A government review of BC Transit has made 28 recommendations that offer BC Transit and its partners an opportunity to support efficient and effective transit service in more than 130 communities outside Metro Vancouver.

BC Transit and its local government partners have done substantial work in recent years to keep costs down. A large number of the recommendations put forth in this review reinforce initiatives that are already underway.

The review found that the Crown corporation has an opportunity to find efficiencies such as enhancing fleet standardization and improvements to the management of inventory of parts, and to pursue new revenue opportunities outside the fare box.

Among the 28 recommendations, the review found the corporation should expand existing joint-purchasing agreements to maximize fuel savings, improve its procurement policies to better align with government policies and ensure that technology upgrades address business management practices identified in the review.

“BC Transit receives more than $200 million in operating and capital funding a year from the Province and local governments, and taxpayers need assurance that the money is being wisely spent,” said Todd Stone, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “BC Transit will work with its local transit partners and my ministry on a plan to address the recommendations in this review.”

In partnership with local governments, BC Transit provides access to public transit to more than 1.6 million British Columbians in 130 communities outside Metro Vancouver. The Province is providing BC Transit with more than $110 million in capital contributions and $324 million in operating contributions over the next three years – the highest level of operating support for transit in Canada. As a result of this support, some communities with as few as 1,000 people have access to transit, making it unique in Canada for service in smaller communities.

The BC Transit Crown review was completed as part of government’s commitment to review all major Crown corporations. Government wants to ensure Crowns are making every effort to keep controllable costs to a minimum, and the review process provides an external perspective that helps identify opportunities for improvement.

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A copy of the review can be found at: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/services-policies-for-government/internal-corporate-services/internal-audits/bc-transit-review.pdf