Some Lil’wat Nation youth say they are scared to take the local bus from Mount Currie to Pemberton due to anti-social behaviour and fighting on board.
The Route 100 Pemberton local bus is smaller than its Whistler counterparts, and does not have a bike rack. Community members rely greatly on the service, as there is no other form of public transportation or taxi company in the area.
Twenty-two-year-old Aiyana Kalani has taken the local route since she was in high school. Sadly, she will only get on the bus as a last resort, opting to pay others for rides instead if possible.
“Security issues are one of the main problems,” she said. “The bus drivers are not paid enough to deal with these issues. The issues they have to deal with on the local route are just too hard. Fights break out. People get on without paying. They act like it’s not a public transit system.”
Bus drivers struggle to curtail drinking on the bus, she added.
“There is a lot of heavy drinking on the bus. There are signs up saying ‘no drinking,’” said Kalani. “When I was in high school, I really didn’t like having to catch the bus. It really worried me. I would get really bad anxiety before getting on.”
Kalani said she still feels anxious stepping onto the bus, and the issues have only gotten worse. She relayed one fight she witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which one passenger physically kicked another off the bus.
“We need a transit security officer, or for the drivers to be better trained and able to deal with situations like that,” she said. “Having more bus runs would also be very beneficial.”
The anti-social behaviour often begins at the bus stop on Frontier Street in Pemberton, said Kalani, who is a youth worker.
“We like to call it ‘Pigeon Park,’ because there is a lot of people who just hang out and loiter around there,” she said. “I notice that there are a lot of arguments, fights, and just a lot of unnecessary drama that doesn’t need to be around the bus stop. I feel like a lot of the youth I work with are too scared to catch the bus just because of the behaviour that is on it.”
Earlier this month, Mount Currie resident Melissa James wrote to Pique to draw attention to the issues with the route. Pique also spoke with another Mount Currie woman voicing similar concerns, though she declined to go on the record.
BC Transit’s senior media relations and public affairs advisor, Jamie Weiss, said BC Transit is aware of recent concerns about “illegal and inappropriate behaviour on buses in the Mount Currie area.
“BC Transit’s top priority is safety, and we work hard to improve safety on board our buses for customers and drivers,” he said, adding the company’s safety systems include operator emergency notification protocols and enhanced radio communication to support managing on-road incidents; transit supervisors to provide support to drivers as necessary; and partnerships with first responders including police, fire and ambulance to support quicker responses to transit-related incidents.
Weiss urged people to report anti-social behaviour on BC Transit buses.
“If someone is the victim of an inappropriate or illegal activity, or sees something that is inappropriate or illegal on the bus, please tell the driver immediately or call the police,” he said. “Though incidents of this nature are rare on BC Transit buses and at bus stops, we take these reports very seriously and work closely with police to follow the legal process for complaints. BC Transit and our local government partners work hard to provide safe and reliable service, and we will be investigating these concerns further.”
But safety isn’t the only concern with the route. Locals have also expressed frustration over frequency and timeliness, and noted the bus serving the route is of poorer quality than other routes. Its lack of a bike rack only puts Mount Currie residents at a further disadvantage.
Kalani said she has often waited for a bus that never made it up to Mount Currie, adding community members do not receive any sort of notification when this happens.
“I have been stranded in Pemberton a few times before,” she said. “I ended up having to get my mom to come get me. We picked up a lot of people. We had a full car. We just loaded in as many people as we could to help get them home. They were all stuck as well.”
Michelle Fernandes, communications and engagement advisor for the Village of Pemberton, said the local route is a vital service for the community.
“Pemberton Valley Transit is provided through a cost-shared partnership between the Village of Pemberton, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, Líl’wat Nation, BC Transit, and the provincial government. The 100 Route bus service is a key component in connecting our communities, and the Village recognizes the importance of delivering an accessible and reliable transportation service,” she said, adding council is committed to ensuring locals are getting the best possible service.
“Our council remains committed to actively engaging in advocacy and sourcing funding opportunities to increase transit service within our community and between our neighbouring communities.”
