1981 to 1990

Here come the new Flyers
One of the first tasks of the new authority is to find a replacement for the ageing Brill trolleys, some of which are now more than 30 years old. The Urban Transit Authority (UTA) awards a contract to Flyer Industries Ltd. of Winnipeg to build 245 trolley coaches with solid-state Westinghouse "chopper" controls and on-board battery power. The new, sleek E901s featured double-stream front and rear doors, seating for 38 passengers, and a total capacity of 80 passengers. Equipped with solid-state electronic controls similar to those in rapid transit cars, the Flyer trolleys include energy-saving, regenerative braking which feeds power back into the overhead electrical wires during deceleration. This saves 20 per cent in electrical power over the old Brill trolleys. The first of the new E901 trolleys arrive, painted in the orange-and-white colours of the Urban Transit Authority.

SkyTrain construction begins
Construction of SkyTrain begins on March 1. This fully automated light rapid transit system will link Vancouver and New Westminster.

BC Transit brings new paint scheme
In August, the Province of British Columbia changes the name of the Urban Transit Authority to BC Transit, resulting in another paint scheme, this time red, white, and blue.

Goodbye trolley express
In April, the #34-Hastings Express is converted to diesel-bus operation, marking the end of the only express trolley service in Canada.

Flying high
The rest of the New Flyer trolleys arrive, replacing the ageing Brills. Vancouver’s trolley fleet now consists of 245 Flyer E901s.

Bye-bye Brills
BC Transit retires the remaining Brills and most of the E800 trolley buses in January. Some of the Brills have travelled a million miles, or more than 1,600,000 kilometres. As a final tribute to the long-serving Brill, the company plans a final, short run on January 14. To the surprise of event organizers, hundreds of transit fans appear to ride a Brill for the last time.

Trolleys extended to SkyTrain
Planning begins on changes to bus routes to feed the new SkyTrain advanced light rapid transit system, set to open in 1986. This includes plans to extend trolley bus lines to connect with the new SkyTrain stations at Nanaimo, 29th Avenue and Joyce in Vancouver, and Metrotown Station in Burnaby. The latter represents the first trolley extension outside the City of Vancouver.

Metro Transit merges
The Metro Transit Operating Company, which had assumed the operations of transit service in Vancouver and Victoria under contract to BC Transit, merges with BC Transit. This creates a single entity responsible for planning, funding, and operating transit services in the Vancouver and Victoria regions.

Cambie Bridge detours
In June, BC Transit converts the #15-Cambie and the #17-Oak routes to diesel bus service to accommodate a detour necessitated by the construction of a new Cambie Street Bridge. The company pairs #11 Stanley Park with #19-Kingsway to form a new trolley bus route.

Trolleys extended to UBC
On Labour Day, trolleys begin to serve the University of British Columbia. The extension marks a conversion from diesel bus back to trolley service for #10-Tenth as well as the Hastings Express. On Vancouver’s east side, the conversion of the Hastings Express to trolley operation introduces the first regular trolley service in 20 years on both the local and express wires on Hastings Street, and the #10 route is reconverted from diesel service.

Suburban service expands
Bus service expands to Langley Township and Langley City.

From trolleys to triesels
BC Transit converts out-of-service E800 trolleys to diesel buses. These hybrid triesels enter service in the Burnaby-New Westminster area in 1989.

Accessible transit coming
The BC Transit board commits to fully accessible transit by 2005. The decision is the first in Canada.

Trolley’s upgraded
Most of the trolley fleet undergoes a repair and improvement program (TRIP), designed to increase the vehicles’ reliability.

SkyTrain crosses to Surrey
In March, SkyTrain extends to Scott Road Station via SkyBridge across the Fraser River. SkyBridge is the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge designed solely for rapid transit use.

Wheelchairs welcomed aboard
BC Transit offers Canada’s first accessible public transportation with wheelchair, lift-equipped buses.