BC Transit
BC Transit is a provincial crown corporation responsible for coordinating the delivery of public transportation within British Columbia, Canada, outside Greater Vancouver. BC Transit is headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 22,487,400, or about 103,000 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.
| Formerly | Urban Transit Authority and the Metro Transit Operating Company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1983 |
| Headquarters | 520 Gorge Road East Victoria, British Columbia |
| Locale | Province of British Columbia (except Greater Vancouver) |
| Service area | 130 communities |
| Service type | bus service, paratransit, transportation planning |
| Fleet | 1,128 vehicles |
| Annual ridership | 27.0 million (FY 2020/21) |
| Website | www.bctransit.com |
BC Transit is the successor to the British Columbia Electric Railway, which started in 1897 and in 1961 became BC Hydro, as the BC Hydro and Power Authority. In 1979, the province separated the transit authority into a separate agency called the Urban Transit Authority which was later restructured into BC Transit in 1983.
BC Transit carries out overall planning and delivery for all of the different municipal transit systems in British Columbia. In 1999, responsibility for the management of transportation in Greater Vancouver, including public transit, was taken over by the newly formed TransLink. In the future, TransLink's jurisdiction is planned to expand into adjacent regions east and north of Greater Vancouver (see TransLink 2007 reorganization).