Greater Vancouver Transit Authority



The Greater Vancouver Transit Authority (GVTA) is the entity responsible for the provision of public transit in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. It is a department of the Dominion-level Urban Transit Authority, subordinate to the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The GVTA provides a wide range of public transit services in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Busses and trolleybusses, the SeaBus passenger ferry across Burrard Inlet, and Community Shuttle services are operated by the GVTA itself. In addition, the City of West Vancouver operates its own bus system, and though the operating company, West Vancouver Municipal Transit, is an independent company, its operations and fares are fully integrated into the GVTA.

Rail-based services are operated by other railway companies under contract to the GVTA. Like the West Vancouver busses, these are fully integrated into the GVTA's fare structure.

Busses and trolleybusses
The GVTA has an extensive network of busses and trolleybusses throughout the Greater Vancouver Regional District (corresponding to Fare Zones 1 through 4). Most of these are operated by the Coast Mountain Bus Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the GVTA, except for those routes within the City of West Vancouver and routes from West Vancouver to downtown Vancouver, which are operated by West Vancouver Municipal Transit. Bus services in Zone 5 are operated by the Central Fraser Valley Transit System, and in Zone 6 by Chilliwack Transit, both of which are departments of the Urban Transit Authority.

Travel on busses within Zones 1 through 4 are exempt from the fare zone system - a one-zone fare allows for trips across zone boundaries, so long as only busses and no other means of transit (e.g. Metro or SeaBus) are used.

SeaBus
Since 1977 the GVTA has operated a passenger-only ferry between Waterfront-CPR Station in downtown Vancouver and Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. Travel on the SeBus is a two-zone fare in peak hours; at other times, a single-zone fare is applicable.

Rail-based services
Rail-based services are operated by other railway companies under contract to the GVTA. Outwith peak hours, a single-zone fare is applicapble trips occurring within Fare Zones 1 through 4; a surcharge of £1 is applicable to trips from Zones 1–4 to Zone 5 and of £2 on trips from Zones 1–4 to Zone 6; off-peak travel within Zones 5-6 requires a single-zone fare; for trips from Zone 5 to Zones 1–4 a surcharge of £1 is applicable, for trips from Zone 6 to Zones 1–4 the surcharge is £2. For peak hour travel, full fares are applicable.


 * Greater Vancouver Metro - five (six) lines within Fare Zones 1 through 3, operated by the BC Hydro Railway.
 * Interurban - this is a regular BC Hydro Railway passenger service; although not operated under GVTA contract, it is integrated into the GVTA fare system.
 * North Vancouver Trams - three tram lines in North Vancouver, operated by the BC Hydro Railway - these are all that remains of a once-extensive network of trams.
 * RailBus - the RailBus brand is used in several places around BC for rail services under contract to various departments of the UTA; in the Lower Mainland, there are three RailBus services, one operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway, two by the Washington & British Columbia Railway.
 * West Coast Express - special peak-hour-only commuter trains on three routes, each operated by a different railway.

Fares


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