By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: March. 17, 2012
B.C. government has selected three people with expertise in finance, transit and municipal affairs to conduct the BC Transit Independent Review, it was annouced in a press release on Thursday, March.15th.
In November last year, the Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom had ordered an independent review of BC Transit after local governments across the province had expressed concern about organisation and funding of local transit.
The three panel members are Chris Trumpy, Catherine Holt and John King. Trumpy will chair the panel.
John King has worked in transportation management, operations, and transit planning.
Trumpy retired as a deputy minister in 2009, while Catherine Holt has been consultant and owner of Sage Group Management Consultants
Over the next several months, the panel members will be seeking input from local governments and BC Transit. The panel will be focusing on the following:
- Operations and performance: examining the efficiency and effectiveness of transit services.
- Governance: examining the existing structure, processes and policies in place for BC Transit, as well as the Capital Regional District’s request that the regional district perform the functions of the Victoria Regional Transit Commission.
- Funding relationships between BC Transit and local governments: examining the processes for capital planning, budgeting and operating expenditures and how transit service is allocated, priorities set, charges imposed and expenditures monitored. Increases to provincial and local government funding will not be included in the review.
The trio will submit a report to government by the end of August 2012.
BC Transit is co-ordinating transit service with local government funding partners in over 50 communities in British Columbia, outside of Metro Vancouver. The independent review will not include Metro Vancouver transit service.
