Rural Transit Needs Assessment

Updated Feb 20, 2025

Help Shape the Future of Transportation in the Fraser Valley

If you live in the FVRD's rural areas, including Hope, Kent, and Harrison Hot Springs, we would like to hear from you! Your experiences and ideas will help us better understand the daily transportation challenges people face and will guide future decisions about transit in our region.

Public engagement is now open! Register for an upcoming focus group, take the survey or drop a pin on the map and share your ideas.

Understanding Rural Transportation Needs

Transportation for rural and remote communities in the FVRD can be challenging. Many residents have limited or no access to public or private transit, especially after the loss of Greyhound in 2018. Getting to work, school, shopping, or medical appointments each day can be particularly difficult for non-drivers, seniors, youth, and people living with mobility or health challenges.

The Rural Transit Needs Assessment & Action Plan will help us better understand:

• What transportation challenges do people experience each day
• Where service gaps currently exist in communities
• What are the opportunities for new transit partnerships
• What types of transit solutions could improve mobility and access to essential services

This project will explore a wide range of possibilities, from handyDART and on-demand services to community shuttles and other creative rural mobility models. Focusing on rural communities and First Nations within the FVRD, as well as the municipalities of Hope, Kent, and Harrison Hot Springs.

Note: This study is separate from past engagement on the planned North of Fraser bus route and focuses on transportation solutions in the FVRD’s rural areas that go beyond conventional bus routes.

How You Can Take Part

Your voice is important. You can share your thoughts and experiences using any of the following ways:

• Participate in a virtual focus group: Join a small-group conversation to share your experiences and ideas. Registration open!
• Take a 10-minute online survey: Tell us about your day-to-day travel needs and the challenges you face in getting to where you need to go.
• Drop a pin on the map: Show us the places where you want to go and where transit would make the biggest difference for you and your community.
• Share your ideas: Share your thoughts on new transit options or community-based services that could help meet local needs.

Working Together

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada's Rural Transit Solutions Fund and Fraser Health's Macro Health Grant for Hope and the Fraser Canyon. This support will help the FVRD and the project consultants, Left Turn Right Turn Ltd. explore new and innovative ways to improve mobility for rural and remote communities in the FVRD, informed by the lived experiences of:

• Residents of rural and remote communities
• First Nations
• Seniors and youth
• People with disabilities or limited mobility
• Non-drivers
• Anyone who provides or relies on others for transportation

Want to continue to be part of the conversation? Subscribe to receive project updates or register for an upcoming focus group.