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Coast Mountain Bus Company

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ParentTransLink
FoundedApril 1, 1999
Headquarters13401 - 108th Avenue
Surrey, British Columbia
Service areaMetro Vancouver, Canada
Service typetransit bus, express bus, trolley bus, express coach, shuttle bus, passenger ferry
RoutesBus: 195
SeaBus Ferry: 1
Hubs7 transit centres
FleetBus: 1,462
Ferry: 3[1]
Daily ridership730,000[2]
Chief executiveHaydn Acheson,
President & General Manager
Websitecoastmountainbus.com

Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) is the contract operator for bus transit services in Metro Vancouver and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority known locally as TransLink, the entity responsible for transit. The buses form part of the integrated transit network of the lower mainland.

Services

The Coast Mountain Bus Company operates the buses throughout Greater Vancouver (except West Vancouver which operates its own Blue Bus system and three contract operators that provide Community Shuttle as well as HandyDART services):

  • 191 bus routes in total
    • Regular transit service
    • Express Coach Service to suburban municipalities
    • Trolley Bus Service - 12 routes primarily in the City of Vancouver
    • NightBus - special routes after midnight, 12 routes with plans for expansion
    • B-Line express buses (2 routes - see below)
    • Community shuttles - routes operating minibuses
  • SeaBus - passenger ferry across the Burrard Inlet

The regional transit network including bus routes, service levels and fares are set by TransLink.

Fare Paid Zones

Basically the honour system, a Fare Paid Zone is a clearly marked territory on which passengers must have valid proof of payment and present it for inspection upon request of a Transit Security Officer. This was only in effect in SkyTrain stations and vehicles until June 25, 2007, when the law was changed. Now, all buses, including West Vancouver buses, will be designated a "Fare Paid Zone", along with the SkyTrain. The reason for implementing the "Fare Paid Zone" was to remove responsibility from the bus driver for fare enforcement, as too many bus drivers were being assaulted in disputes over fare payment. Fare Enforcement on all buses are now the responsibility of the Transit Security Department. Transit Security Officers may board a bus at anytime and conduct a fare inspection. Those who fail to pay the fare and retain proof of payment could be removed from the bus and/or fined $173.

History

CMBC was created on April 1, 1999. Bus service in Greater Vancouver was formerly provided by BC Transit. (BC Transit now refers only to the provincial government corporation that operates transit outside of the Metro Vancouver.)

Current Fleet Roster

The following fleet are owned by TransLink and operated and maintained by CMBC.

Heavy Duty Buses

Year Picture Builder Model Engine/Transmission Propulsion Fleet/(Qty.) Notes
<<< 40 feet >>
1995 NFI D40LF DDS 50/Allison B400R5 Diesel R7101-R7150
(50)
1996 R7151-R7167, N7168-N7170, V7171, N7172-N7173, V7174, N7175-N7177, P7178-P7179, N7180-N7186, V7187-V7188, N7189-N7194, V7195, N7196-N7197, V7198, N7199, V7200-V7204, S7205, V7206-V7209, N7210, N7211, V7212-V7217, N7218, V7219, S7220, R7221-R7243
(92)
1998 C40LF DDS 50EGR/Allison B400R5 CNG R3283-R3287, R3289-R3291, R3293-R3299, R3301, R3303-R3305
(25)
  • Nineteen retrofitted to diesel
  • P3288, P3292, P3302, P3306-P3308 retired early May 2011
  • Originally powered by Detroit Diesel Series 50G engines
F40LF Cummins ISB/GM-Allison EP-40 HybriDrive Hydrogen 7244-7246
(3)
  • 7244 & 7246 were sent to Texas and converted to hybrid buses and returned to Vancouver
  • P7245 sold back to Ballard
  • Currently placed in storage
D40LF DDS 50/Allison B400R5 Diesel S7247-S7297
(51)
1999 S7301-S7374
(74)
2000 Cummins ISL/Allison B400R5 P7375-P7379, R7380-R7385, P7386-P7394, P7396-P7399, P7401-P7429
(53)
  • P7395 retired from engine fire in 2008
  • Originally powered by Cummins ISC engines
2001 P7430-P7446
(17)
OBI 05.501 DDS 50EGR/Allison B500R6 R9201-R9276
(76)
  • Suburban configuration
  • Used express service
2005-07 NFI E40LFR Skoda 19 Electric-trolley 2101-2199, 2201-2289
(188)
  • 2101 pilot E40LF trolley bus
2006 C40LFR Cummins Westport C Gas Plus/Allison B4005 CNG P3309-P3358
(50)
D40LFR Cummins ISL/Allison B400R6 Diesel S7447-S7499, S7501-S7504
(57)
2007 NovaBus LFS Cummins ISL/ZF 6HP592C Diesel B9605-B9662, V9663-V9664, B9665-B9666, V9667-V9699, V9701-V9715, B9716-9725
(114)
2008 V9726-V9728, N9729-N9791
(76)
OBI 05.501 Cummins ISM/ZF 6HP592C R9277-R9285
(9)
  • Suburban configuration
  • Used express service
2009-10 NovaBus LFS HEV Cummins ISB/Allison EP-40 HybriDrive Diesel-electric Hybrid B9401-9462, V9463-V9472, B9473-B9482, V9483-V9499, V9501-V9542
(141)
LFS Cummins ISL/ZF 6HP592C Diesel V9543-V9590
(47)
<<< 60 feet >>>
1998 NFI D60LF DDS 50/Allison B500R5 Diesel B8001-B8021
(21)
1999 B8022-B8023, P8024-P8026, B8028-B8036, P8037, B8038, P8039, B8040-B8046, P8047
(25)
2000 B8048-B8052, R8053, R8055-R8083, P8084-P8088, B8089-B8092, R8093, B8094, P8095-P8099, R8101
(51)
  • 8054 retired from engine fire in 2003
  • 8049 modt likely retired after major accident
2007 D60LFR Cummins ISM/Allison B500R6 B8105-B8117
(13) 		B8102-B8104 transferred to West Vancouver Blue Bus
2007-08 E60LFR Skoda 19 Electric-trolley 2501-2540
(40)
2009 2541-2574
(34)
DE60LFR Cummins ISL/Allison EP-50 HybriDrive Diesel-electric Hybrid B8118-B8156
(39)
<<< Future Order >>>
2012 NFI XDE60 Cummins ISL/Allison EP-50 HybriDrive Diesel-electric Hybrid R12001-R12025
(25)
  • A total of 25 buses on order

Community Shuttle

Year Builder Model Length (ft) Propulsion Fleet series Total Notes
N/A Ford E450 25 Diesel S002-S056, S062-S102 92 Commercial Body Builders Ltd Polar V body
N/A Ford E450 25 Diesel S057-S061 5 Champion CH-251FL body
N/A GMC C5500 25 Diesel S200-S236 37 El Dorado Aero Elite body
N/A GMC C5500 25 Diesel S237-S374 148 El Dorado Aero Elite body

SeaBus

Propulsion Services
Diesel Burrard Beaver, Burrard Otter, and Burrard Pacific Breeze

Notes:

  • Disabled access All vehicles are wheelchair-accessible.
  • All CMBC diesel vehicles are currently running on bio-diesel.

Prefixes

Letter prefixes are prepended to the bus numbers on all conventional Coast Mountain buses, except trolleys. Generally, the prefixes are used to identify which garage the bus is operating from.

  • V - Vancouver
  • B - Burnaby
  • P - Port Coquitlam
  • R - Richmond
  • S - Surrey
  • N - North Vancouver
  • T - Special training vehicle

Additional fleet notes

The first/prototype 40ft New Flyer/Vossloh Kiepe low-floor trolley bus arrived at the Oakridge Transit Centre on July 2, 2005.[3] The 187 additional vehicles of that type arrived in 2006–2007, and all had entered service by the end of 2007. The first 60-foot (18 m) articulated trolley coach (#2501) arrived at the Oakridge Transit Centre in January 2007. The others started arriving in January 2008, and all 74 had entered service by the end of 2009.[4]

It was announced that the original bike racks on the 2006 New Flyer buses can only be used in daylight, as they block the headlights at night. Many of them have now been replaced with a modified "V2W" rack.

Facilities

  • Oakridge Transit Centre - In operation since 1948, Oakridge was to be decommissioned and likely sold for re-development beginning in 2007. However with the arrival of several New Flyer and Novabus orders since 2006 it remained an active support facility conducting retrofitting on these vehicles in preparation for revenue service. Additionally, the Oakridge yard was home to many retired coaches, including E901/902 trolleys, New Flyer D40s, and other vehicles. In Spring of 2008, as part of a re-organization and expansion at Burnaby Transit Centre, Oakridge took over many of the tasks formerly located at the other facility. The Community Shuttle Service was one of the groups moved making Oakridge an active transit centre once again.
  • Vancouver Transit Centre - New garage for Vancouver bus operations, open effective September 2, 2006. This garage serves the trolley routes, as well as most of Vancouver's buses.
  • Burnaby Transit Centre - This depot is split into two facilities separated by Kitchener Street and is home to the 99 B-Line rapid transit route. Serving Burnaby and New Westminster, as well as parts of the North Shore and east Vancouver, Burnaby Transit Centre is also home to many support services such as Environmental Services, Trolley Overhead, Facilities Maintenance, Fire Prevention, and Non-Revenue Vehicle Maintenance.
  • North Vancouver Transit Centre - Base for most North Shore services not operated by West Vancouver Municipal Transit.
  • North Vancouver Seabus Centre
  • Port Coquitlam Transit Centre - Base for the 97 B-Line and serves the Tri-Cities, New Westminster, Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows areas.
  • Richmond Transit Centre - Base for the suburban routes served by Orion V highway coaches and local routes in Richmond and South Delta, and the ex-98 B-Line vehicles.
  • Surrey Transit Centre - Base for all Surrey, Langley, North Delta and some White Rock and Ladner services.
  • Fleet Overhaul (located at Burnaby Transit Centre) is where the majority of body repair and repainting is carried out as well as engine and component overhaul, while minor repair is most likely carried out at the bus's home garage. Fleet Overhaul is in the process of having a new facility built within the Maple Ridge area.

Employees

CMBC's 4300+ employees are spread across Metro Vancouver.

  • The 2800 bus operators, represented by CAW Local 111, and the 650 maintenance employees, represented by CAW Local 2200, work out of the six regional depots.
  • The SeaBus staff of 80, including marine attendants, deck officers, engineers, coordinators (also represented by CAW Local 2200), and office staff work from their North Vancouver location.
  • The 600 staff involved in scheduling, training, operational planning, and administrative services are spread throughout the system, as well as at CMBC’s head office in Surrey are represented by the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 378.
  • In October 2008, CMBC was named one of BC's Top Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc., which was announced by The Vancouver Sun, The Province and the Victoria Times-Colonist.[5]
  • Coast Mountain Bus Company operates the Transit Security Department for Translink. Transit Security Officers are mobile, ride buses and trains, inspect fares and patrol TransLink Properties (Bus Loops, SkyTrain Stations, SeaBus Terminals, etc). Transit Security Officers are authorized to arrest persons who commit criminal offences on or in relation to any Translink Properties per the Criminal Code of Canada. Transit Security Officers are also authorized to enforce Transit Conduct and Safety Regulations, as well as the Transit Tariff Bylaw.

B-Line services

B-Line is a Bus Rapid Transit system using 60-foot (18 m) low-floor articulated buses.

Routes

Two routes currently are in operation:

Three routes are in planning:

One line was terminated in 2009:

98 B-Line

Main article: 98 B-Line

The 98 B-Line was an experiment in bus rapid transit, or BRT. It was the first bus line in Vancouver to be equipped with GPS receivers, automated stop announcements, and traffic light "sustainers", which hold the stale green light long enough for the bus to pass through the intersection. These technologies were installed by Siemens Inc. and Novax Inc. instead of the conventional two-way Motorola radio system used by most other coaches in the system. Siemens also installed a special computer into these buses for both announcements, radio functions, and schedule information. These computers are for transit personnel only.

When the Canada Line was being constructed through the 98 B-Line route in both Vancouver and Richmond, many of the features of the BRT technology were not being fully used. Examples include bus stops with no digital "next bus" information, or inactive stop announcements on coaches. The system was not repaired and the 98 B-Line has discontinued service on September 7, 2009 two and a half weeks after the opening of the Canada Line.

Gallery of fleet examples

  • An older high-floor articulated bus. (Running route #44)
    An older high-floor articulated bus.
    (Running route #44)
  • An older regular-length high-floor diesel bus. (Running route #84)
    An older regular-length high-floor diesel bus.
    (Running route #84)
  • A SeaBus departing Lonsdale Quay.
    A SeaBus departing Lonsdale Quay.
  • An older Commercial Body Builders Polar V community shuttle bus at UBC Loop. (Running route #C22)
    An older Commercial Body Builders Polar V community shuttle bus at UBC Loop.
    (Running route #C22)
  • A newer El Dorado Aero Elite community shuttle bus. (Running route #C20)
    A newer El Dorado Aero Elite community shuttle bus.
    (Running route #C20)

References

  1. ^ "Coast Mountain Bus Company Fleet Facts".
  2. ^ http://www.translink.ca/en/About-TransLink/Media/2009/October/Coast-Mountain-Bus-Wins-a-Prestigious-Award-for-the-Fourth-Time.aspx
  3. ^ Trolleybus Magazine No. 263 (September-October 2005), p. 117. ISSN 0266-7452.
  4. ^ Trolleybus Magazine No. 290 (March-April 2010), p. 39.
  5. ^ "Reasons for Selection, 2009 BC's Top Employers competition".

External links

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