BC Transit selects vendor to retrofit full driver doors on existing fleet

Corporate – BC Transit has selected a vendor to complete the installation of full driver doors on existing buses in fleets outside of Victoria and the Regional District of Nanaimo. Kodiak Mobile Video Installations will complete installations of the protective doors, produced by AROW Global Corporation, in approximately 34 regional transit system locations.

Door installations began in early May in Abbotsford and Chilliwack, with Kelowna following in July. All remaining locations across the province are expected to be completed by fall 2020. We thank AROW Global for agreeing to increase production and reducing lead time to support an accelerated implementation schedule in light of COVID-19. The service agreement is valued at approximately $850 thousand. Retrofits are currently underway on buses in the Victoria and the Regional District of Nanaimo fleets and will be completed in-house. In total, 633 buses will be retrofitted. All future new buses in the fleet will arrive with the door pre-installed.

The full driver door includes a transparent piece of laminated tempered glass with anti-glare coating and metal base. It is designed to increase protection for our drivers. The full driver door windows can be adjusted to account for sightlines associated with different seat positions. Due to the current enhanced safety measures being put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, buses awaiting full driver door installations across the province will have a temporary vinyl panel installed as protection for both operators and passengers when we resume fare collection and front door loading on June 1.

Safety is our top priority, and the full driver door is another tool along with:

• closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras
• driver training to defuse situations
• partnerships with first responders
• enhanced communication technology on board the bus including the radio system

For more information about safety initiatives at BC Transit, including our COVID-19 response, please visit bctransit.com.