With its new budget, C-Tran plans to expand services and make several capital investments during the two-year, 2017-2018 cycle without raising taxes or passenger fares.
On Dec. 13, the C-Tran Board of Directors adopted the 2017-18 biennial budget, which outlines $122 million in net operating expenses and just under $133 million in revenue.
The agency projects a 17.5 percent increase in its sales tax revenue over the prior biennial budget.
C-Tran spokeswoman Christine Selk said the agency doesn’t plan to increase rider fares or bring any new tax measures to the voters.
The agency plans to add about 20,000 service hours to its fixed routes over the next two years. Selk said the agency will decide later how those extra hours will be distributed into the system, noting that the agency is still trying to return its service levels to where they were before a big reduction a few years ago.
“We’re debating internally improved frequency versus expanded service and if we can we get both somehow,” she said. “If there would be any new routes (it) won’t be until 2018.”
The agency also plans to hire 18 fixed-route and 15 C-Van drivers.
C-Tran expects to make five significant capital investments in the budget. Over the next two years, the agency plans to replace 80 bus stop shelters, purchase 10 replacement buses, study potential future routes of the next Bus Rapid Transit line and invest in new operations management software.
C-Tran also plans to pay for a study for a new park-and-ride somewhere in east Vancouver, and expects to release requests for proposals in 2017.
But, when it comes to an exact location, “nothing is close to being settled on, which is why we need to do a study,” Selk said.
The agency also will look at the possibility of constructing a new operations and administration building as part of the facilities master plan, Selk said in an email.
“We’re extremely early in the process,” she wrote.
