Transit ...no free ride
- palermonoel
- Jul 10
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 19
As a taxpayer in Qualicum Beach, do you know how much the town is spending in support of our transit system? Would it surprise you to know that in 2024 the RDN collected $644,459 for transit from Town of Qualicum Beach (TQB) property taxpayers? That number is forecast to be $773,389 in 2025 and rising to $1,539,874 by 2029. That works out to 138.94% increase, almost triple the cost, over the 5 year period.
We moved here from the mainland about 7 years ago and have always been astounded at how few passengers there are on our buses. It is not uncommon to see our buses without a single rider. The bus drivers must be as lonely as "Maytag" repair men. Make a conscious effort to look, next time you see a Qualicum Beach bus.
I was tired of seeing empty buses on our streets and continued mind blowing expansion of the town transit costs so I set off to try to validate the value for this significant expense. I started in early January reviewing the RDN website, RDN transit committee meeting agendas for available information and then reached out to the RDN for ridership numbers specifically for TQB routes and access to relative financial information. My request was bounced about between numerous RDN transit staff with promises, but I received no actual response to my requested information. Concurrently I also approached BC Transit directly but got no response.
Finally in early April, I decided a more direct approach was necessary and filed a freedom of information (FOI) request with the RDN specifically asking for:
1) Most recent ridership numbers provided by BC Transit to the RDN for routes in Qualicum
Beach. Specifically 91(1) intercity QB to Woodgrove, 97 Eaglecrest, 98 Qualicum Beach,
99 Deep bay / QB
2) Any correspondence between RDN and BC Transit relating to ridership or cost of these
routes
3) Any RDN policy concerning review of transit routes and the frequency of collecting and/
or reviewing ridership data to ensure the frequency of a route is appropriate.
4) Any correspondence between RDN and BC Transit regarding alternate transportation
options for QB within the last 7 years.
After three months I got a few answers to some of my questions and the full FOI response is set out at the end of this article, should you wish to review it in detail.
Firstly, I was hoping when I asked these questions, that I would be provided with a breakdown of how many people on average use specific TQB bus routes. The question relating to "ridership" by route was not answered and I can only conclude that it does not exist and presumably our elected officials have never asked for it. The information that was provided by BC transit relates to an aggregate of 556 stops (on and off) the buses for all TQB routes. So using those daily numbers of 556 stops on or off the bus, I can extrapolate that it represents 278 one way trips or more likely139 return trips because if you take the bus to go somewhere you still need to get home. One could conclude that 139 people use the bus everyday for some form of outing. TQB has a population of 9300 so that represents bus riders at about 1.5% of the population. This assumes an even distribution of usage although it is more likely that some people use the bus more than others so it is highly probably that less than 1 % of the population use the bus frequently and 99% never use the bus. ( This might have been a good question to ask on our recent quality of life survey. ) No information was given as to how this data was collected so the likelihood of accuracy cannot be evaluated. The Future of Transit Report is stale having being completed in 2014. There appears to be no specific RDN policy with respect to route and ridership reviews and the RDN appears to rely upon the information presented and chosen by BC Transit. Further, there is no direct evidence of formal proposals for alternate transportation modes (e.g., micro-transit, on-demand shuttles) specific to Qualicum Beach in the last 7 years.
Going back to costs, one can surmise that based on the 2025 RDN financial plan the TQB property taxpayers would be paying an aggregate cost of $773,389 (or $2118 per day) to facilitate 139 people to take a daily round trip bus ride. That works out to a subsidy of $15.24 per rider per round trip. By 2029 that number is forecasted to increase to be $30.35 per rider per round trip. My calculations, do not include the portion of transit costs funded through the BC provincial government (47%), which of course is funded, again by you and me, as general taxpayers. This puts the subsidy per round trip rider at $22.39 in 2025 and $44.61 by 2029.
While my subsidy calculations are back of the envelope "guess-timates" and admittedly not fully accurate, as I have not been provided with the separated cost of TQB Handydart service, I think it is safe to conclude that the cost of transit is significant and benefits only a very small portion of our population.
Tough questions to ask
Not withstanding the outrageous costs, I don't think anyone envisions cancelling our transit service any time soon. In most jurisdictions the solution for high transit costs is increased ridership. I doubt that is an appropriate or viable approach for small towns like QB. Our elected officials do not appear to have the right data (nor do they appear to be asking for it) to enable them to make informed decisions on spending tax payer money.
Far greater transparency is necessary to educate the public on the real cost of transit in small towns. We need to fully understand who is using the service and what the potential alternatives might be. Is there a more effective and economical way to provide service to that very small group of people using transit? Are we getting the best value for our tax payer monies? Should we allocate more funding to custom services such as Handydart given the town demographics? Can costs be reduced by using a Taxi saver program or by reducing route frequency? Do we have the right people advising our elected officials or should we hire an economic consultant to focus on Qualicum Beach specific needs? BC Transit has an interest in expanding and integrating services so I ask "Can they be truly objective in selecting and presenting information on where QB taxpayer money should be best spent...pollution centers, hospitals, fire prevention or more empty buses?" Taxpayers do not have unlimited resources and tough fully informed choices need to be made.
My next step is to bring this FOI data to the attention of our Mayor who is our elected representative on the RDN board. I am looking forward to hearing his thoughts and his go forward plan. If you think this area of spending needs more attention feel free to drop Mayor Westbroek a note at mayor@qualicumbeach.com. In the meantime, go for a joy ride on the bus...you are paying dearly for the privilege.
Marie Noel
July 12 2025
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More Info/references
RDN Northern Transit bylaw 897
Actual FOI info received
Good afternoon - Please be advised that the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) received a Freedom of Information (FOI) request on April 11, 2025, for the following records:
“BC Transit ridership numbers”
1. Most Recent Ridership Numbers for Qualicum Beach Routes (91(1), 97, 98, 99)
The most recent ridership data provided by BC Transit to the Regional District of Nanaimo
(RDN) covers the period from September 1, 2024, to March 30, 2025. For the Town of Qualicum Beach:
• Route 91 (now renamed Route 9 Intercity Line): This route connects Qualicum Beach to
Woodgrove and has seen additional trips and improved connections to the Nanaimo Rapid
Line.
• Qualicum Beach recorded an average of 555.9 daily stop activities, accounting
for 1.92% of the total RDN transit activity.
• RDN Ridership Data Reference Table 1 and Table 2.
• Qualicum (rural area) had only 1.5 daily stop activities, or 0.01% of the total.
• Detailed stop-level data for Qualicum Beach bus stops (e.g., Hwy 19A at Hall Rd, Milner
Gardens, and Qualicum Rd) showed very low usage, with some stops averaging 0.1 to 0.4
daily boardings/alightings.
(Table 1 was a busy pie chart of the data in table 2 which follows)
Table 2
Average Stop activity/Day | Average stop Activity/Day% | |
Lantzville | 112.2 | 0.39% |
Nanaimo | 26,813.2 | 92.38% |
Nanaimo A | 160.9 | 0.55% |
Nanaimo E | 96.3 | 0.33% |
Nanaimo G | 128.8 | 0.44% |
Nanaimo H | 9.9 | 0.03% |
Nanaimo River | 6.6 | 0.02% |
Nanoose | 25.4 | 0.09% |
Parksville | 1115.8 | 3.84% |
Qualicum | 1.5 | 0.01% |
Qualicum Beach | 555.9 | 1.92% |
Grand total | 29,026.4 | 100% |
2. Correspondence Between RDN and BC Transit on Ridership or Costs of These Routes
General information between RDN and BC Transit regarding ridership and cost concerns can be found in:
• The Development of the RDN Transit Future Plan – 2014 ( https://www.bctransit.com/wp-content/uploads/131/438/NAN201404_NanaimoRegional_Transit_Future_Plan.pdf
, and;
• The RDN Transit Future Plan at the BC Transit webpage2
• The Annual Operating Agreement (AOA) is an agreement between the RDN and BC Transit and cost shared by the provincial model,
Custom Transit is 66.69% BC Transit and 33.31% RDN,
Conventional Transit is 46.69% BC Transit and 53.31% RDN and
Interregional Transit is the same percentage as Conventional but the 53.31% is split equally 50/50 between Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD)
• The past seven (7) years of AOA’s are attached to this FOI.
The RDN Transit Future Plan and the TRS documents relate to future planning and include the Northern Transit System.
3. RDN Policy on Transit Route Review and Ridership Monitoring
While no standalone policy document was found, the Transit Redevelopment Strategy (TRS)
the Transit Future Plan4 outline the RDN’s approach.
4. Correspondence on Alternate Transportation Options for Qualicum Beach (Last 7 Years)
There is no direct evidence of formal proposals for alternate transportation modes (e.g., micro-transit, on-demand shuttles) specific to Qualicum Beach in the last 7 years. However:
• The TRS and related planning documents imply a long-term vision for service expansion and integration with active transportation and land use planning.
email us at Qualicumbeachinsights@gmail.com for a digital copy of the
ANNUAL OPERATING AGREEMENT (Conventional/Custom)between
Regional District of Nanaimo and British Columbia Transit
Effective April 1, 2024
