Connect Chilliwack and Abbotsford by Bus!

A public transit connection between Abbotsford and Chilliwack is long overdue, and is a key missing link in public transit in the Fraser Valley Regional District.

A link exists between Abbotsford and Mission, and Abbotsford and Aldergrove, but Abbotsford and Chilliwack remain isolated from each other. There is a Greyhound link, but it's expensive and infrequent, making it impractical for people who commute frequently between the two locales, such as UFV students.

We believe there is strong demand for such a service from many demographics, including but not limited to:

•  University of the Fraser Valley students who are enrolled in courses at a campus located outside their community
• workers who are employed in a different community than that one in which they reside
• seniors who are unable to drive or who cannot afford to do so
• all residents of the FVRD who wish to move away from dependency on personal vehicles in the name of financial savings and/or environmental conservation but feel that public transit service is inadequate to permit that.

It is our view that effective public transit systems are an essential tool in controlling congestion, limiting greenhouse gas emissions, and limiting particulate matter emissions, and we also feel that the absence of a public transit link between Abbotsford and Chilliwack is a fundamental shortcoming of the regional transit system. Particulate matter is an issue of particular concern due to the sensitive nature of the FVRD airshed.

As such, we call on all levels of government to collaborate to immediately establish Chilliwack-Abbotsford connector service, in anticipation of continued population growth in both communities as well as in enrollment on the UFV campuses.

UFV students recently approved a Universal Bus Pass, the first step in creating a cultural shift away from car dependency and toward greater reliance on public transit. Now that students  have approved a U-PASS, they deserve to be met halfway by transit authorities with a transit link between Abbotsford and Chilliwack.