new, larger garage was opened, and the existing fleet was replaced with twenty brand-new hydrogen fuel cell buses; this gave Whistler the largest fleet of hydrogen buses in the world. Also as part of the Olympics, hundreds of additional buses were brought in to accommodate the increase in ridership from Olympic attendees.
The hydrogen fleet was withdrawn in March 2014, following the end of the pilot project; they were replaced with diesel Nova Bus LFS buses. Following construction of a CNG fueling station, another new fleet of natural gas buses was delivered in late 2017.
On January 29, 2022, members of Unifor Local 114 went on strike, causing a suspension in conventional service in Whistler, Squamish, and Pemberton. As HandyDART was deemed an essential service, it continued to operate throughout the strike. After a tentative deal was reached, service resumed on June 22, 2022.[3] The 144-day strike was the longest strike in BC Transit's history.
Fares
Facilities
Garage/HQ
- Address: 8025 Nesters Road, Whistler, BC
- E-mail: operations@whistlertransit.pwt.ca
- Phone:
- General Info: 604-932-4020
Routes
Whistler Transit System
Current
- Whistler Village:
- 4 Marketplace - Winter only
- 5 Upper Village/Benchlands
- 6 Tapley's/Blueberry
- 7 Staff Housing
- 8 Lost Lake - Summer only
- Express Service: (between Whistler North and Whistler South)
- Whistler South:
- Whistler North:
- 30 Emerald via Alpine
- 31 Alpine - Winter only
- 32 Emerald - Winter only
Former
Pemberton Valley Transit System
Active Roster
Whistler Transit System
| Fleet number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1115-1139 | 
|
2017 | New Flyer | XN40 | Cummins Westport ISL-G | Voith D864.5 | |
| 1142-1143 | 
|
2018 | New Flyer | XN40 | Cummins Westport L9N | Voith D864.6 | |
| 1148-1151 | 
|
2019 | New Flyer | XN40 | Cummins Westport L9N | Voith D864.6 |
Pemberton Valley Transit System
| Fleet number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3019, 3023 | 2015 | International ElDorado |
3200 Aero Elite |
Navistar MaxxForce 7 | Allison 2100 PTS | ||
| 5834-5835 | 
|
2020 | Ford Champion |
F-550 Defender |
Ford Godzilla V8 7.3L gasoline | Ford/GM 10R140 10 speed automatic |
|
| 9298-9299 | 
|
2008 | Nova Bus | LFS Suburban | Cummins ISL | Voith D864.5 |
|
| 9317 | 2008 | Nova Bus | LFS | Cummins ISL | Voith D864.5 |
Transferred/Retired Roster
Vehicles Noted During 2010 Winter Olympics
| Fleet number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0222-0223 | 2002 | TransBus | Dart SPD (35')/Pointer 2 | Cummins ISB | Voith D823.3E | ||
| 2173, 2183 2196 2202-2204 2208, 2210 2214 |
2009 | Ford CBB |
E-450 Polar |
| |||
| 7100-7111 | 
|
2000-2003 | Prevost | LeMirage XL-II | Detroit Diesel Series 60 | Allison B500R |
|
| 7112 | 
|
Oct. 2009 | Prevost | X3-45 |
| ||
| 7113 | 
|
Prevost | H3-45 |
| |||
| 7114 | 
|
Prevost | H3-45 |
| |||
| 9275, 9277 9281-9282 9286-9287 |
|
2008 | Nova Bus | LFS 40102 | Cummins ISL | Voith D864.5 | |
| 9319 9321-9322 9326-9328 9330-9334 9336-9344 9346-9348 9350-9351 9356-9357 9359-9360 9362-9369 9371-9396 9398-9411 9413-9414 9418-9419 9421, 9423 9427 |
 
|
2009 | Nova Bus | LFS 40102 | Cummins ISL | Voith D864.5 | |
| 9517, 9520 9522-9524 9526 |
|
2008 | Alexander Dennis | Enviro500 | Cummins ISM 330 hp | Voith D864.5 |
References
- ↑ BC Transit - Whistler Transit System, bctransit.com, retrieved on 2018-08-19
- ↑ All-Time List of Canadian Transit Systems, British Columbia Communities (Q - Z), David A. Wyatt, retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ↑ Transit service in Sea-to-Sky resumes on June 22, BC Transit, published June 17, 2022.
