Bowen Island Community Transit Ltd.
Bowen Island Community Transit Ltd., part of the Bowen Transportation Society, plans and provides peak-hour commuter bus service serving the BC municipalities of Vancouver and West Vancouver with a focus on commuters living on Bowen Island.
History
Bowen Island Community Transit was established by Peter King in 1999 as a private contractor under Coast Mountain Bus Company. They were responsible for running two community shuttle routes on Bowen Island until their contract expired in December 2016. Operations and TransLink-owned assets, such as vehicles and other equipment, were transferred to First Transit, who were awarded the new contract for Bowen Island shuttle operations in November 2016.
In January 2015, Bowen Island Community Transit began operating the Bowen Island Express Bus as a temporary service at the behest of BC Ferries to compensate for the Bowen Queen's reduced vehicle capacity while the Queen of Capilano was in for refit. Due to unexpected demand, the service continued to operate after the Queen of Capilanowas returned to service later that year.[1] The service originally operated with 30-foot transit buses, but increasing ridership and demand has resulted in vehicles being upgraded to 40-foot transit buses and 45-foot motorcoaches.
For a period of time, Bowen Island Community Transit operated a shuttle service for the Cypress Mountain Ski Area. However, operations were eventually returned to the service's original operator.
In late 2018, Bowen Island Community Transit joined the Bowen Transportation Society (BTS), a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the quality and variety of transportation services available to Bowen Islanders.[2]
Coast Mountain Bus Company contract
Routes
- Coast Mountain Bus Company route C10 'Bluewater / Snug Cove'
- Coast Mountain Bus Company route C11 'Eagle Cliff / Snug Cove'
Retired/Transferred Fleet
Fleet number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Destination sign | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C588 | 1996 | Ford/CBB | E-450/Polar III | Ford PowerStroke 7.3L | Ford 4R100 | Rollsign |
| |
S004 (1st) | 1996/1997 | Ford/CBB | E-450/Polar III | Ford PowerStroke 7.3L | Ford 4R100 | Rollsign |
| |
S003-S004 (2nd) | 2003 | Ford/Goshen | E-550/GC II 5500 | Ford PowerStroke 7.3L | Ford 4R100 | Luminator Horizon |
| |
S005 | 1993 | Ford/Overland | E-350/ELF | Ford 4R100 |
| |||
S302-S304 | 2008 | GMC/ElDorado | C5500/Aero Elite | GMC Duramax 6.6L | Allison 1000 | Luminator Horizon |
| |
S390, S391 S393 | 2012 | Chevrolet/ElDorado | G4500/Aerotech | Vortec 6.0L | GM 6L90-E with Telma retarder | Luminator Horizon |
|
Independent operations
Bowen Island Express
It is an east-west peak-hour express bus service running between Horseshoe Bay and Downtown Vancouver. The Bowen Island Express generally follows the same route as CMBC route 257, deviating in its use of motorcoaches and bypassing of Park Royal, Marine Drive and 15 St, entering and exiting Highway 1 via Taylor Way. The service's current schedule is designed to align with that of Cormorant Marine's water taxi service.[3]
Former Independent Operations
- Cypress Mountain Parking Lot Shuttle: a shuttle running between the parking lots in the Cypress Mountain ski area. This shuttle was originally operated by Cypress Coach Lines and briefly taken over by Bowen Island Transit at an unknown point in time. As of December 2019, operation of this service has returned to Cypress Coach Lines.
- Charter service: charter service was provided until all of the company's own vehicles were retired or placed into storage.
Active Fleet
All active units are leased from Cypress Coach Lines.
Fleet number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Destination sign | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
532 | 2004/2005 | Prevost | LeMirage XL-II | Detroit Diesel Series 60 | N/A |
| ||
560 | 1995 | Prevost | H3-45 | Detroit Diesel Series 60 | N/A |
Stored Fleet
Fleet number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Destination sign | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2307 | 2003 | Orion | VII 07.501 | Cummins ISC | Allison B400R | Luminator MAX3000 |
| |
(unnumbered) | 2006 | Blue Bird | Xcel 102 | Caterpillar C7 | Allison 5-speed | Rollsign |
Retired/Returned Fleet
Fleet number(s) | Thumbnail | Year | Manufacturer | Model | Engine | Transmission | Destination sign | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
520 | 2003 | Ford/Krystal | E-550/KK32 | Ford Power Stroke 7.3L | Ford 4R100 | Light box |
| |
7026 | 1997 | New Flyer | D30LF | Detroit Diesel Series 40 | Allison B300R | Luminator |
| |
7617, (1) | 1997 | New Flyer | D30LF | Detroit Diesel Series 40 | Allison B300R | Luminator |
| |
8139 | 1998 | New Flyer | D40LF | Detroit Diesel Series 50 | Allison B400R5 | Luminator |
| |
(unnumbered) | 2001 | Thomas/Dennis | SLF 230 | Cummins ISB | Allison AT-545 | Unknown |
|
References
- ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/translink-extends-bowen-island-bus-contract-1.3143057
- ↑ https://www.bowenislandundercurrent.com/community/new-society-driving-future-of-peter-king-s-express-bus-1.23871005
- ↑ https://www.bowenislandmunicipality.ca/transportation
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1118997098126572/permalink/2643369799022620/
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1118997098126572/permalink/2228594657166805/
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1118997098126572/permalink/2226961120663492/