A new electronic fare system for BC Transit buses went live on June 5.
The contactless payment method Umo features a reloadable card and the Umo Mobility App. It can be used inter-regionally.
Umo cards are intended for repeat use, to replace paper tickets and monthly passes. Cards can be picked up for free from a BC Transit Umo vendor and can be topped up with fare through a vendor, or online.
The Umo Mobility App, available for free download in the Apple and Google Play stores, prompts riders to create an account to purchase fare. When getting on a bus, riders can open the app and present a QR code to scan at new onboard validators. These validators are also where riders can tap their Umo cards.
The Umo card and app have a few fare options. One is a cash balance, where riders load their card or app with fare. $2.25 is drawn from the balance with each ride. There is also a 10-ride fare option, at the same discounted price as the paper tickets, and new 30-day passes (to replace monthly passes) that give riders unlimited continuous travel for 30 days.
BC Transit will give riders at least until the end of the calendar year to make the transition before phasing out paper tickets and monthly passes. The final date for paper ticket and monthly pass sales is still to be determined. Cash will continue to be accepted even after the transition.
Other new features include universal fare prices across regular, paratransit, and Health Connections routes, and digital transfers automatically applied to the Umo card or app, valid for a second bus ride within a 90-minute transfer window.
Umo was first implemented in Victoria in August 2023. It’s now in action up island, on the Sunshine Coast, and in the Central Fraser Valley, Interior, and the North. Umo was also launched in Cranbrook on June 5.
Route expansions
To solve the problem of overcrowding on Route 99 (Nelson/Castlegar), the underutilized mid-morning Slocan Valley run (Route 20/99) is being converted into a full round-trip Route 99. This bus will connect with a new Route 98 bus from Castlegar to Trail, providing improved access to the Trail hospital. This is expected to begin in September 2024.
Some routes will be expanding starting in January 2025, coinciding with procurement of new vehicles: Route 10 (North Shore) from Six Mile to Balfour will be getting another trip; Route 98 (Columbia Connector) will get two additional peak-time round trips per weekday; Route 33 (Selkirk College) will get two more round trips per weekday.
Ridership update
Government relations manager Elise Wren gave an update on ridership trends since 2019 at the West Kootenay Transit Committee's May 28 meeting.
Numbers dropped deeply in 2020, from almost 934,000 riders in 2019/20, to about 445,000 in 2020/21. However, numbers have been steadily increasing since, with almost 763,000 riders in 2023/24. Wren explained that the increase is on trend with the rest of the province.
Transit exchanges
Wren also provided an update on the new transit exchanges planned for Nelson and Trail.
In Nelson, the $2.4-million project will see a new transit exchange downtown. Progress on the plans is between 60% and 90% complete, said Wren. When it reaches 90%, City of Nelson council will review the drawings. Then, the contract is expected to be awarded in July, with construction starting in August, and completion in November or December. The project is still on time and on budget, said Wren.
The Trail exchange is in the design phase. The $3.73-million project will see a transit exchange with curb space, bus shelters, utility works, a washroom facility, and ancillary infrastructure. At the end of April, GeoScan completed a topographic survey, and the design team had its first site visit. Wren said they are hoping for an August 2025 completion date, and that the project is on time and on budget.
Electric buses
Nelson will be receiving two electric buses, starting in early 2025, through the Battery Electric Bus program.
Nelson is one of nine other communities across B.C. involved in phase one of the program. Chilliwack, Kamloops, the Regional District of Nanaimo, Powell River, the Sunshine Coast, Victoria, and Whistler will also receive electric buses in the first phase.
Total funding for the project is $395.5 million, which will bring in 115 new battery electric buses. Costs will be shared with the Government of Canada, Province of B.C., and local government partners.
