By Jeffrey Trainor (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: September 3, 2014
Transit was the hot topic at the Student Union Society (SUS) meeting on August 28. BC Transit’s Rebecca Newlove, Johann van Schaik, and Matthew Boyd gave a sneak peek into upcoming plans for expansion, route changes, and a new Fraser Valley Express Service (FVX).
FVX is meant to address the need for inter-regional travel, similar to SUS’s UFV shuttle bus service. The proposed route is scheduled to start in April 2015, and will travel from Chilliwack through Abbotsford and the McCallum park-and-ride to the Carvolth exchange on 202 Street in Langley.
Newlove said the goal is to “be as competitive with a car as possible. If you can get in your car and drive for 40 minutes, we don’t want to be much more than 60.”
Boyd noted the FVX’s connection with Langley presents an “opportunity for [UFV] to grow within the region.”
VP external Dylan Thomas agreed, explaining that students opposing the U-Pass and Shuttle are often those who commute from Langley.
“The FVX,” he said, would become “a nice public transit option for them to come to campus.”
A short-term hurdle for students wanting to ride the FVX in the spring will be the lack of U-Pass acceptance; SUS recently renewed the U-Pass agreement with BC Transit for two years, which does not include the FVX. Students using the line would have to pay the $6 adult fare.
Van Schiak said this would allow BC Transit to implement the service, and explained they would love to see FVX a part of the U-Pass program in future.
“The more people on board with [FVX], the easier it [will be] to expand the service,” he said.
Adding FVX to the U-Pass could see the cost per semester rise by $17, which Newlove said is an early estimation.
The creation of a new SUS website was also discussed at the meeting. President Ryan Petersen presented the new website, explaining that it will feature a “minimalistic, easy-to-navigate design.” The current website was introduced last fall.
VP internal Thomas Davies discussed bylaw changes intended to remove confusion from clubs and associations policies. Policy requires clubs to have at least one meeting a year with a minimum of seven attendees.
“If a group wants to call themselves active, they should be able to get seven people in a room,” Davies said.
