Salt Spring Island Transit Service

A Background and Position Paper

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SSI Transit is a local CRD service under the full administrative authority of the LCC. Full administrative authority means that the CRD Board has delegated all of its authority to the LCC for this service with the exception of the ability to pass bylaws which, by law, cannot be delegated. By law, the final budget is also a bylaw and so must be passed by the CRD Board.

 

Established under CRD Bylaw 3438 (2007) as amended, the purpose of the service is defined as:

 

“providing a public passenger transportation system service on Salt Spring Island”.

 

Budget

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• 2025 - $672,382

• 2026 - $733,695

• 2027 (provisional) - $747,245

 

Challenges

 

• Like most local transit systems in BC, SSI Transit is a partnership between BC Transit, which provides the buses, operational expertise, and a financial subsidy, and local government which, for Salt Spring, is the LCC. While the LCC has developed a good working relationship with BC Transit, it remains the case that while the LCC can vote to expand service, for example, and provide funding to do so, that expansion remains dependent on the ability of BC Transit to provide the needed buses and subsidy.
   

• Because the SSI Transit system is based upon connecting the ferry terminals and villages, it is highly subject to seasonal ridership variations due to tourism. One of the biggest operational challenges is dealing with full buses bypassing waiting passengers during peak tourism times, especially on the Fulford to Ganges route. The LCC voted to expand this route in 2025, but BC Transit is still unable to provide the necessary buses and funding to support the expansion. Because of space constraints at the Fulford terminal, larger buses are not an option.
   

• Despite the fact that our transit system is said by BC Transit to be one of the most successful small systems in BC, Salt Spring Island is a less than optimal place for a transit system. Our low population density makes transit less efficient. Our rural roads are hard on small buses designed and built for urban/suburban streets. They breakdown more frequently and are more expensive to keep on the road. Riders complain about hard rides on rough roads.
   

My Recommendations

 

• Find a way to engage with regular bus system riders to better understand their concerns with using the system and their recommendations for improvement – buses, routes, scheduling.
   

• Secure funding so that Salt Spring is ready to take on planned service expansion when additional buses become available.
   

• Explore options for a Ganges circulator shuttle to move people around the village on a more frequent and predictable schedule.
   

• Explore options for ride share or ride hailing services to better accommodate lower frequency transit needs on the island.

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