Transit plays a vital role in enhancing community experiences and creating lasting memories. Learn about the various community events and initiatives we’re involved in. Plus, did you know you can charter a transit bus?

Come behind the scenes with us as What’s the T: the TransLink Podcast with Jawn Jang reveals the voices and stories that drive Metro Vancouver’s transit system forward. Subscribe and listen everywhere you get your podcasts, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Pocket Casts!

Transcript

JAWN JANG: Hey, welcome to What’s the T: the TransLink Podcast. I’m your host, Jawn Jang. Here’s what we have coming up on this episode.

[AUDIO EXCERPT FROM “AT LEAST IT WAS HERE” BY THE 88 PLAYS]: But I can’t count the reasons I should stay, one by one they all just fade away.

JAWN: How does TransLink support our communities? Let’s tap in to What’s the T.

VOICEOVER 1: The next station is…

[INTRODUCTION MUSIC PLAYS]

VOICEOVER 2: Welcome to What’s the T: the TransLink Podcast.

JAWN: So here’s a fun fact. According to Statistics Canada, over 3 million people now reside in Metro Vancouver. When my family immigrated here in the mid 90s, that number was closer to around 1.8 million. So it is just been incredible to see how much the region has grown and changed since I was just a child, and there are some things now that are only just a memory, like I remember taking the Albion Ferry or sitting in the passenger seat while my parents drove over the old orange arched Portman Bridge. And I can still recall when the Colossus Theatre opened up in Langley. They used to dot the night sky with searchlights mounted from their rooftops. My point is, our communities have grown and changed as more families call this region their home. And through it all, transit has been there to help people get to where they need to go and more importantly, to support those communities when and where we can. Because supporting communities isn’t just about frequent and reliable transit service, it’s helping out with events or showcasing local businesses, celebrating different cultures and peoples, or providing support when big concert or events are coming to town. Our role as the transit agency for Metro Vancouver is so much more than just taking you from point A to point B, it’s participate in parades to show our support for a good cause. It’s decorating our busses to promote an upcoming holiday or special event. It’s using our properties, vehicles and brand to lift up our business partners in need.

DAVE LEWIN: Feel like I have one of the coolest jobs and in the building. Get to work with so many different community groups are our goals are really to get the transit message out, work with partners to get people on transit, support our community and talk about all the exciting initiatives we have, all the easy ways to get there and all the benefits transit brings to a community.

JAWN: Dave Lewin is Translink’s manager of Community Outreach and Partnerships. So when it comes down to building these important relationships, Dave and his team are the ones that make it happen. What are some of the biggest events and community, happenings that TransLink does get involved in? In a big way?

DAVE: Yeah. So that’s a really cool question. You know, and I think the easy answer is the best part about it is we get to partner with all kinds of events, whether you’re the largest event of the year, like the celebration of lights moving 500,000 people to and from, whether you’re going to Rogers Arena for a concert like Taylor Swift or to a game, or down to the community feel to the neighbourhood feel where we’re closing down streets and partnering on car free days. We’re really able to partner and work with all kinds of different groups, events, really to help people get there to and from safely. And that’s what makes, I think what we do special. We help get people to and from these places they want to go, and do it in a whole bunch of fun ways. So there’s always events coming. I think we’ve had a great run the last few years with some major events in town, people getting out of their house again, celebrating the community. And we’ve got a lot to look forward to as well.

JAWN: You named a couple of things that I’m sure, people have checked out either once before or in the event of, like, you know, the Taylor Swift concert. We know how busy it was in Vancouver and by all means a huge success. Those three nights, the concerts were here, and you kind of realize that transit is more than just like getting you there. It becomes a part of the experience. So let’s use a connect scheme. For example, after a big win, presuming they win everyone on that train going home, they’re all in in such a good mood, right? And if you just come across in like it’s a big blowout win, like people are, you know, happy and hollering, I think back and I make this reference a lot on the podcast, the Olympics. When those games were in town, the Skytrain wasn’t just a Skytrain, it was this amalgamation of different countries and cultures and so many renditions of, oh, Canada breaking out like every 30s. It was by far one of the greatest experiences of my life. But transit makes it possible because you’re sharing that space with all these other people that have just kind of gone through what you went through as well.

DAVE: That’s right. I recall vividly I was on the Canada Line for that, oh, Canada breaking in 2010, and it still gives me chills thinking about it. And you know people think about transit as getting to and from and it is and I think you know the more convenient we can make it, the more efficient we can make it, the less cars we can take off the road for people who are driving, great, great, great. But, you know, I think even further to where you’re going, it creates memories as well. You know, people experience times with people. They’re going to the event with. I have memories taking the train into games with my dad that I’ll never forget. And getting to and from those events is special. So we want to create that experience for people to have those great memories and be able to get there safely and conveniently.

JAWN: Now, what about the work TransLink does to support, the community as well? Because it’s not just the sports events that are happening or the concerts, but, annual traditions that a lot of people in Metro Vancouver look forward to. I’ll use, certain things as examples, like the Vaisakhi parade, Lunar New Year parade. Pride, of course, is huge and significant in Metro Vancouver. Tell us a little bit more about the work that TransLink does there and why it’s so important for us to get out there and support these things.

DAVE: Yeah. And again, I think it’s, it’s a few layers to that, right? I mean, we know, a parade like Lunar of a Sakae or Pride, you know, they’re going to bring in hundreds of thousands of people to to the city, to the neighbourhood. They’re going to go for lunch. They’re going to spend money supporting the community, supporting the economy. So right there, we’re partners, you know, we want to get people there. We want to get them there conveniently again. But there’s another layer to it where we also on to engage with those, people attending. You know, we have a lot of great stuff to show off from TransLink side, whether it’s new services, new products, promoting our brand and doing things in fun, creative ways like integrating some of that theme of whatever that event is into to what we’re providing, such as wrapping busses and a lunar parade, such as giving out, you know, branded items along the parade corridor and celebrating that, that that audience group. So really connecting on that level is, is important. But it’s not just about getting people there, it’s how we can also be part of the event as part of the community.

JAWN: Dave. Let’s get into some maybe quirky facts about TransLink that not many people know about. And you can play the role of, the truth keeper. That’s your nickname for now, because I want you to tell me if it’s true or false, that people, individuals even can rent out their own bus if they have any real particular personal need. Is that actually true?

DAVE: That is true. Jawn. There’s a couple of things to add to that though. But that is true. People can apply to rent a charter vehicle or charter a vehicle of any size, a community shuttle, A40 or even an Arctic. We’ve had examples of people actually using them for weddings. We’ve had people use them for events, for conferences.

You can simply apply online, you know, it’s, a process that will evaluate on, on a case by case application. It does depend on operational resources. Are busses available? Does this kind of fit into, the broader piece of the TransLink puzzle and particularly busses that, you know, are otherwise going to be sitting idle? You know, once one’s peak service or their demand for the day is done or potentially on weekends, which is not as high demand, those busses can serve a purpose to support community groups and community causes.

And, that that application again, is online and people can apply and, and take a shot if they’re, if they’re interested. But the answer is true. Yes.

JAWN: You can all right, true or false. Then if we move from, one aspect of the vehicles to another one, it’s time to bring in a new fleet, new vehicles. Do we have plans to somehow retire vehicles that maybe just aren’t part of the big picture anymore?

DAVE: Super timely question. Yes, we do. In fact, our Mark five trains are starting to arrive. Some are already here and more will be expected to come. And as those come on board, we’ll are going to be removing 1986 Mark one Skytrain vehicles. Some people have grown up with these vehicles. These aren’t, vehicles. I personally or a lot of people here want to see just crushed or abandoned and thrown away. So there’s currently a process for groups to be able to apply for those vehicles to repurpose those vehicles, find, some, some legacy with those vehicles on the bus side. Same thing. You know, we do have a process set up for busses. As busses come to their end of life, people can, submit an application through our charitable donation program where, a group of, enterprise wide representatives look at applications on an ongoing basis and determine what we have available and what the applications used for. There’s been some great examples done in the past with busses. We’ve had, donation made to a seniors co-op that provided access for them to get out, enjoy community events. We’ve donated busses to bucket mechanics program, helping a young apprentices learn kind of the back end of busses and have one on site. So yeah, really open to just exploring how we can repurpose these vehicles and keep that. Community kind of engagement open for, for keeping the longevity and creating some legacy out of those assets.

JAWN: I kind of like that a lot because, you know, these vehicles that have spent their entire service lives, providing the service of transit and commuting people every single day when it’s time for them to retire, they’re not just being reduced to, you know, scrap metal. They’re still finding a way to somehow help the community. Right?

DAVE: And don’t get me wrong, I think everyone wants to ride on the new Mach five thing. Sure. Yeah. In some people’s opinions, the Mach ones are ready to retire, right? However, they they’ve been around for, you know, 40 plus years and are a part of, of our history and our community. And, you know, a number of them need to be preserved and protected. And we need to, I think do our part to make sure that that history is secure.

JAWN: It’s iconic to its iconic.

DAVE: Absolutely good word for it.

JAWN: Since we’re talking a little bit about the history, what kind of a relationship does TransLink have with the Transit Museum Society here in Metro Vancouver? And how do we maybe help support their efforts to want to keep history alive?

DAVE: Yeah, thanks. Shout out to, the Transit Museum Society, a lot of great people involved doing just that, preserving transit artifacts, history and getting that out to the public so people are aware of our rich transit history. You know, our transit history is over 100 plus years old, from interurban and even before that, through the Fraser River. And, you know, different ways people travel our waterways into Inter Urban’s, into, trolleys, into expansion of rail. We have a really rich history of transit, in this region. And, and our transmedia society does an amazing job, helping preserve those assets, getting it out to the public. One of my favourite pieces that they have is the 1957 GMC, which has been converted into a museum bus. And, you know, you may see that event, you may see that vehicle at a variety of events that we’re with as we work closely with them. They attend car free days and PND and really, again, showcase that rich history. We have, is run by an amazing team of volunteers who are extremely passionate about transit, both in the history but also tomorrow. So we work really closely with them, encourage everyone to check out their site, check them out at an event, give back what you can. A lot of these folks are our ECS mechanics. They’ve worked for CNBC or they’ve worked for Skytrain, and they’re just really, truly passionate about preserving that history.

JAWN: In conversation with Dave Lewin. And we’ll be right back on what’s the T? The TransLink podcast.

JAWN: Welcome back to what’s the T? The Trans Am podcast, in conversation with Dave Lewin, senior manager for Community outreach and partnerships at TransLink. And Dave, what I’m hearing from you is that it really takes a village and the work that we do all together, we have frontline staff, behind the scenes staff, but we also have a community transit volunteer program where volunteers can support customers outside the fare paid zones. Maybe you can tell me a little bit more about what they do as well.

DAVE: Yeah, absolutely. And huge shout out to our community transit volunteers. You know, the program is fairly new. It’s, coming into its fourth year, an amazing group of passionate, transit enthusiasts, people who just want to support the community, support people and help them get around and guide them how to use the system and promote local businesses and how to get there. They’re positioned throughout a variety of different major transit hubs, in particular at why we are at the port welcoming different cruise ship arrivals. Great chance for them to just, give back to the community, learn some new skills, make some great friendships. I’ve seen some amazing friendships develop over the last few years of those volunteers. And to your initial point, you know, the volunteers do really make a lot of these events happen, whether you’re, you know, the Invictus Games or, car free day or a marathon, hundreds if not thousands of volunteers, help make those events successful. Think back to 2010. You still see people wearing those blue volunteer jackets. It’s I think one of the things Vancouver, did really, really well. And people still are passionate about that. So we’re always looking for, for, for new people who want to participate in the program. There’s some, we’re recruiting will likely be a few months each spring. So stay tuned for that. You can simply apply online and, receive some great transit 101 training help, help people get around and, receive some great incentives along the way as a thank you, for helping us out along those ways. And really there to there to compliment on our front line, you know, who also does an amazing job out there.

Not only for events, but just day to day service. So volunteers can help them, do their job better and give them capability to have a bit more focus on some of the things they need to focus on.

So yeah, absolutely. Thanks for the chance. Of course, the volunteer piece, you know, just in, in context, why VR has about 700 volunteers as part of their green code program. Destination in Vancouver has just under 400 volunteers, positioned around waterfront and area, helping people. We know other groups like the DVA and other, VA’s have volunteer programs as well, supporting their community.

So we’re, we’re working closely with all of them. We see this as a real opportunity to collaborate and help each other out with different, events, different customer groups, and positioning them in ways during special events that can help everyone. So really excited to continue seeing that program grow.

JAWN: One thing I’ll make note of, too, is that this volunteer program is not just for young people, although it benefits young people a lot. Like if you want a certain amount of volunteer hours to really make your resume stand out for post-secondary application, that’s obviously really, really great. But anyone of all backgrounds, all ages. And I think that’s the cool thing about that too.

DAVE: And, you know, on that note, you’re absolutely right. There’s students who want the experience, there’s retirees who want to just give back to the community. There’s people who do it strictly for their networking or just really enjoy helping people, you know? And amazing. That’s amazing. We have between our 100 ish volunteers right now, people speak 13 different languages that can help. So positioning them in neighbourhoods where that that service comes in handy and they can give that extra back is also pretty incredible and pretty awesome.

JAWN: Okay, Dave, thank you so much for giving us some time. I think it was really insightful to get your, the perspective from you on, on the work that you and your team do, but also maybe opening some eyes here today about the amount of work that goes into making sure that TransLink is visible and out there trying to help the community every single day. So appreciate you and thanks for giving us some time here today.

DAVE: Thanks, Jawn. I really appreciate it. And, you know, shout out to any event organizer out there who wants to work with us, really keen to, to help how we can and, to all the businesses and groups that help us along the way. You know, when we do events, it’s not just a TransLink thing. I’ll give you an example. Like a community’s car free day festivals which now attend attract over 750,000 people to a car free day. Great movement for TransLink to get people out of their cars, to take transit, to cycle. Great for all ages, family, friends. And these events are in partnership with the host municipality, with TransLink at the table and hundreds of different businesses who showcase what they offer in their community. And people can celebrate their neighbourhoods and a whole bunch of fun collective way. So, shout out to everyone involved in a car free day. And all the businesses that really, I think, make it happen.

JAWN: Well, you bring up a good point, because I’m going to bring out, we’ve never done this before, but we a prop, it’s a compass card. And because you mentioned the businesses, Dave, like, isn’t it true that just by having one of these, you can actually be eligible to receive a whole bunch of, like, special discounts with certain businesses that TransLink has partnered up?

DAVE: That’s awesome. A lot of people don’t know. So great to get the word out on it. If you go on TransLink slash offers, there’s an amazing list of businesses who offer a discount of all different kinds, to people who simply flash their compass card or can show a proof of transit payment. Groups like getting a two for one high tea at the Fairmont Richmond to two for one beer at select breweries. A whole bunch of just amazing, amazing businesses who participate and support sustainable transportation. So, shout out to all of them and get the word out to take them up. Go check out their service and product and take transit to get there.

JAWN: To your point, I, was able to use this and got in for cheaper at the Museum of Vancouver. Nice, and the air McMillan Space Center last summer.

DAVE: Yeah, some great attractions. Part of it as well.

JAWN: Even if you are a, you know, you were born here, grew up here or whatever, it’s always nice to be able to enjoy something like that a little bit cheaper in today’s economy. Right? Every little bit helps.

DAVE: Absolutely. And taking transit to get there in a lot of cases is the best way.

JAWN: The work we do in the community can feel personal because honestly, it can be. The TransLink enterprise employs over 8000 people across Metro Vancouver and all of us have a different story, a different background, cultures and languages. We want to support our community because we live and play in those communities to my thanks to Dave Lewin and the entire Community Outreach and Partnerships team, I honestly think they have one of the best jobs at TransLink now.

It’s a lot of work, but the payoff is always worth that effort. My thanks to producers Allen and Sydney for supporting our tiny but mighty podcast community. And of course, my thanks to you for listening and subscribing. I’ve been your host, Jawn Jang. And until next time, have a safe trip!