Transit System: Chilliwack
CHILLIWACK – Taking the bus in the City of Chilliwack, District of Kent and Village of Harrison Hot Springs just got easier for anyone with access to a computer, tablet or smartphone thanks to the expansion of an online transit trip-planning tool.
Chilliwack MLA John Martin, Chilliwack Mayor and Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) Chair Sharon Gaetz and BC Transit President and CEO Manuel Achadinha, launched the Transit Trip Planner at the Fraser Valley Regional Library.
Mayor Gaetz demonstrated how the Transit Trip Planner can link customers and the community to some of the most popular BC Transit destinations in the Fraser Valley Regional District.
“This new technology will make trip-planning effortless for residents, said Chilliwack MLA John Martin. “I encourage people who haven’t taken the bus recently to get back on board – it’s more convenient than ever.”
The Transit Trip Planner, on either Google or Bing maps, is a public transportation planning tool that combines the latest BC Transit schedule and route information with the power of existing, popular search engines. It is a free service that makes trip planning quick and easy for everyone.
There were nearly 495,000 passenger trips on BC Transit in Chilliwack in 2013/14, a 5.6% increase over 2012/13. Tools like the Transit Trip Planner will encourage even more ridership growth, by demonstrating that public transportation is a convenient and reliable alternative to single occupancy vehicles.
“Over the past year we have celebrated many public transit successes, from expanded transit routes and hours of operation, to ridership increases and now easy online trip planning,” said Chilliwack Mayor and Fraser Valley Regional District Chair Sharon Gaetz. “We would like to thank BC Transit and the provincial government for investing in public transportation in Chilliwack.”
“Transit customers are demanding user-friendly route information,” said BC Transit President and CEO Manuel Achadinha. “This technology gives existing and new customers a convenient and simple to use tool to plan their transit trips.”
For more information on transit in the Chilliwack, Agassiz and Harrison please consult our website www.bctransit.com/regions/chw and click on the Trip Planner link.
Media Contacts:
Jim Zeeben
BC Government
Caucus Communications
250.952.0778
Jamie Leggatt
City of Chilliwack
Communications Manager
604.793.2716
Jennifer Kinneman
Fraser Valley Regional District
Communications Manager
604.702.5056
Meribeth Burton
BC Transit
Corporate Spokesperson
250.995.5720
