West Vancouver Municipal Transit

Areas served	West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Vancouver, Lions Bay
Founded	1912
Fleet Size	64
Routes	12
Headquarters	221 Lloyd Avenue, North Vancouver, BC
Union	Amalgamated Transit Union Local 134

West Vancouver Transit (commonly known as Blue Bus and formally and formerly as West Vancouver Municipal Transit and abbreviated as WVMT) is owned and operated by the District Municipality of West Vancouver under a contract with TransLink. The system started operating in 1912 and is one of the oldest continually operated municipal transit systems in North America.

West Vancouver Transit provides scheduled transit bus service, school specials and other special services. It also provides Community Shuttle service across the North Shore and Lions Bay. As part of the TransLink network, there are no extra costs to transferring between Blue Bus and other TransLink services.

History

Public transportation in West Vancouver began in November 1909 with the establishment of the West Vancouver Transportation Co. Ltd., founded by John Lawson, his brother-in-law W.C. Thompson, Robert MacPherson and John Sinclair. The service ran a single boat ferry service across the Burrard Inlet between the Hollyburn Wharf at 17th Street in West Vancouver and Columbia Street in Vancouver. The fleet grew to two boats in 1910.

When the District of West Vancouver was incorporated in March 1912, the ferry service was bought out and incorporated as the West Vancouver Ferry Co., Ltd., which ran under municipal administration. The West Vancouver pier was moved to a new pier and ferry building at 14th Street. in 1914, a second pier was built at 25th Street in Dundarave but was closed shortly after following the cancellation of the Dundarave ferry service. This resulted in a jitney service running between the 14th and 25th street piers. In 1916, the first bus was purchased by the District of West Vancouver. The 1911 Pierce Arrow touring car was converted into a bus. The following year saw the second purchase of a Thomas "Flyer" which was also converted into a bus. This practice of converting vehicles into buses continued until 1927 when West Vancouver purchased its first bus, the 23-passenger "Yellow Coach" from General Motors, which ran primarily on the Upper Levels route. In 1954, the fleet expanded to 18 Twin Coaches.

Following the completion of the Lions Gate Bridge in 1938, bus service extended into Downtown Vancouver and ferry service ran until 1948. Prior to the cancellation of the ferry service, it was placed on a plebiscite vote on December 14, 1946, among West Vancouver residents. There were also talks of a buy-out of the Blue Bus system by the British Columbia Electric Railway in the same year. The Ferry Building at 14th Street in Ambleside became the bus depot until 1986 when the yard was moved to its current location at 221 Lloyd Avenue in North Vancouver.

By 1945, the Blue Bus was able to proclaim itself as the oldest bus service in British Columbia.

On March 1, 1946, a new waiting room for Blue Bus passengers in Downtown Vancouver was completed. Located at Howe & Dunsmuir, the building allowed West Vancouver riders to wait for their buses in comfort with seating accommodation for 25 passengers, heating, washrooms, payphones and parcel checking self-service.

Before the Blue Bus service joined the BC Transit network, there were no route numbers and buses ran using route names instead, such as:

• West Bay (now portions of the 250)
• Upper Levels (now portions of the 251 and 252)
• British Properties (now the 254)
• Horseshoe Bay (now portions of the 250)

A Transit Task Force looked into improving Blue Bus service and in a report released in November 1977, it noted the following potential improvements:

• Introduction of a transit corridor along Marine Drive east of 25th Street
• There is a need for extra service to West Bay, Altamont, Bayridge, British Properties and Queens
• Demand for bus service to Lions Gate Hospital
• Introduction of rear doors on buses
• New bus stop shelters, park and ride facilities and depot
• Paratransit such as dial-a-bus and shuttles
• Upper Levels Highway express bus
• Possibility of rapid transit along the BC Rail corridor

In 1979, West Vancouver Municipal Transit became a part of the Urban Transit Authority's Greater Vancouver Transit System, later renamed the BC Transit and Vancouver Regional Transit System in 1983. This change saw the authority of transit services shift to BC Transit while West Vancouver continued to operate and maintain the service. Although part of UTA/BC Transit, West Vancouver buses maintained the blue livery and branding, allowing for a distinctive and unique look compared to other transit buses in the province. Another distinct feature of West Vancouver buses at the time was their size and specifications. Unlike other buses in the Vancouver region, West Vancouver Blue Buses were eight feet wide as opposed to eight feet, six inches wide. This was because of the narrow and winding roads that Blue Buses navigate through in West Vancouver.

In the mid-1980s, rear doors were retrofitted on most buses in the fleet. Front and rear doors have been standard on all West Vancouver conventional buses ever since. The last bus without rear doors was retired in October 1993.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Blue Bus service gradually expanded beyond Downtown Vancouver and West Vancouver, such as the 255 to Lynn Valley Centre, 258 to UBC and 259 to Lions Bay.

The first accessible buses were ordered in 1992 in the form of 9 Orion I units. These lift-equipped buses replaced some of the GM New Look units that made up the fleet at the time. The remaining GM units were replaced following the delivery of the first batch of D40LF units in 1995. With the completion of this delivery, West Vancouver Transit became the first transit system in Canada to have a completely accessible bus fleet.

When BC Transit Greater Vancouver operations were transferred to TransLink, so did West Vancouver administration. This resulted in very few changes other than the changing of BC Transit logos to TransLink ones on vehicles. A new livery was also introduced, replacing the red stripe with a gold one. This variation of the West Vancouver Blue Bus livery lasted until 2007 when a new Blue Bus livery was introduced, which was a variation of the TransLink sweep-restyled livery with a darker shade of blue.

All units were equipped with bike racks in June 1999.

In 2002, West Vancouver received its first articulated buses in the form of three New Flyer D60 units transferred from Coast Mountain Bus Company for operations on the 257 Express. These units were later replaced by three New Flyer D60LFR units, also transfers from CMBC. In August 2018, articulated bus operations ended and the three D60LFR units were returned to CMBC following the transfer of 257 route operations to CMBC. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, one D60LFR unit (one that coincidentally also ran with Blue Bus), was loaned to West Vancouver by CMBC.

Community Shuttles were introduced to West Vancouver in September 2005 with the introduction of its first shuttle route, the C12 Lions Bay/Caulfeild. More Community Shuttles were introduced as more routes came online. In September 2017, Blue Bus Community Shuttles expanded into North Vancouver.

Fares

Fares are set by TransLink and all buses accept Compass Cards. See TransLink for more details.

Current Fleet Roster

All active buses are owned by the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink). Preserved buses 61 and 995 are owned by the District of West Vancouver.

Fleet Number Range	Thumbnail	Year	Manufacturer	Model Number	Engine	Transmission	Current Destination Sign	A/C?	Notes
Community Shuttles
17501–17505		2017	Chevrolet ARBOC	4500 SOM 28	GMC Vortec 6.0L	GM 6L90-E	Luminator Horizon	Yes	First ARBOC units and first low floor Community Shuttles owned by TransLink First WVMT units to follow TransLink's current corporate numbering system
18501–18509		2018	Chevrolet ARBOC	4500 SOM 28	GMC Vortec 6.0L	GM 6L90-E	Luminator Horizon	Yes
19501–19502, 19536–19537		2019–2020	Chevrolet ARBOC	4500 SOM 28	GMC Vortec 6.0L	GM 6L90-E	Luminator Horizon	Yes	First WVMT units with new corporate livery design Remainder of set is operated by CMBC
Conventional Buses
701–706		2007	Nova Bus	LFS	Cummins ISL	ZF 6HP554C	Axion LED	No	703–706 are ex-CMBC 9601–9604.
901–909		2009	Nova Bus	LFS	Cummins ISL	ZF 6HP554C	Axion LED	No	Replacements for Orion I units (921–929)
1201–1217		2012	NFI	XD40	Cummins ISL9	ZF 6AP1400B	Luminator Horizon	Yes	Replacements for 1995 D40LFs (951–959, 961–968)
1601–1605		2016	NFI	XD40	Cummins ISL9	ZF 6AP1400B	Luminator Horizon	Yes
1606–1614		2016	NFI	XD40	Cummins ISL9	ZF 6AP1400B	Luminator Horizon	Yes	Ex-Coast Mountain Bus Company 16131–16136, 16138–16140.

Retired/Transferred Fleet Summary

Community Shuttle

Fleet Number Range	Thumbnail	Year	Manufacturer	Model Number	Engine	Transmission	Destination Sign	Notes
S200		2005	Chevrolet	C5500	GM Duramax 6.6L Diesel	Allison 1000 with Telma retarder	Luminator Horizon
S201		2005	GMC	C5500	GM Duramax 6.6L Diesel	Allison 1000 with Telma retarder	Luminator Horizon
S261		2007	GMC	C5500	GM Duramax 6.6L Diesel	Allison 1000 with Telma retarder	Luminator Horizon	Transferred to CMBC.
S305		2008	GMC	C5500	GM Duramax 6.6L Diesel	Allison 1000 with Telma retarder	Luminator Horizon	Transferred to CMBC.
S370		2009	GMC	C5500	GM Duramax 6.6L Diesel	Allison 1000 with Telma retarder	Luminator Horizon	Transferred to CMBC.
S1301–S1304, S1308, S1309, S1316–S1320		2013–14	Chevrolet/ElDorado	G4500/Aerotech	GM Vortec V8 6.0L gasoline	GM 6L90-E with Telma retarder	Luminator Horizon

Conventional

Fleet Number Range	Thumbnail	Year	Manufacturer	Model Number	Engine	Transmission	Destination Sign	Notes
1–3		1915	Pierce-Arrow	?
4–5		1917	Pierce-Arrow	?
6		1912	Pierce-Arrow	?
7		1919	Ford	Model T				Nicknamed "The Toastrack".
8		1920	?	?
9		1921	?	?
10		1922	?	?
11		1923	?	?
12		1924	?	?
14		1925	?	?
15		1926	GMC	?				Nicknamed "The Mountain Goat".
26			Hayes Anderson	?				Ex-Blue Funnel Bus Line. Nicknamed "Lizzie".
35			?/West Vancouver Municipal Transit	?
35 (2nd)–36		1947	Twin	34-S				Ex-Sandwich, Windsor and Amherstburg Railway Company 211–212; bought in July 1957.
37–40		1946	Twin	34-S				Ex-Sandwich, Windsor and Amherstburg Railway Company 203–204 & 201–202; bought in 1956. 40 was sold to Nanaimo Transit 254.
41		1950	Twin	38-S				Ex-Pacific Stage Lines 271; bought in 1958.
41–42		1950	Twin	38-S				Ex-Pacific Stage Lines 269 & 271; bought in 1958.
43–45		1946	Twin	34-S
46		1948	Twin	38-S
47–48		1949	Twin	38-S
49–50		1950	Twin	38-S				Sold to Nanaimo Transit.
51–52		1952	Twin	FL-33				To Mair's Charter Service #?
53–54		1953	Southern	S41HF	Fageol			54 sold to Nanaimo Transit 250.
55–56		1955	Southern	S41HF				56 sold to Nanaimo Transit 256.
57–58		1946	Twin	38-S				Ex-Sandwich, Windsor and Amherstburg Railway Company 301–302; bought in June 1956.
55-59		1973	GMDD	T6H-4523N New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VS2-6	Rollsign	Transferred from Victoria 795–799 in 1975. Transferred to North Vancouver as 4551–4555 in 1977.
59		1976	GMDD	T6H-4523N New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign	Transferred from Kelowna 6238 in 1981. Transferred to Kamloops as 6238 by 1992.
60–61		1961	GMC	TDH-4517 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71	Allison VH9	Rollsign	61 preserved as historic vehicle.
62–63		1962	GMDD	TDH-4517 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71	Allison VH9	Rollsign
64–65		1963	GMDD	TDH-4519 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71	Allison VH9	Rollsign	65 transferred to Maple Ridge as 6052 by 1989.
66–67		1964	GMDD	TDH-4519 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71	Allison VH9	Rollsign	66 transferred to unknown system as 6061 in 1987. 67 transferred to Nanaimo as 6062 in 1987.
68–69		1965	GMDD	TDH-4519 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign
70–71		1966	GMDD	TDH-4519 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign
72–73		1967	GMDD	TDH-4519 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign
74–75		1968	GMDD	T6H-5306 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign
76–77		1969	GMDD	T6H-5306 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign	Transferred to Kamloops as 5541-5542 in 1996.
78–79		1970	GMDD	T6H-5306 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign	Transferred to Nanaimo as 5543-5544 in 1996.
80–81		1971	GMDD	T6H-5306 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign	Transferred to Kelowna as 5551-5552 in 1996.
82–83		1972	GMDD	T6H-5308N New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign	A third bus (84) was involved in head-on collision during delivery; rebuilt and resold to Guelph Transit 84.
84–86		1973	GMDD	T6H-5308N New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	84, 86: Allison VH9 85: Allison VS2-6	Rollsign	84 transferred to Kelowna as 5573 in 1996.
88–89		1974	GMDD	T6H-5308N New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign
90, 95		1974	GMDD	T6H-5308N New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign	90 transferred from Vancouver (Oakridge) 3835. 95 transferred from Kamloops 5604 in 1989. Transferred to Kelowna 5603-5604 in 1996.
91–93		1969	GMDD	T6H-5306 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign	Transferred from Vancouver (Oakridge) 3742-3744 in May 1986. 91 transferred to Kelowna as 5509 in 1996. 92-93 transferred to Kamloops as 5510-5511 in 1996.
94, 96-97		1967	GMDD	TDH-5304	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign	Transferred from Vancouver (Oakridge) 3714-3716 in June 1986. Transferred to Nanaimo as 5457-5459 in 1996.
98-99		1968	GMDD	TDH-5304 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71N	Allison VH9	Rollsign	Transferred from Vancouver (Burnaby) 5726-5727 in 1988. Transferred to Nanaimo as 5479-5480 in 1996.
207		1979	Flyer	D800B	Detroit Diesel 6V92TA	Allison V730		Ex-1207. Transferred back to CMBC as 1207 in 2000.
210		1980	Flyer	D800B	Detroit Diesel 6V92TA	Allison V730		Ex-1210. Transferred back to CMBC as 1210 in 2000.
712–714		2007	New Flyer	D60LFR	Cummins ISM	Allison World B500R6	Luminator Horizon	Ex-CMBC 8102–8104, acquired in August 2009 Transferred back to CMBC in August 2018.
801–803		2008	Nova Bus	LFS	Cummins ISL	ZF 6HP554C	Axion LED	Transferred to CMBC in August 2018 as 9797–9799.
912–914		1991	New Flyer	D60	Detroit Diesel 6V92TA	Allison HTB748	Luminator Mega:MAX	Ex-CMBC 3001, 3002, & 3021. Express buses. Lift Equipped.
921–929		1992	OBI	Orion I	Detroit Diesel 6V92TA	Voith D863.3	Luminator Mega:MAX	Lift Equipped. Has rear electronic sign. Originally fitted with rollsigns. All retired by March 27th, 2010. Scrapped in October 2010.
951–959, 961–968		1995	New Flyer	D40LF	Detroit Diesel Series 50	Voith D863.3	951: Balios 952–959, 961–968: Luminator Mega:MAX	All retired from revenue service as of April 2013. 964 retired in March 2015.
971		1996	New Flyer	D40LF	Detroit Diesel Series 50	Allison B400R	Luminator Super Matrix:MAX	Ex-CMBC 7198.
981		1998	Nova Bus	LFS	Cummins C8.3	Allison World B400R5	Luminator Mega:MAX	Ex-CMBC B7298; acquired in 2002.
990–998		1999	New Flyer	D40LF	Detroit Diesel Series 50	990 – Allison World B400R5 991–998 – Voith D863.3	Balios Orange LED	990 ex-CMBC 7299. 993 had Axion Orange LED destination sign. 995 being preserved and restored.
1207		1979	Flyer	D800B				Ex-CMBC 1207; transferred and renumbered 207 in 1999. Originally Community Transit 207.
1210		1980	Flyer	D800B				Ex-CMBC 1210; transferred and renumbered 210 in 1999. Originally Community Transit 210.
8103		2007	New Flyer	D60LFR	Cummins ISM 330 hp	Allison World B500R6 6 speed	Luminator Horizon	Loaned from Coast Mountain Bus Company March 2020–June 2021
9661, 9665, 9671, 9672, 9683		2007	Nova Bus	LFS	Cummins ISL 280 hp	ZF 6HP554C 6 speed	Axion Orange LED	Loaned from Coast Mountain Bus Company 9671 and 9683 on loan from December 2017 to June 2018 9672 loaned from December 2017 to January 2018 9661 and 9665 loaned in October 2022
16120, 16125		2016	New Flyer	XD40	Cummins ISL9	ZF EcoLife 6AP1400B	Luminator Horizon	Loaned from Coast Mountain Bus Company in October 2022

Historic Fleet

Fleet Number	Thumbnail	Year	Manufacturer	Model	Engine	Transmission	Notes
61		1961	GMC	TDH-4517 New Look	Detroit Diesel 6V71	Allison VH9
995		1999	NFI	D40LF	Detroit Diesel Series 50	Voith D863.3	Scrapped in January 2023 due to frame rot

Service, Supervisor and Miscellaneous Fleet Summary

Fleet Number Range	Thumbnail	Year	Manufacturer	Model Number	Engine	Transmission	Notes
1-5		2016-2018	Honda	Civic Sedan			Driver trade-off vehicles Number 2 lic. plate: 820 WJW Number 4 lic. plate: 842 XMT Number 5 lic. plate: CX9 01L
4			Honda	Fit	I4 1.5L gasoline
R029			Ford/CBB	Econoline/Polar		Ford	Seniors' Activity Centre shuttle bus. Lic. Plate - 4190 JA
R050			Ford/ElDorado	E450/Aerotech	Ford Triton V10 6.8L gasoline	Ford TorqShift 5R110W	2004–2007 model Only Aerotech unit based on Ford chassis
T002		1989	GMC	Sierra Reg. Cab pickup	GM V8 5.7L gasoline		Lic. Plate - 5695 WR VIN - 1GTGC24K4KE540003
T009		2007	Toyota	Yaris 4-Door Sedan	I4 1.5L gasoline		Lic. Plate - NNE 445 VIN - JTDBT923071005201
T010		1999	GMC	Sierra 2500 Pickup	GM V8 6.0L gasoline		Lic. Plate - 7826 DS VIN - 1GTGK24U2XE550363
T013		2007	Toyota	Yaris 4-Door Sedan	I4 1.5L gasoline		Lic. Plate - 376 GMF VIN - JTDBT923X71025522
T014		2010	Ford	F150 Pickup	Ford V8 4.6L gasoline		Lic. Plate - BK 9738 VIN - 1FTEW1E80AFA23527
T015		2009	Toyota	Yaris 4-Door Sedan	I4 1.5L gasoline		Lic. Plate - 873 KTR VIN - JTDBT923891304373

References

• The Buzzer June 11, 1999 Issue, translink.ca, retrieved 26-03-2010

v·d·e
Facilities	Park Royal – West Vancouver Transit Centre
Current Fleet	701–706 901–909 1201–1217 1601–1605 1606–1614
Community Shuttle Fleet	17501–17505 18501–18509 19501–19502, 19536–19537
Retired/ Transferred Fleet	712–714 801–803 912–914 921–929 951–959, 961–968 971 981 990–998 S200 S201 S261 S305 S370 S1301–S1304, S1308, S1309, S1316–S1320
Paint Schemes
Routes
Conventional	250 250A 253 254 255
Community Shuttle	214 215 227 251 252 256 262
Other	Cemetery – Vancouver Special Events Bus
Former Routes	226 257 258 259 – Hockey Special – PNE Special
Transit Services Fare Information – Cash Fares – Fare Structure – Universal Pass (U-Pass) – West Coast Express Fares Plans and Projects Expo Line Fraser Highway Extension – Millennium Line Broadway Extension – Pattullo Bridge Replacement Other Divisions Cycling Network – Roads and Bridges – Transit Police